RBI Hall Of Shame

Though most of us borderline-obsessive RBI fans think our heroes can do no wrong, this is far from the truth. When they are not slugging 6-drink homers or getting lefty hits, many of our RBI Legends are out doing all sorts of ill shit. All sorts of ill shit...

Mike Aldrete

• Mike's brother Rich was a "scab" who crossed the picket lines and was one of the non-union replacement players who almost saw action during the 1994-95 strike; meanwhile Mike was one of the 700 union members on strike.

Doyle Alexander

• Went on the disabled list in 1983 after breaking two knuckles in his hand by punching a wall.

Marty Barrett

• Went down swinging for the final out of the 1986 World Series
• Was awarded 2.4 mil from the Red Sox after his torn ACL was misdiagnosed and ruined his career

Wally Backman

• While manager of the Western League's Bend Bandits, Backman had to miss spring training and almost died when he got bit on the head by a spider.
• Filed for bankrupcy in 2003
• Arrested for drunk driving in 2000
• Indicted in 2000 for assault on his wife and her friend
• Fired after four days as DBacks manager when the two above arrests surfaced. Arizona admitted that they didn't do a background check on Wally, nor did they ask him about his criminal past. Yikes...

Kevin Bass

• Struck out with a runner on in the 16th inning to end the Astro's 1986 season by becoming the final out of their 7-6 loss to the Mets in game 6 of the NLCS.

Steve Bedrosian

• Retired from baseball partially due to numbness in fingers caused, according to his doctors, by the effects of chewing tobacco and drinking too much coffee.

George Bell

• Once charged the mound to start a fight after a called strike
• Earned the ire of Red Sox fans after he charged the mound and did his best Daniel-san impersonation by attempting to karate kick Bruce Kison during a fight. Kison calmly steps aside, watches Bell flail and miss, and flattens Bell with a punch.
• Set Blue Jays team record for OF errors in a season - and as a note Bell was the worst defensive outfielder I have ever seen.
• Helped get Jimy Williams fired as Blue Jays manager by refusing to DH despite his defensive ineptitude

Juan Berenguer

• Became so popular in Minnesota during the Twins' 1987 championship run that he received his own, "Super Bowl Shuffle" music video called "The Berenguer Boogie" that was just as god-awful as you would imagine
• Quote from Bob Brenly about the mean-spirited and mean-looking Berenguer, nicknamed "Pancho Villa" by his teammates: "If I pulled up in front of a restaurant and he came out to park my car, I'd eat somewhere else."

Bert Blyleven

• Was an avid nose-picker, as evidenced by two separate videos of him getting in to his knuckle
• Holds the major league record for homeruns allowed in a season, with 50 in 1986

Wade Anthony Boggs

• Sued by a flight attendant for threatening and cursing at her. Apparently the shit went down after she refused to serve Wade a final beer before landing. He pointed his finger in her face and threatened to "kick your fat lips in."
• Sued for $12 million by former mistress Margo Adams for breach of Oral Contract. They later settled out of court.
• Admitted to being a sex addict on National TV
• Missed a few games after injuring his back while pulling up his cowboy boots. It was rumored that Margo Adams played a role in the injury and the boots were a cover-up.
• Was run over by his wife, like with a car. When authorities arrived Boggs claimed that he fell out of the car and she rolled over him without noticing. Riiiight...

Bob Brenley

• Tied a major league record (with fellow RBI'er Tom Brookens) with 4 errors at third base in one inning

George Brett

• Two words - Pine Tar
• Broke his toe in 1986 while running from his kitchen to his TV in order to watch the Bill Buckner play.
• During the '80 World Series, George Brett had an "attack" of hemorrhoids. He said, at a press conference: "Just because you guys are such perfect assholes, I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this. My problems are all behind me." - Thanks to Justin Pagano for this one
• Once, at Royals Stadium, Brett took out his frustration on a trash can. He beat on it with a bat, then threw himself into the trash can. Teammate Jaime Quirk found Brett in the can covered in garbage. *

Tom Brookens

• Led the AL in errors at 3B in 1980 and 1985, and tied an AL 3B record on September 6, 1980 with four errors in an inning. Yet another example that RBI achivements don't apply to real life.
• Brookens hit so poorly that he joked he scuffed his bat to "make it look like he hit the ball" *
• Once pulled a hamstring during a home run trot. *

Bill Buckner

• Something about a ground ball, World Series...

