Not quite the last Straw, but close...
Darryl Strawberry signed a lucrative contract with the L.A. Dodgers on this date in 1990, leaving the Mets and plummeting further into a downward spiral that would consume his career and his personal life.
Of course, the Straw was already miles down the road of excess before he went to Los Angeles. A convicted wife-beater, he'd done his first stint in alcohol rehab the previous February.
Despite his legion of problems, his first season in L.A. was productive, 99 RBI’s, 28 dingers (that's probably about 125, 43 when adjusted for 'roid inflation). But after that he dropped off the map due to injuries and his ongoing private nightmare. In 1994, he disappeared during spring training, and when he was found he was in such sorry condition that the Dodgers immediately checked him into Betty Ford for a month. The team released him soon after that - so ended the Straw's adventure in La-La Land. Darryl infamously once told a magazine interviewer that he wanted Los Angeles to burn in hell. And no wonder.
Of course, the Straw was already miles down the road of excess before he went to Los Angeles. A convicted wife-beater, he'd done his first stint in alcohol rehab the previous February.
Despite his legion of problems, his first season in L.A. was productive, 99 RBI’s, 28 dingers (that's probably about 125, 43 when adjusted for 'roid inflation). But after that he dropped off the map due to injuries and his ongoing private nightmare. In 1994, he disappeared during spring training, and when he was found he was in such sorry condition that the Dodgers immediately checked him into Betty Ford for a month. The team released him soon after that - so ended the Straw's adventure in La-La Land. Darryl infamously once told a magazine interviewer that he wanted Los Angeles to burn in hell. And no wonder.
1 Comments:
Here's a good piece on Straw from the DC Sports Bog
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2006/11/darryl_strawberry_comes_to_com.html
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