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 Darryl Strawberry's jam
Posted: Thursday April 15, 1999 05:00 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci spoke with CNN/SI about Darryl Strawberry's arrest Wednesday night on charges of possession of cocaine and solicitation of prostitution. CNN/SI: You've known Strawberry since 1984. What was your reaction when you heard about the latest turn in his story? Tom Verducci: At this point in Darryl's life, I'm not surprised at anything. I guess as they say with any recovering addict, you're never completely out of the woods. What's funny is, looking back on spring training it was a different Darryl Strawberry. I thought that in the couple years he'd been with the Yankees he'd been the perfect soldier, never caused any trouble. But in spring training there were some smaller things -- there not being a pitcher to throw him batting practice when the team was on the road, and some other things -- that made him pop off. To me that's the old Darryl Strawberry, the one with the Mets. That's not to say you could've known that anything was wrong, but it raised eyebrows that his behavior had changed. CNN/SI: Will he ever play for the Yankees again? Verducci: That's a very good question. His future is in Steinbrenner's hands, there's no doubt about that. When George signed him, Darryl was put on alert and it was clearly stated that if he crossed George once, he was done with him. I think this will play out slowly, especially since it's a legal matter now. First of all there's no reason for the Yankees to do anything quickly. I think they'll see how the court handles it, and then make a decision based on that. But if you believe what George has said, my gut reaction is that he's done with him. CNN/SI: How does this affect the team, both on the field and in the clubhouse, where he was considered a team leader? Verducci: I'll say this -- he was and still is very well-liked by his teammates, and he was a great teammate on the Yankees. Personally they're very disappointed, but professionally I don't think this will affect them one iota. Joe Torre's absence hasn't distracted them; Hideki Irabu's act, as tired as it is, hasn't bothered them. They'll feel sad for him, but I don't think that it will affect them at all.
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