Jose Canseco

• Arrested in March of 1984, but nobody knows why
• Charged with aggravated assault in 1992 for purposely ramming into his first wife's car.
• Arrested in 1997 for beating his second wife
• Sustained a season-ending ligament injury as a result of pitching in a game.
• Had a fly ball bounce off his head and land over the fence for a homer. One of the funniest fucking things I have ever seen...
• Admited to taking steroids during his career and estimated that 50% of all ballplayers use roids
• Arrested with bro Ozzie in 11/2001 for getting into a fight with some dudes at a night club. Guess which side side needed 20 stitches and had a broken nose? Jose claimed he was a "victim"
• Promptly blew off the court date for above charges
• An arrest warrant was issued for promptly blowing off above charges on February 2003. Jose remains at large, be sure to call your local authorites if you spot him.
• Ended up getting arrested for blowing off above charges in Feb 2003. He's most likely staying in jail until the sentencnig hearing on March 17th.
• Got two years of house arrest for blowing off above charges on April 2003
• Decided to auction off a day with himself on EBay. Rumor has it legal fees for blowing off above charges have put a dent in his wallet.

Gary Carter

• Perceived large ego, love of self-promotion and reputation for only playing hard when a game was televised to a national audience earned him the nickname "Camera Carter"
• Once, after starting to talk and talk and talk after seeing an LA Times reporter approaching his general area during spring training, teammate Warren Cromartie cried out, "Gary, at least wait until the guy asks a question."
• On his 34th birthday, Carter was in the lineup for a game against the Phillies. He went 3 for 3, driving in the Mets' only run with a home run. With 2 out in the 9th, Carter ended the game by getting picked off by Steve Jeltz's hidden ball trick.

Jack Clark

• Filed for bankruptcy 1992, listing debts of $11,459,305.97 and assets of $4,781,780. Among other things, Clark owned 18 automobiles at the time. Hopefully Lenny Dykstra wasn't his lawyer...

Roger Clemens

• Was arrested with brother Gary in 1991 for assualting a police officer following a disturbance at a Houston nightclub

Vince Coleman

• Was accused, with fellow RBI'er Dwight Gooden and Daryl Boston, of rape in April 1992. The case was eventually dropped for lack of evidence
• Threw a lighted firecracker into a crowd of people at the Dodger Stadium parking lot. A young girl was hurt and Vince had to serve 200 hours of Community Service
• Missed the 1985 World Series after getting rolled up in the tarp machine
• Struck fellow RBI'er Dwight Gooden with a golf club in the team's clubhouse. Gooden was forced to miss a start... I think the moral of the story is to keep Gooden and Coleman the hell away from each other.

Chili Davis

• Charged with disorderly conduct following California's 8-3 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee on 7/30/1995. Davis allegedly slapped a fan who was taunting him. Chili also had a hit in the game.

Eric Davis

• Was driving the "getaway car" when Vince Coleman chucked that M-80 into the Dodger Stadium parking lot out his window. See Coleman above...
• Made his major league debut on May 19, 1984... without a number on his jersey. Apparently he was called up so suddenly that it was the only thing they had for him to wear.

Glenn Davis

• Was on the ass-end of one of the worst trades of the 1990s - the Astros sent Davis to Baltimore in exchange for young starters Pete Harnisch and Curt Schilling and young outfielder Steve Finley. Sadly, the Astros in RBI would still suck with Finley, Harnisch and Schilling...
• Ties a major-league record when he is hit by pitches three times in an 8-4, 11-inning loss to the Reds on opening day, 1990. He's still non Don Baylor
• Ties the American League record for first basemen with 4 errors in a single game
• Knocked unconscious from a foul ball of Jeffrey Hammonds on 8/1/1993
• Davis, a born-again Christian, took offense to teammate Jim Deshaises performing a toned down witchcraft ritual in the clubhouse. Not only did the Astros snap their 11 game losing streak after the ritual, but Davis pulled a hamstring during the game. Hmmm...

