You asked for it (7)
Oct. 26th, 2004 10:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gerbieWhatever happened to Darryl Strawberry? (requested by hansje)
Perhaps not even a challenge, perhaps just a question. Then again, after I stole her idea AND challenged her on her blog, this one must be my task from her. And seeing that anyone can just use any search engine and find out about what really happened to the big man, I assume she wants my take on it, my opinion. Hence here it is.
I can’t write about Darryl Strawberry without mentioning Ken Caminiti (obituary), though that might be an unfair comparison. It is not a random gamble though. Strawberry is heading for an early exit of this world. Like Diego Maradona; for us Dutch people the last seconds of every episode of Holland Sport shows a clip from his career, using a famous title from nobel prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez Chronicle of a death foretold counting the days he has to live, basically telling us, the world, that we are lucky every day he is still among us.
Strawberry was no Maradona. Not even close. But Strawberry could be the next Caminiti. The thought that steroids could cause cancer is not new. Strawberry has been diagnosed before and survived. Giambi has been named in the same context. Outside baseball several experts have named Lance Armstrong. None of these links can be proven, yet there is a realistic chance that one or all of these rumours could be true.
Strawberry was a gifted player, but he never grew up. He wanted to be a boy, he wanted to keep playing, getting older was a huge punishment. Steroids helped him become a better player, cocaine helped him forget that life is much more serious than just a game. The comparison with Maradona is very true here. The irony is probably that none of them will ever get old, so they really do not have anything to fear.
(You asked for it, a series I started to give anyone the opportunity to tell me what to write. You want to tell me as well: leave a comment or mail me (email in user info). This was part 7, no requests waiting at the moment.)
Perhaps not even a challenge, perhaps just a question. Then again, after I stole her idea AND challenged her on her blog, this one must be my task from her. And seeing that anyone can just use any search engine and find out about what really happened to the big man, I assume she wants my take on it, my opinion. Hence here it is.
I can’t write about Darryl Strawberry without mentioning Ken Caminiti (obituary), though that might be an unfair comparison. It is not a random gamble though. Strawberry is heading for an early exit of this world. Like Diego Maradona; for us Dutch people the last seconds of every episode of Holland Sport shows a clip from his career, using a famous title from nobel prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez Chronicle of a death foretold counting the days he has to live, basically telling us, the world, that we are lucky every day he is still among us.
Strawberry was no Maradona. Not even close. But Strawberry could be the next Caminiti. The thought that steroids could cause cancer is not new. Strawberry has been diagnosed before and survived. Giambi has been named in the same context. Outside baseball several experts have named Lance Armstrong. None of these links can be proven, yet there is a realistic chance that one or all of these rumours could be true.
Strawberry was a gifted player, but he never grew up. He wanted to be a boy, he wanted to keep playing, getting older was a huge punishment. Steroids helped him become a better player, cocaine helped him forget that life is much more serious than just a game. The comparison with Maradona is very true here. The irony is probably that none of them will ever get old, so they really do not have anything to fear.
(You asked for it, a series I started to give anyone the opportunity to tell me what to write. You want to tell me as well: leave a comment or mail me (email in user info). This was part 7, no requests waiting at the moment.)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 08:48 pm (UTC)Somewhere in the 80's I saw Strawberry in a Mets game and was impressed by his speed (sec) and his strength. Later I was shocked by his drugs related problems, his transfers to lesser clubs, his arrests and dismissals. It's sad to see such a wonderful player go down the drains.
It makes me wonder if professional sports is asking too much of young people...
Hansje
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 09:23 pm (UTC)