MLB: Forget Darryl Strawberry the ballplayer, save Straw the man

“Swung on, hit in the air to rightfield, Evans going back...near the wall...goodbye homerun....Darryl Strawberry!!!! 7-5 New York!!!!” Most baseball fans don’t know when that phrase was uttered, or what the significance of it was. However, a few diehard fans of the New York Mets sure remember...and always will.

Gary Thorne, broadcaster for the Mets, said those words 15 years ago during game seven of the 1986 World Series. Straw’s homerun gave the Mets the breathing room they would need in defeating the Boston Red Sox to win their second World Series Championship.

Love him or hate him, any fan at the time had to admit that Darryl Strawberry was an immense talent. Playing in the spotlight of New York City for a colorful team, Strawberry basked in the glow of his newfound stardom. With a tall and lean, yet muscular build, Strawberry’s long swing would generate immense power, resulting in majestic homeruns.

What everyone failed to realize, was that 1986, only Strawberry’s fourth season in the majors, would be his crowing achievement on the field. While several more years in New York would cement his status as a premiere slugger in baseball, off-field problems began to plague him. By 1991, Straw left the bright lights of New York for his hometown of Los Angeles. Funny how leaving the pressure cooker of New York City for the laid-back lifestyle in LA would propel Strawberry into the abyss.

Fast forward to April 2, 2001...Opening Day around for Major League Baseball. The signs of spring become a little more pronounced with the sounds of the ball hitting the bat and smacking the glove. However, Strawberry, now 39 years of age, is not among the other players. Instead, Straw finds himself under arrest for violating his probation agreement at a Tampa hospital.

After not being seen since he left his drug treatment center Thursday night, Strawberry returned to the hospital, where authorities took him into custody. Prosecutors had stated earlier that they would seek prison time for the former baseball star if he was caught.

Unfortunately, Strawberry is one of thousands in this country who cannot control themselves when it comes to drugs. In this case, the facts are not yet known where or why Strawberry disappeared, but most signs point to a relapse in his battle with drugs.

It’s true that this problem affects people all over the world, but it is the athletes who we root for and idolize that garner the most attention. Baseball players like Steve Howe and Dwight Gooden or hockey players such as Theo Fleury and Bob Probert, have all had to face the specter of substance abuse. What is it that makes them turn to drugs in the first place???

Obviously, the pressure of being a successful sports figure has something to do with it. Sure, these players are pampered and receive ludicrous amounts of money to play a kid’s game, but they are also bombarded with solicitation of all sorts. An excuse to use drugs?? Absolutely not....but think about where these people come from. Many of these players come from inner-cities where they watch their friends and family involve themselves with narcotics.

To a novice, the inner-city players may seem like the logical choice to blame, but to people who know better, that is a falsehood. What athletes face upon entering the professional ranks is impossible to describe, unless you’ve been through it. However, one thing known for sure is that these athletes are entering the real world for the first time, not knowing what to expect. That doesn’t sound different than any other college graduate, except these athletes have millions of dollars at their disposal at an extremely young age.

No 21 year-old could possibly know what to do with that amount of money. Add the fame and pressure of outside influences, and the mindset of these people quickly becomes blurred. Thankfully, most athletes stay down the right path, leading to a successful career on and off the field. However, there are always people like Darryl Strawberry....who, no matter how hard they try, cannot kick the habit of using drugs.

Those 15 years since Strawberry helped the Mets defeat the Red Sox seem like an eternity. A lot has changed in the world since then, as anyone who has lived through those years can attest. However, one thing hasn’t changed....and that is Strawberry’s drug problem.

For Strawberry and his family, here’s hoping he straightens himself out. He may have failed to be what he could have been as a ballplayer, but he does have time to still be a real man. Come on Straw....hit one more shot into the New York night like you did so many times before. If not for yourself, then do it for the millions who loved you all those years in Gotham.