Andre Dawson

• Actually said "I want all the kids to do what I do, to look up to me. I want all the kids to copulate me."

Brian Downing

• On the very first pitch of his first game, Downing missed nearly 6 weeks of action after brusing his leg after diving for a popup. How badly can you get a bruise that you can't play for six weeks?

Lenny Dykstra

• After downing a few cold ones at John Kruk's bachelor party, Dykstra drove his car into a tree and really fucked up his passenger Darren Daulton. Dysktra came out relatively unhurt, although he added a DWI to his record
• Was rumored to have built-up a $100,000 gambling debt. I'd take the over...
• Was charged on accusations of sexual battery with a 17-year-old girl. Apparently he touched her inappropriately, though she was clothed
• In April of 2005, Dykstra has been accused of using steriods and betting on the Phillies during the 1993 season. The truth will come out, one way or the other...

Darrell Evans

• Tied an NL record when he committed three errors in one inning, April 11, 1980, against the Padres
• Was nicknamed "Howdy" because of his resemblance to the inanimate puppet Howdy Doody
• Claimed to have seen a UFO in 1982 - "Pleasanton, California: Darrell Evans, first baseman for the Detroit Tigers professional baseball team, reported that he and his wife saw a triangular craft with brilliant white lights from the patio of their former home in Pleasanton. "It was as if they singled us out," he said. However, he waited two years before telling anyone about it."
• Soon after 35-year-old Darrell Evans got the news that he was being benched, he claims to have been visited by a UFO. "When I got a chance to play again," he recalls, "I approached things a lot more intensely than before." Instead of winding down his career in 1982, the San Fransisco third baseman wound it back up, adding 196 homers to his previous total of 218 before he retired at the age of 42. - source

Dwight Evans

• Evans, while active in MLB, traded himself in a fantasy league because he "Needed pitching help"

John Franco

• Investigated by the FBI for ties to the Bonanno crime family. Franco apparently gave a whole bunch of mobsters free tickets to a ballgame in 1993. Francos official reply - "I am proud to be an Italian-American and have lived my life in a respectable fashion."

Andres Galarraga

• Only player in major league history to ever led the league in both hits and strike outs in the same season.

Gary Gaetti

• Nicknamed "The Rat" because he looks like one. That's brutal...

Kirk Gibson

• Caused former teammate Dave Rozema missed a start after teammate Kirk pulled a stool out from under him while he had a glass bottle of cough syrup in his back pocket.

Dwight Gooden

• Missed the first two months of the 1987 season when he checked himself into a drug rehab center.
• Suspended for 60 days in 1994 for testing positive for cocaine
• Suspended for the entire 1995 season after testing positive for coke again, while on suspension from the first charge. Goodness...
• Missed a start because Vince Coleman smacked him with a golf club in the "clubhouse"
• Arrested in Feb 2002 for drunk driving. Not only drunk, but was on a suspended license and had open booze the car.
• Arrested again in January 2003 for driving with a suspended license. At least he wasn't drunk...
• Arrested in March 2005 for punching his ex-wife in the face. No word of if he was drunk

Bobby Grich

• The first of many back injuries for Grich was caused in 1977 by carrying and air conditioning unit up his stairs.

Pedro Guerrero

• Suspended from the Mexican League in 1999 - details are sketchy
• Was parading around with OJ Simpson's post-Nicole girlfriend Christine Prodey, apparently on coke binges and having sex. OJ didn't take too kindly to this and called 911 on them. Cops showed up and Prody was arrested, though I'm not sure what happened to Pedro...
• Arrested in September of 1999 for trying to buy 33 pounds of cocaine from an undercover agent
• Was acquitted of drug conspiracy charges in June of 2002 after his attourney argued his low IQ prevented him from understanding that he agreed to a drug deal. You have got to be shitting me...

Tony Gwynn

• Missed a game after breaking the tip of his finger by slamming it in the door of his Porsche on the way to the bank. I would have guessed the bakery...

Billy Hatcher

• Was suspended for 10 games in September 1987 for using a corked bat. He claimed he borrowed the bat from fellow RBIer Dave Smith when it shattered during a game against the Cubs, revealing the cork. Yeah right...

Danny Heep

• Was Nolan Ryan's 4000th strikeout victim...

