Professional baseball player Darryl Strawberry has been hired as player development instructor for the New York Yankees.
Early years: Strawberry was born March 12, 1962, in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles. His father, a former semi-pro baseball player, left the family when Strawberry was 13. In his senior year in high school, he batted .400 and quickly became the major leagues' most sought-after rookie.
Career: In 1980, Strawberry signed with the New York Mets for $600 a month and a $200,000 signing bonus, the league's largest in 20 years. He soon proved his worth. In 1983 he was named National League Rookie of the Year. He was selected for the National League's All-Star team for eight consecutive seasons and earned four World Series rings, with the Mets in 1986 and the Yankees in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Unfortunately, Strawberry is as well-known for his inner demons as he is for his impressive swing. In 1990 he entered an alcohol rehabilitation clinic in New York City. In 1994 he entered the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment of cocaine abuse, and in 1995 he was suspended by Major League Baseball for testing positive for cocaine. In 1999 he was arrested in Tampa on suspicion of cocaine possession and suspended from baseball. After being reinstated in 2000, Strawberry again tested positive for cocaine. In 1998 he was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Family: Strawberry married Lisa Andrews in 1984. They divorced in 1993 after having two children. He married Charisse Simons in 1993. Together they have three children.
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In his words: "I feel baseball is a great platform for awareness because we're out in the public eye and everyone gets a chance to see a person making a comeback."
Web link: www.darrylstrawberry.org
Compiled by Heather Leinen
Sources: Evesmag.com/strawberry, Espn.com
