As he often does, Dexter Fowler got the party started with a single that led to a run in the very first Cubs at-bat of the teams NLCS-opening win over the Dodgers on Saturday.The next inning, it was Jason Heywards turn to ignite the crowd at Wrigley Field, as he belted a pitch to the right-field wall and sprinted to third for a triple before scoring on Javier Baezs hit.It was just two Georgia boys getting on base and then crossing the plate. The score: 2-0 Cubs.The bond between Fowler and Heyward extends far beyond their being fixtures in the same Cubs lineup or even manning the outfield together as part of the best defense in baseball. It goes all the way back to when the two were just coming into their own as teenage baseball stars near Atlanta, and it began with an introduction that came as a surprise to an 18-year-old Fowler.We had the same trainer, and one day he says, Dex, wait around for a little bit. I got your twin coming in. I said, My twin? What are you talking about? Fowler recalled of meeting Heyward, who is four years younger.So I wait around for 15 minutes. He walks in. This dude is my height. Bigger than me. Got, like, a mustache. Im graduating that year, and hes in ninth grade.Im like, Yeah, right. This dude is my age. From then on, we played on the same summer league team. Obviously, years behind me, but I kept up on him. Then we hit at the same place and developed a friendship.That friendship has continued to this day. Heyward admits that Fowler is a little more public, but its the sense of humor that bonds them. Fowler agrees.J-Hey is a little more reserved than I am, he said. At the same time, he has a good heart. Hes funny and jokes around. Hes like my little brother.Asked what Fowler was like at 18, Heyward said, He was the same. Always a smile, funny and always a good time.This spring, it was Fowlers turn to deliver a surprise entrance, one that put smiles on the faces of all his teammates, especially Heyward.Fowler famously kept his return to the Cubs to himself, then stunned his old -- and new -- teammates by walking onto the practice field at spring training one morning, after it appeared he was likely to join the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent.Heyward was as shocked as anyone.He didnt know, Fowler said. I got him. I got everyone. I wanted to keep it a secret.He was very excited. He gave me a huge hug. Its great to be on the field with him. He makes my job a lot easier.For Heyward, it was a moment he wont forget. It was just cool to see him back with his team, he said. And for me, having one of my guys that I grew up with.In a frustrating first season with the Cubs, after Heyward spurned the Cardinals and signed a $184 million contract that guaranteed his every moment would come under intense scrutiny, Fowlers presence has meant a familiar face nearby as Heyward acclimates to life in Chicago.We always said it would be crazy if we ended up on the same team, Heyward said recently. When its [free agency] going on, you have no idea where things are going to end up. Then here we are.Throughout the season, Fowler was there for his friend as hitting woes -- and the pressure from the outside --?mounted.Someone that has been there before and done all the stuff, you end up just naturally leaning on that, Heyward said of learning from Fowler.If there is ever anything that needs to be said, were not afraid to say it to each other, Fowler said. Thats the way it should be.It could be their only season as teammates, as once again Fowler is set to become a free agent. Theres no telling what could happen, though Fowler has been the glue in the clubhouse and at the top of the order during the Cubs resurgence. No matter what the future holds, the two outfielders are cherishing their time next to each other in the locker room and in the outfield.I told him he would love it over here, Fowler recalled saying to Heyward during the free-agency period. And I said, Bro, if were on the same team, youre never going to stop laughing, man.Theyve been laughing all the way into the postseason. Baseball brought them together, and their bond might help bring Chicago a championship.Its special, Fowler said. To see how this started, and now were here together. Its definitely a blessing. Puma Clearance Sale . 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Bryan Bickell is not alone.He might feel like he is, but hes not.The 30-year-old winger for the Carolina Hurricanes was diagnosed recently with multiple sclerosis. In a statement last week he said he hasnt been feeling right since the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs and could not understand what was happening. He was shocked to learn of the diagnosis but hoped to return to playing after the right amount of medication and treatments.Former Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November 2012 and is now a high school goalie coach. Current Calgary Flames goalie coach Jordan Sigalet was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in late 2003 while he was a junior at Bowling Green University. The disease -- which can cause impaired vision, extreme