Dave Henderson

• Arrested and charged with Drunk Driving on February 2003.

Keith Hernandez

• Admitted that he went crazy on coke during the 1980 season, despite batting .321.
• Also admitted that he used to play high and would wake up shaking.
• Suspended for one year in 1986 for... guess what? Drugs - MLB didn't actually suspend him though.

Larry Herndon

• Missed a game after cutting his hand while eating a lobster

Kent Hrbek

• Missed the final 10 games of the 1990 season when he sprained an ankle while wrestling with a clubhouse attendant

Reggie Jackson

• Is baseball's all-time strikeout leader

Wally Joyner

• During his rookie season in 1986, was nearly killed when he was grazed by a butcher knife thrown from the upper deck of Yankee Stadium. *

Charlie Kerfeld

• Once had 37 boxes of Orange Jell-O written into his contract
• Had a lucky Jetsons shirt he almost always wore under his jersey
• After balooning to over 275 pounds, Kerfeld was sent down to the minors because of his weight problem
• Caught eating a plate of ribs in the bullpen in July 1987. *

Ray Knight

• Was charged with Hunting from public road, Hunting from a motor vehicle, Hunting without permission and Hunting deer at night on January 26, 2001. Apparently Ray and a buddy were returning from a hunting trip and he spotted a deer on the road. Knight claimed he merely wanted to look at the deer and his charges were reduced to Criminal Trespess and "Blinding wildlife with lights"

John Kruk

• Had one of his nuts removed. Tee Hee...
• Traded his uniform number to a teammate for a case of beer. Hope it was Old Style
• In response to an older woman who chastised him for smoking and drinking as a professional athlete, Kruk replied "I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player."

Jeffrey Leonard

• Suspended in 1986 because of his admitted use of illegal drugs.
• Known as "Penitentary Face" for his ugly scowl, he taunted opposing pitchers with his "One Flap Down" home run trot (where he would circle the bases with one arm held against his side). *
• Leonard sometimes carried his "nasty" bat to the plate. It featured obscenities scrawled on it, that he would waive in the catcher's face. *

Chet Lemon

• Was so obsessive about taking care of his bats while with the Tigers that he would "put his bats in a stretch sock and take it back to the hotel with him after the game." *

Davey Lopes

• Was elected to start in the All-Star Game, despite having a batting average of .169 - the lowest average for a position player in all-star history.
• While manager of the Brewers, was suspended for two games after coming out of the dugout and verbally assaulting Rickey Henderson. Henderson stole a base for no reason during a blowout and Lopes took offense. He told reporters ``I just told him to stay in the game, because he was going (down)... We were going to drill him.''

Bill Madlock

• Was suspended for the entire Eastern League season for starting a brawl on the field. Was later reduced to two weeks, Madlock was rumored to be swinging the bat at players.

Mark McGwire

• Most homers in a season while batting under .200 (29)
• In Jose Canseco's book on steriods in baseball, he claimed that he and McGwire would give each other steriod doses.... by injecting each other in the ass. Yowsa!

Kevin Mitchell

• Was shot three times during his brief stint as a member of the Syndos street gang in San Diego. This was previous to his baseball career, I think...
• Before making a name for himself in MLB circles, Mitchell got into a brawl with a young Darryl Strawberry during a pickup baseketball game in 1981.
• Sued by a former girlfriend in 1989, who claimed that Mitchell beat her and threatened her with a gun. Charges were dropped after Mitchell agreed to enter a domestic violence program.
• In 1990, he was four days late to spring training because he got injured eating a microwaved donut, requiring root canal work.
• Injured himself while eating a cupcake - though this is heavily documented, details are scant. It may be an offshoot of the oh-so-true donut injury.
• Missed a game after straining his eyelids
• Became the first player in Cleveland Indians franchise history who was unable to complete an 850-yard training run.
• With good buddy Dwight Gooden over at his house, Mitchell cut off the head of his girlfriend's cat.
• Missed some time because he strained a muscle while vomiting
• Is rumored to eat Vicks Vapor Rub. Somehow I think that might be related to the vomiting injuries...
• Was arrested in August of 1999 for felony battery after hitting his own father during a dispute. It gets better... The dispute took place because Mitchell was trying to evict his own father from a house he was renting him. Apparently daddy was a bit behind on the payments. This is easily my favorite story on the Hall O' Shame....
• As a member of the Western League's Sonoma County Crushers, Mitchell was suspended for 9 games after punching the opposing team's owner in the mouth. Mitchell first started a brawl by rushing the mound after an inside pitch. Mitchell got his owner-shot in shortly after the prevously fight he started had ended.
• In 2002, as manager of the Sonoma County Crushers, Mitchell was suspended for 7 games after punching an opposing team's 3rd base coach. The coach was apparently stealing signs...

