Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Darryl Strawberry

Robert Ford
Say what you will about Strawberry, he was one of the greatest power hitters in Mets history and, if he hadn't hurt himself with drug and alcohol, he would have been one of the greatest ever.

I will always have fond memories of Straw. He was my favorite player growing up. My first Mets game was in April, 1985 vs. the Reds. Rookie Tom Browning and Ed Lynch both pitched well and the game was scoreless into the 9th. John Franco came on to pitch for the Reds. Darryl Strawberry homered to win the game and I was a Mets fan for life.

Joe
Darryl is the first ballplayer I ever followed. It's a shame that my once fond images of him are now tarnished by a repeated and ongoing struggle to stay drug-free and sober. His actions off the field destroy much of my memories of him on it.

Robin Brass
I remember a game in 88 against the Expos where Darryl was sitting out due to a stomach virus but was available for pinch hitting. Pascal Perez was pitching for the Expos and the Mets were behind by like one run. So Davey Johnson sent Darryl up to face Perez. Perez thought he was being cute (even though he was A NUT) by throwing "Hesitation" pitches to Straw (I swear I never saw ANYTHING like it). Strike one, Straw's getting mad. Strike two, Straw's getting pissed. Third pitch and Darryl hit a TOWERING homer to tie the game (or there was a man on base and we went ahead?? I don't remember except that the Mets WON the game). It was the best game I ever personally saw!! It's a shame Straw ruined his career. He would have been a Hall of famer!

David F
I feel very sorry for Darryl. Even with all the money and resources available to him, he has been unable to beat a very serious illness, and it has consumed him. I hope he will be able to eventually come to terms with his situation and I wish him the best, but it is the right thing that he is out of baseball, finally. Still, he provided all of us with some unforgettable moments and was instrumental to the success of the Mets in the 80's.

ckn
All I can think about is what SHOULD have been. 10 years from now he should have been in Cooperstown. I feel sorry for Darryl and his buddy Dwight. He would have been the greatest Mets slugger ever, but his head wasn't in the right direction.

RAMBO
Darryl was another major disappointment. Kevin Mitchell was traded because they thought he would be a bad influence on Gooden and Strawberry. Darryl and Dwight became major league coke-heads. Strawberry has the weakest mind of anyone that I ever seen. After he gets caught he gives the same I'm sorry speech. He is another Met who belongs in the HALL OF SHAME along with his best buddy and fellow coke-head Dwight Gooden.

BluesDuke
The Darryl Strawberry I want to remember is the Darryl Strawberry who stepped up in the eighth inning in Game 7, 1986 World Series, and hit that ICBM shot of a home run over the right field fence. Anyone who says (and many did, exposing themselves as asses) it was meaningless has never tried to hold a 6-5 lead against a team which was just as good at a late-inning revival that season as were the Mets. Strawberry bought the insurance policy with that homer, and there were people idiotic enough to say (and publish) that it was a meaningless shot.

Joe "Metsie" Feltman
I always thought that he looked like "Dino" the dinosaur, from the Flintstones...

If Charles Dickens was a Met fan and he wrote a book about Straw he might start it off like this, "it was the best of times; it was the worst of times..."

Looking back, its kinda sad.

Shem
I am in no way condoning Straw's addiction, but I will be forever grateful for the late inning heroics that thrilled me as a kid. He gave a dream that led me all the way to the Little League World Series, and I will always look back fondly on those warm summer evenings listening to the game on that old clock radio back home in NY.

Won Doney
When I was little, I thought of Darryl Strawberry as a great hitter. I didn't have a reason to think anything else of him. Now he's famous for his drug problem. If he didn't have the drug problem, he could have gone on to be a person people remembered for good things. He hit 30 or so home runs each season in the 1980's. If he didn't get involved with drugs, he could have gone on to more.

I don't hate Darryl Starwberry. I feel sorry for him.

ron
I remember back in '85 Darling & that pain in the ass John Tudor were 0-0 going to extra innings in one of those Mets vs Cards classics. D Straw came up top of the 11th and hit a shot off of the clock in deep right center, Mets win 1-0. One of the best games I ever saw the Mets play, he could have been one of the best but pissed it all away. Wish you well Straw - a fan.

HOJO
December 19, 2000
I look at the Strawberry saga this way

On one hand I will always have fond memories and a special spot in my heart for the 80's Darryl Strawberry

But on the Other Hand I will have a Hatred for a man who betrayed his fans, The Mets, the people who gave him and chance after chance to redeem himself and most importantly I hate him for betraying HIMSELF!!. This guy could have been the greatest of all time but he threw it away for some pixie dust in an itty bitty zip lock bag

Thanks for The Great 80's Mets Memories Darryl but damn you to hell for giving me 90's Yankee drug induced Nightmares

SHORTY
January 17, 2001
F Darryl. He not only screwed himself up but he hurt many others in the process. He pointed a gun at his wife. He lied from the pulpit. Named his kid Diamond. Brought Doc down with him pretending to be his friend. Played for the Yankees. Recorded "Chocolate Strawberry". He is such a stupid bastard. Nobody desreves that many chances. F Darryl.

