What did Rod Scurry use to keep him up at night?
Nov 05, 2012 · November 5, 2012. Twenty years ago today, former Pirates reliever Rod Scurry died due to drug addiction. Officially, it was a heart attack that killed him, but even more officially it was a cocaine-induced heart attack. Thus ended one of the saddest stories—maybe the saddest storry—of drugs and baseball.
When did Rod Scurry make his first major league start?
Six weeks and a stay in Aliquippa, Pa.'s Gateway Rehabilitation Center later, the mask that hid Scurry's five-year addiction to cocaine is gone. The 28 …
Does Rod Scurry have lung cancer?
Born Rodney Grant Scurry, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Procter Hug High School in Nevada during the 1974 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his Major League debut on April 17, 1980 and pitched in 20 games that season. At the time of Scurry’s debut, there was an epidemic of recreational usage of cocaine by many Major League players.
Why did Michael Scurry become an introvert?
Jun 24, 2001 · They included Dale Berra, 28, a Yankee infielder who spent eight years with Pittsburgh; Baltimore Orioles Lee Lacy, 36, an outfielder who was runner-up for the National League batting title last...
Why did the Kansas City Royals go to jail?
Multiple criminal investigations have focused attention on the problem since 1983, when four Kansas City Royals, including a former American League batting champion (Willie Wilson) and a once sensational pitcher (Vida Blue), were sent to prison for cocaine use and other players were implicated but not prosecuted.
Why was Chuck Muncie suspended?
suspended Minnesota Vikings Running Back Chuck Muncie because he failed to attend two therapy sessions after completing a basic drug-treatment program. The league's policy permits club owners to order on-the-spot drug tests if they have "reasonable cause" to do so.
What happens if a basketball player refuses to submit to a drug test?
If a player refuses to submit, he can be suspended and then appeal the suspension to a grievance board. The National Basketball Association permits a player to seek voluntary treatment without any penalty, but anyone who does not do so and is found by the owners to be a drug user can be prohibited from playing.
When did Enos Cabell start his drug habit?
More names were added to the cocaine roster when Enos Cabell, 35, a former Houston Astros infielder now with the Dodgers, testified that his drug habit began in 1978 and reached a peak in 1981. "That was the strike year and we weren't playing and I had nothing to do," he explained.
Has baseball punished drug abuse?
Baseball has punished some of its drug users in the past, including former Los Angeles Dodger Pitcher Steve Howe, who was suspended from the sport for a year at the end of 1983. Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, who has called drug abuse the most serious problem facing baseball, refused to comment on the Pittsburgh trial.
Did baseball players have an affair with cocaine?
He contended that there was a "love affair" between baseball players and cocaine in 1980. But Hernandez said under questioning that his claim to the grand jury that 40% of the players were using the drug in 1980 may have been "grossly wrong" and that use has "declined tremendously" since then.
Why did Rod Scurry get the break?
He was only getting the break now because Pirates ace Jim Bibby was injured; still, Scurry was excited and was hoping not just to start but also to finish his own game. “I’ll be trying to go nine,” he said. Growing up, Rod Scurry never doubted he would play in the majors, if not as a pitcher then as a hitter.
When did Rod Scurry start baseball?
No lung cancer . . . instead drive, sparkle, energy. — Time Magazine, 1981. “T he butterflies have already started,” said Rod Scurry on April 18, 1981, in anticipation of his first major league start the following day in Houston.
What was the drug that Shiffman and Koch discovered?
Shiffman and Koch, like so many others in the early 1980s, had recently discovered cocaine. The drug was making the rounds through their softball league, alongside the other party mainstays: beer, pot, and Percodan. “Everyone we hung out with at the bar and from our end of town—everyone was into [cocaine],” Koch says.
How many innings did Scurry pitch?
He pitched seven strong innings, shutting out the Astros on four hits, while adding seven strikeouts. Lifted for a pinch hitter in the top half of the eighth in a scoreless game, Scurry was forced to pace the clubhouse floor, listening to the final innings on the radio, anxiously rooting for his club.
What sports team did Dale play for?
His life revolved around the Pittsburgh sports scene, from the green diamond of summer with the Pirates to the white ice of winter with the Penguins. “Dale’s a great guy. He was always at the games,” Penguins forward Kevin McClelland said.
Where did Shiffman play baseball?
In the army during the early 1970s Shiffman picked up baseball again and played at a high level while based at Fort Devin, Massachusetts. By the 1980s Shiffman had become a three-sport season ticket holder in the ’Burgh.
INSIDE PITCH (June 24-30)
Cubs manager Jim Frey was remembering what life was like before The Streak began. "We win six in a row, we're 3½ in front and our hurt guys are coming back," Frey said a few hours before the Cubbies ended their 13-game losing streak with a 7-3 win over the hated Mets in Wrigley on June 26. "I thought we'd be six up at the All-Star break."
BALL PARK FIGURES
The 1985 season has seen an unusual number of unusual injuries. Some of them were very painful, so don't laugh:
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
PEDRO GUERRERO: The Dodger outfielder hit three homers to set the NL record for home runs in June with 15. He tied the major league mark held by Babe Ruth, Robert Johnson and Roger Maris.