Paul Molitor

• Dislocated a knuckle when he got it stuck in another player's glove

Donnie Moore

• On July 18th 1989, in front of his three kids, Donnie Moore shot his wife Tonya in the neck, abdomen and chest. He then turned the gun on himself, putting a bullet in his head. Donnie Moore died instantly...

Dale Murphy

• Began his career as a catcher, but had chronic throwing problems, occasionally hitting his own pitcher attempting to throw out runners at 2nd base.
• Would often pick up his teammates dinner checks, but would not buy their beer on moral grounds (he was a Mormon).

Bobby Ojeda

• Participated in a bar brawl to celebrate the birth of teammate Tim Teufels child.
• While gardening, Ojeda accidentially cut his middle finger off with an electric trimmer. It was on his pitching hand and they were able to re-attach it, though they say he was never the same. I bet he hires landscapers now...
• Was the only person to survive the tragic boating accident that took the lives of Major Leaguers Tim Crews and Steve Olin. Investigators found an unopened six pack and a "mostly full" bottle of vodka on the scene, though they aren't sure booze played a factor.
• Blamed his poor performance in a July 1991 game on his ex-wife, who Ojeda claimed had been sticking pins in a voodoo doll with Ojeda's face on it. *

Tony Pena

• Guaranteed his Kansas City Royals would win the AL Central - as of 9/2/2004 they are 27 games out of first place.

Gary Pettis

• Despite an 11 year career in the big leagues, Pettis is probably most well known for this 1985 Topps baseball card - it featured a picture of his younger brother, not Gary

Kirby Puckett

• Former wife Toyna filed for divorce in 2001, claiming that Puckett had threatened to kill her. She also said during their marriage Puckett choked her with a cord and pointed a gun at her head. Classy...
• A few months later, a woman who had an 18-year! relationship with Puckett obtained a court order barring him from having contact with her. The woman said Puckett had shoved her into his condo and threatened her.
• Was arrested and accused on 10/18/02 of dragging a woman into a restaurant bathroom and fondling her. Many witnesses agreed with the girl's story. Puckett didn't know the woman when he made the attack...
• Was somehow acquitted of the above charges in April 2003

Tim Raines

• Admitted to being a cocaine user and used to get high during games. Raines told reporters that he would keep a vial of coke in his pocket and would slide head-first while stealing to make sure the vial wouldn't break. Perhaps that's where the "Rock" nickname came from...

Jeff Reardon

• Arrested for holding up a jewelry store in a shopping mall in his hometown. It's so bizzare that I'll just link to an ESPN article.

Rick Reuschel

• Gave up back-to-back home runs to Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs to start the 1989 All-Star Game.

Jim Rice

• Was suspended for three games by the club for shoving manager Joe Morgan. Rice was angered when Morgan replaced him with pinch hitter Spike Owen in the 8th inning of Boston's eventual win over Minnesota. I'd push my manager too if he took me out for Spike Owen...
• Is rumored to have an absolutely massive collection of porno
• Is the single-season leader (as well as #2) for most GIDPs

Cal Ripken

• Involved in one of the strangest sports conspiracies of all time. The story goes that Kevin Costner and his wife were staying at Ripkens house in 1997 during a film shoot. Kevin comes home from the shoot and finds Cal in bed with his wife. A melee ensues and Ripken is hurt in the scuffle. Too hurt to play, the Orioles concoct a lighting problem at Camden Yards to postpone that night's game, thus preserving The Streak. Probably bullshit, but the story itself is shameful...
• Is the career leader for Grounding into Double Plays

Nolan Ryan

• Missed a start after being bitten on the hand by a coyote. And no it wasn't Peter Coyote of The Legend of Billie Jean fame...

