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 Yankees stunned by Strawberry arrest
Posted: Thursday April 15, 1999 08:16 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- David Cone was so upset at the news of Darryl Strawberry's arrest that he didn't sleep all night. "I'm just devastated," the pitcher said seconds after walking into the New York Yankees clubhouse Thursday. "It's just awful news for him and his family. I just hope it's not as bad as it seems." The Yankees didn't want make any rush to judgment about the 37-year-old outfielder, whose 19 years as a pro baseball star have been marked by tremendous ups and downs. "We're in a waiting situation. I just want to wait until all the facts come in," said general manager Brian Cashman, who said the team had "reached out" to Strawberry but did not go into details. Manager Joe Torre, working out in Yankee Stadium before the game, declined to talk about the situation surrounding Strawberry's arrest Wednesday night in Tampa, Fla., on charges of cocaine possession and soliciting a prostitute. Interim manager Don Zimmer said any decisions will be made by owner George Steinbrenner, who made the decision to sign Strawberry in June 1995. "I hope it's a mistake," Zimmer said. "This guy has done some great things for this club in 2 1/2 years." Yankees players look up to Strawberry, who has battled drug and alcohol problems along with financial and health difficulties. "Strawberry is like a big brother to me," Derek Jeter said. Cone, Strawberry's teammate on the New York Mets a decade ago, is his closest friend on the team. "I'm the least objective person about Darryl," Cone said. "I love the guy. It's just an awful situation." Cone called the Major League Baseball Players Association several times Thursday to discuss Strawberry's situation. Because Strawberry isn't on the 40-man roster, it's unclear whether commissioner Bud Selig has jurisdiction over him or any discipline would come from the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the governing body of the minors. Because he's on a minor league contract, he may not have the grievance rights given to major leaguers under their collective bargaining agreement. His situation, however, may come under major league baseball because he is in its aftercare program. As part of his comeback from a 60-day suspension in 1995 that followed a positive drug test, Strawberry was tested twice a week. Cashman said all tests have been negative, including the most recent one Tuesday. Strawberry was at the Yankees extended spring training program as he rehabilitates from colon cancer surgery. Cashman said the team told Strawberry not to work out the next few days and to attend to this situation. "One of his goals was to make the team coming out of spring training," Cone said, "and he was very depressed when that didn't happen. ... He's come so far. He had to be right on the edge." Cone speculated that maybe Strawberry might have been better off with his teammates than being along in Tampa. "If he was around us, maybe some friends could have helped him if he felt a relapse coming on," Cone said. Steinbrenner, who was in Cleveland attending the funeral of a Yankees limited partner, has repeatedly reached out to troubled athletes, signing Steve Howe and Strawberry after they were let go by others. "I don't care if a guy is a three-, four-, five-time loser," Zimmer said, adding he thought Strawberry had been a model citizen with the Yankees. "To have this happen, it hurts."
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