fatigue and spasms and paralysis of muscles, and has no known cure -- tends to more frequently affect women, Caucasians or people with Northern European heritage.Former Major League Baseball standout Rocco Baldelli had his promising career cut short after being diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease -- which has similar symptoms to multiple sclerosis -- when he was 29.At one point, I didnt know if my body was just failing me and I was going to die, Baldelli said. These are the kind of thoughts -- death, or not being able to walk anymore. You go from worrying about playing center field and where youre going to live in the offseason and winning baseball games, to worrying about what is wrong with me and am I dying?Baldelli first began to feel something was wrong when he was 25.You know, especially as an athlete, when something is seriously wrong, Baldelli said. You get to a point where you just want an answer.Now a 35-year-old first-base coach for the Tampa Bay Rays, Baldelli was considered a generational player after Tampa selected him sixth overall in the 2000 amateur draft. He had all the key tools -- speed, strength, athleticism -- to go along with his ability to hit, run and throw. He was a complete player who earned the nickname The Woonsocket Rocket and was once compared to Joe DiMaggio.During the 2007 season, his legs, specifically his hamstrings, would tighten up, then cramp, and his muscles werent able to recover to a point where he was able to play every day. Baldelli met with team trainers and doctors to pinpoint what was happening. He was tested for multiple conditions by specialists all over the country. No immediate answers came, complicated by the fact that he also had been dealing with Lyme disease since he was 15. It was an emotional time.Then, before the 2008 season, he was diagnosed with a cell disorder channelopathy, a mitochondrial condition that prevented him from being an everyday player in the majors. He was limited to 28 regular-season games with the Rays but still found a way to help the club reach the World Series that October and even homered in Game 5 against the Philadelphia Phillies before Tampa lost that series.There are playbooks for injuries -- broken bones and [torn] MCLs -- but therres no real playbook, no right way or wrong way to proceed in these situations; youre figuring it out as you go, Baldelli said.dddddddddddd Its scary, to say the least.Baldelli never wanted to discuss his health. He didnt want anyone to feel bad for him or his situation.When youre playing, its a real delicate thing to talk about, and youre not really sure what to say, how to say it, but its a little easier for me to discuss right now, Baldelli said. When youre still out there and trying to play, its hard to talk about these things. It makes you feel your own mortality.A native Rhode Islander, Baldelli was released by the Rays and signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2009 and played 62 games. Despite treatments and medications, the fatigue created by the disease became too severe, and he was forced to retire in 2010 after returning to the Rays for 10 games. He was 29.During his ordeal, Baldelli never thought about calling it quits until the very end because he was doing what he loved, but major questions remained.How do I go on living the rest of my life? Whats the rest of my life going to be like? Baldelli said.Baldelli still works out every day. He eats well and sleeps right. He has no choice, because if he doesnt live life in such a manner, he wont be able to recover and function well enough.I feel good, he said.When he learned that Bickell, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Baldelli understood firsthand the challenges that lie ahead.Its a very scary thing, Baldelli said. These are not things that young, professional athletes are really thinking about. These arent the thoughts that are in your head. Youre out there trying to compete, trying to earn a living and just trying to enjoy a pretty cool life. When you start dealing with these things, it really starts to freak you out. It really starts to make you question whats going on. As an athlete, you usually feel strong and people like to say invincible. You just never really think something like this is going to happen to you, and its not even on your radar.When it does happen, it scared the hell out of me. I was going for a lot of tests, and my body wasnt cooperating. I was feeling things that I knew I shouldnt be feeling.Since these types of diseases affect everyone differently, its tough for Baldelli to lend any advice.Thats a hard question, he said. Theres no right way to approach these situations. You start to re-evaluate a lot of things in your life. You start to think about the rest of your life and how you want to spend it -- the things that are really important to you and the things that are not. You really start to get an early look at these things that probably most people dont really start to contemplate until a little later on in life. You just dont know how much time youre going to have, and you want to make the most of it. ' ' '