Bret Saberhagen

• Having a tough time adjusting to the New York media, Saberhagen was once fined and suspeneded for 5 games for spraying bleach on a group of reporters.
• In another "episode" with the New York media, Saberhagen found it prudent to chuck a firecracker at a group of reporters. For some reason he wasn't fined for this one...

Ryne Sandberg

• His ex-wife is rumored to have slept with former teammates Rafael Palmerio and Dave Martinez while they were married. That makes for an awkward clubhouse...

Rafael Santana

• From a quote in The Bad Guys Won - "There, passed out, was shortstop Rafael Santana, penis in hand. spraying urine like a fire hydrant." We don't know the rest of the story, but that's good enough for me...

Benito Santiago

• Has been linked to the BALCO/steriods scandal

Mike Scott

• Suffered a black eye after getting decked in the face with Denny Walling's batting donut. Still pitched the game and shut out the Dodgers
• Had career-long rumors of scuffing the ball and cheating. So much so that he was voted #3 on ESPN's top cheaters of all time.

Calvin Schiraldi

• Had an 0-2 record with a 13.50 ERA in the 1986 World Series, losing both games 6 and 7. Anyone who has tried to close out a game with Schiraldi in RBI isn't surprised.

Mike Schmidt

• Once reported for morning exercises during spring training in 1977 with his pants down at his knees.

Kevin Seitzer

• Struck out looking to Jason "Bonny" Bonneville of the forums in a summer 2002 semi-pro game. First recorded case of a Dee-Nee member successfully taming and RBI'er.

Ozzie Smith

• Among nonpitchers who started their careers after 1920, only Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner had fewer career homers (27) than Smith (29) and reached the Hall of Fame as a player.
• Was fined and suspended in 1988 after starting a brawl by rabbit punching fellow RBIer Will Clark after Clark slid in hard into second base to break up a double play.

Calvin Schraldi

• Was the losing pitcher in both Games 6 and 7 of the 1986 WS, with a 13.50 ERA (after posting a 1.41 ERA during the regular season). As we all know, he is equally unclutch in RBI.

Harry Spilman

• Immediately after stealing the only base of his career in 1987, Giants manager Roger Craig subs Spilman for a pinch-runner.

Bob Stanley

• Missed a few games after slipping down the stairs while taking out the trash

Darryl Strawberry

Because of Darryl's extremely troubled past, I'm going to take the lazy way out and copy most of the stuff from cracksmoker.com - I will be adding other entires but reporting on Darryl's problems is a full-time job, so I'll have to do it in chunks. Enjoy the beta version:

