Wayne County Wanderings: Darryl Strawberry talks about resilience and hope

Darryl Strawberry suffered a heart attack on Monday. The former New York Mets and Yankees star announced on social media that he's had a stent surgically implanted and is recovering well. Strawberry has visited our area several times and has friends in Wayne and Pike Counties.

Baseball in general and the New York Mets in particular have always been a huge part of my life.

Tom Seaver was my first sports hero, a future Hall of Famer who Mets fans call “The Franchise.” My very earliest memory is of sitting with my Dad on the couch watching the 1969 World Series. Seaver was on the mound and my heart raced every time he threw a pitch.

I still remember how exciting it was learning about the game from my Dad. He’d been a star pitcher himself before becoming the head coach at Honesdale.

As the years passed, my passion for the National Pastime grew. I played the game every chance I got, from Little League to high school and then college.

It was while patrolling shortstop at Lock Haven University that my fandom reached its apogee.

The year was 1986 and the Mets had arguably their best team ever, piling up 108 wins en route to their second World Series title.

I loved that team and 36 years later I can still name every player on the roster. From Gary Carter to Keith Hernandez, I cheered them all … starting with Spring Training straight through Game Seven against the Red Sox.

Without question, though, Darryl Strawberry was my favorite player. There was a palpable electricity in the air each time he loped onto the diamond.

The prototypical five-tool player, Strawberry could do it all … from launching majestic homeruns high into the Flushing sky to stealing second and gunning down base runners with that cannon of a left arm.

This past week, I was lucky enough to chat with Darryl via cell phone from his home in Missouri.

It was a fascinating conversation that covered everything from baseball to addiction, psychology to recovery. And so, without further ado...

By the Numbers

Darryl was born on March 12, 1962 in Los Angeles, the son of Henry and Ruby Strawberry.

He attended Crenshaw High School and was selected first overall by the New York Mets in the 1980 amateur draft.

Strawberry rocketed through the farm system and reached the Major Leagues in less than three years. Darryl was named National League Rookie of the Year following the 1983 season and went on to enjoy an outstanding career.

An eight-time National League All-Star, Strawberry played a total of 17 years in the Bigs. Darryl finished up with 1,401 hits, 335 home runs and 1,000 RBIs. He was a member of four World Series championship teams and won a pair of Silver Sluggers.

Strawberry retired from baseball in 2000 after testing positive for cocaine during Spring Training. Then-Commissioner Bud Selig had announced that the positive test would trigger a one year suspension, so Darryl decided to hang ‘em up.

He was nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 and inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2010.

Life is a Process

At 60 years of age, Strawberry remains one of the most recognizable and popular athletes in all of professional sports.

And yet, that outsized persona hides a fascinating human being who’s experienced both dizzying highs and heartbreaking lows. Darryl is both a battle-scarred survivor and a fresh-faced beacon of hope … a friendly, thoughtful, yet admittedly flawed man.

He’s beaten cancer twice and worked tirelessly to break free of the addictions that haunted him almost of his adult life. Darryl credits his wife, Tracy, with being the major catalyst in turning his life around.

The couple has endured countless trials and tribulations, but together they now share a combined 35 years of sobriety for which they are eternally grateful.

“My wife is the biggest reason that I am where I am today,” Darryl said. “She’s the one that really motivated me to become a better person.”

One of the ways that Tracy inspires Darryl is with gifted insight and a penchant for asking tough questions … the kind of questions that go right to the heart of things.

“One day, my wife looked at me and asked when I was going to take the uniform off,” he said.

“I was kind of shocked at first, but she was right. I had identified myself as a baseball player for so long that I didn’t know anything else. That was an important moment for me.”

Baseball meant just about everything to Darryl for a very long time. However, he found out firsthand why it is that many professional athletes have a hard time walking away when the time comes.

“Baseball is what I did, not who I was,” he said. “But I’d been stuck in that way of thinking most of my life. My wife helped me see that if you stay attached to what you do, you never move into who you actually are.”

Second Chances

Resilience is one of the key traits in Strawberry's life story. He believes in second chances and digging down deep to find the strength we didn't even realize we had.

“I’m definitely a strong believer in second chances,” Darryl said. “Not just second chances, but third, fourth, fifth chances … whatever it takes. All of us fall down at times. But, falling down is just falling down. What’s important is that you get back up.”

As part of his ministry, Strawberry urges folks to embrace the fact that life is a process. Many of us have spent years wandering aimlessly down the wrong path. Getting back on the right track can take awhile.

“We all face challenges and adversity in our lives,” Darryl said. “The key is to keep fighting through it and not give up.

“I think many people don’t understand that turning your life around is a process. Whatever mess you’re in, you didn’t get there overnight and you’re not gonna get out of it overnight. You have to put in the work.”

Back Home in Queens

For years, Strawberry and many of his teammates had what can best be called a complicated relationship with the Mets.

Despite all his off-the-field issues, Darryl remains a beloved figure in club history. Sadly, for whatever reason, ownership didn’t always share that sentiment.

Things began changing for the better when the Wilpon Family finally sold the franchise to hedge fund manager Steve Cohen for $2.4 billion in 2020.

“I’m very happy with the new ownership,” he said. “Steve and his wife Alex have done a lot to embrace me and the players of the past. We feel so much more welcome now, but it wasn’t like that for many years.”

The Cohens, who are both passionate Mets fans, have embraced team history. They’ve reached out to former players, honored franchise legends, even brought back the black jerseys and Old Timers Day.

It’s a development Strawberry whole-heartedly welcomes.

“I always considered Queens my home during my career,” he said.

“I had some great times in the Bronx too, but Queens is where I started out. I came up through the Mets organization with some of the other guys and we accomplished great things. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Recovery is Possible

Strawberry spends a great deal of time traveling the country, speaking to crowds both small and large about baseball, addiction and the possibility of recovery.

Back in 2017, Darryl paid a visit to our region and gave an inspirational talk to more than 1,000 people at Wallenpaupack Area High School.

Jim Simpson spearheaded the event, which was also attended by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. It was a moving experience for Strawberry, whose message of hope for those struggling with addiction was gratefully received.

“I really enjoyed the time I spent there,” Darryl said. “But, it was heartbreaking talking to people and listening to their stories. It kind of brought home to me the fact that the struggle is real and it’s everywhere.”

Simpson is Certified Recovery Specialist who works with the Wayne County Drug & Alcohol Commission. He and Darryl have a lot in common having both battled the demons of addiction for many years.

The two bonded over their common experiences and have become fast friends. They definitely compare notes about addiction, but they also take the time to celebrate milestones made possible by recovery … as when Darryl flew to Boston to attend Jim’s wedding.

My own friendship with Jim began on the baseball diamond and stretches back nearly 30 years. It was Jim who suggested I chat with Darryl and maybe write about it.

“Jim has a big heart,” Darryl said simply. “He’s a great guy and I have a lot of respect for what he does.”

That's yet another thing the two have in common. And, while they come at the problem of addiction from wildly different backgrounds, their approaches complement one another perfectly.

Jim is a small town guy, down in the trenches every day, trying to help one person at a time. Darryl is a world-renown superstar, engaging with thousands of people at a time at venues all across the country.

Both are doing God's work.

“Many people have a hard time understanding how powerful addiction can be,” Darryl said in conclusion.

“But, I think we can carry that message of hope to the younger generation. There really is a way out. We really do recover.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Darryl Strawberry on recovery, resilience with columnist Kevin Edwards