• Spring 1989 - Decked Keith Hernandez because Darryl didn't like him and an ignorant photographer seated them next to each other for the team photo
• April 7, 1989 -- Named in a lawsuit in Clayton, Mo., charging that he fathered a son with Lisa Clayton.
• May 18, 1989 -- Wife files divorce petition in Los Angeles. He says there ``are no hard feelings. ... We felt this was the best thing to do.''
• Jan. 24, 1990 -- Blood tests establish Strawberry as father of Clayton's child.
• Jan. 26, 1990 -- Arrested for alleged assault with a deadly weapon during an argument with his wife. He is alleged to have hit her in the face with an open hand and also to have threatened her with a .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Released on $12,000 bail.
• Feb. 3, 1990 -- Enters Smithers Center for alcohol rehabilitation.
• Sept. 4, 1993 -- Arrested for allegedly striking Charisse Simons, the 26-year-old woman he lived with.
• March 3, 1994 -- Investigated by the IRS and U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly failing to file tax returns for in excess of $300,000 of income derived from autograph and memorabilia shows.
• April 3, 1994 -- Failed to show up for the Dodgers' final exhibition game against California at Anaheim Stadium, and not located until that night.
• April 4, 1994 -- Dodgers announce Strawberry has a substance abuse problem and place him on the disabled list.
• April 8, 1994 -- Enters Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for treatment of a substance abuse problem.
• Dec. 8, 1994 -- He and his agent Eric Goldschmidt were indicted on federal tax evasion charges alleging that Strawberry failed to report more than $500,000 in income earned from 1986 through 1990.
• Feb. 6, 1995 -- Major league baseball suspends Strawberry for 60 days after he tested positive for cocaine. The Giants, citing a clause in his contract, terminate the deal and release him.
• Dec. 11, 1995 -- Strawberry is charged in California with failing to make child support payments and faces one count of willful failure to provide child support, two counts of violating a court order to provide child support and another order to provide spousal support.
• July 5, 1996 -- Strawberry tells court he will will use his $260,000 signing bonus as partial payment of support owed his ex-wife and children.
• Aug. 20, 1998 -- Sued by attorney Robert Shapiro for $100,000 plus interest in fees for a contract settlement Shapiro negotiated with the Dodgers in 1994.
• Oct. 3, 1998 -- Undergoes surgery to have a 16-inch portion of his large intestine removed to get rid of a tumor almost 2 1/2 inches long that nearly obstructed his intestine. Doctors said the three-hour surgery went smoothly and that the tumor did not appear to have spread.
• Feb. 9, 1999 -- Makes debut as spokesman for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, saying he is optimistic about his future.
• April 14, 1999 -- Charged with possession of cocaine and soliciting a prostitute. According to police, Strawberry allegedly solicited an undercover officer for sex for $50. Upon being searched, 0.3 grams of powder cocaine was found inside of his wallet. He was released on $6,000 bond.
• June 18, 1999 -- Bud Selig announces that Strawberry can return to baseball after a 120-day suspension ends on Aug. 11.
• Feb. 22, 2000 -- A Florida Department of Corrections report says Strawberry tested positive for cocaine on Jan. 19.
• March 2002 -- Kicked out of drug teatment center for trading some of his memorabilia for cigarettes and having sex with a female resident. Of course Darryl was married at the time...

Don Sutton

• Was ejected from a game and suspended for 10 games for defacing the ball in 1978. After threatening legal action against the National League, Suttons suspension was dropped

Tim Teufel

• Arrested with fellow Mets Bob Ojeda, Rick Aguleria and Ron Darling after a brawl at a Houston bar. The four apparently were out celebrating the birth of Tim's child when they felt compelled to start a fight with some off-duty police officers working as security guards. Was fined $200 and went on his merry way...

Dickie Thon

• Coming off of an All-Star season, Thon is beaned in the temple with a fastball from Mets pitcher Mike Torrez during the first week of the 1984 season. Thon wouldn't return to the Astros until midway through the 1985 season, but he would never be the same, as he dealt with blurred vision for the rest of his career.

Alan Trammel

• Manager of the second-worst team in baseball history, the 2003 Detroit Tigers
• At a Halloween party one year, he dressed as Frankenstein. Wearing elevated boots, Trammell tripped, fell and injured his knee to the point that it required surgery. *

Lou Whitaker

• Missed the last month of the 1988 season after tearing a hamstring dancing at his sisters wedding
• Forgot his uniform and gear when he went to Minnesota for the 1985 All-Star Game. Whitaker had to buy a Tigers jersey from a Metrodome concession stand, and draw his uniform number on with a felt-tip pen.

Mookie Wilson

• Made a gospel CD with his wife and three kids, I bet that is simply awesome.

Mike Witt

• Used hypnotist to try to help him gain focus in an attempt to win 20 games in 1984. He didn't win 20 games that or any season in his career.
• During his career, he finished in the AL's Top Ten in the following categories:
  • HRs allowed - 2 times
  • Walks allowed - 2 times
  • Hits allowed - 3 times
  • Losses - 4 times
  • Earned runs allowed - 3 times (led league with 111 in 1989)
  • Wild pitches - 3 times
  • Hit batsmen - 2 times (led league with 11 in 1981)

Todd Worrell

• Was the losing pitcher in one of the most controversial World Series games in history when umpire Don Denkinger's blown call at first on a ball hit by Garth Iorg allowed the Royals to beat the Cardinals in game 6 of the 1985 World Series and force a deciding game 7 (won by the Royals).

Joel Youngblood

• 15 years after the fact, Youngblood admitted to former ML pitcher Chris Welsh that the only career HR that Youngblood hit off of him was with a corked bat
• As third base coach for the Brewers, managed to get two runners thrown out at the plate by Ryan Klesko in the same game