EG
February 14, 2001
All his problems aside, and they are his problems, he's still one of the only players I would ever pay to see play. Got hosed in the 88 MVP vote.

Me
March 11, 2001
He lost the 1988 MVP race thanks to that jerk-off Keith Hernandez. Keith had some piddly immature bone to pick with Darryl, so instead of talking to Darryl like an adult, he goes behind Darryl's back and tells reporters that Mr. Duckhunter McReynolds deserved to be MVP. And since Hernandez was still a pretty big influence in the Mets clubhouse, a lot of reporters believed him and so Straw lost a bunch of votes thanks to him. Say what you want about Straw's off the field problems (okay, screwups), but there never was a more exciting power hitter when the game's on the line.

80s Straw fan
March 15, 2001
Previous posting had it right -- best Straw moment was when he won that 1-0 game at Busch in '85. His shot off Ken Dayley hit the freakin' clock above the outfield seats -- McGwire hasn't even done that.

Richard Kissel
March 29, 2001
Darryl had become something of a folk hero before his more recent problems (I'm writing this in 2001).

Darryl stands for wasted potential. He stands as a good example to my children when I want to point out the dangers of taking drugs. This guy was on his way the Hall of Fame and got sidetracked by drugs. It's a shame but he isn't an innocent.

I applauded his comeback with the Yankees. I also remember, though, that he was an absolute jerk with the Mets--especially at the end. Someone mentioned that the last time he hit the cut-off man was when he smacked Keith Hernandez after the team's picture was taken one Spring Training.

Coach HoJo 20
April 1, 2001
THE FUGITIVE 2: Staring Darryl Strawberry.

This guy is freaking NUTS. Talk about how the mighty have fallen. He is now a fugitive. It wont be long before Tommy Lee Jones is checking every out house, in house and dog house in the Tampa Bay area. The question is will Strawberry try to swim to Cuba to play Fidel Castro's baseball league. On a side note it is rumored that Fidel and Steinbrenner are related. This is no surprise because they are both evil and they are both dictators.

Logan Swanson
April 22, 2001
In a TV interview, Tom Lasorda was asked if he ever called recently departed Dodger Strawberry a dog. Tommy's answer went something like this:

"I never called Strawberry a dog. At least a dog runs for the ball".

Mr. Sparkle
April 25, 2001
There's only one word to describe this guy--Pathetic. He was an awesome talent with a bad attitude you always put up with while he was a Met. He wanted to go back to Crenshaw and so he took the Dodgers for a ride. Never came close to putting up the numbers he had with the Mets anywhere else. If he was in his prime in the expansion age of the late 90's to now you gotta think he could have hit 50 dingers at some point. You always stopped what you were doing to see him hit.

Now it seems like he doesn't care if he lives or dies going from crack house to whore house like they were going out of style. He's the most pathetic guy I can think of in all of baseball.

Paul S.
April 28, 2001
Getting traded to the Dodgers allowed him to hook up with "friends" from his old neighborhood, and the rest is history. You never know...if he had stayed with the Mets (or at least out of LA), he might have 600 home runs by now. You can call it an illness. I call it stupidity.

John
May 7, 2001
If I owned a newspaper, I'd get his obit ready now.

Coach HoJo 20
May 18, 2001
Back to rehab for Darryl, This is another reason why we need reform in our justice system. If Darryl wasn't a famous baseball player he would have been in prison the first time he was caught with drugs.

DB
June 19, 2001
When I think of straw I try to think of his 8 years with the Mets. They can stack up against anybody's eight years in Mets history.

Celebrity Bowling
July 24, 2001
Human garbage. Ironic that he has cancer, because he is a cancer. Lying drug addict with no redeeming qualities.

SIGH
August 10, 2001
Darryl was a great hitter for the Mets and he led us to the 1986 world championship

Sujan Vasavada
August 17, 2001
Say what you will about Darryl ruining his career with drugs, and everything, but true Mets fans will remember him as the guy who hit more home runs, and more RBIs than any other Met (until, and unless Piazza breaks the records). For 8 seasons he averaged 30 + homers, and 90 + RBIs in the pre-juiceball era. It's sad that there were a bunch of ingrates out there who never appreciated Darryl, and who still don't.

Darryl's # should be retired. I can't think of any other organization out there who would even have doubts about retiring the number of the guy who hit the most HRs, and RBIs in their franchise's history.

Cappy
August 18, 2001
I really get a kick out of all the self-rightous know- it-alls who have taken the time to castgate Darryl for HAVING A DISEASE! I'm SURE he just woke up one day and decided to become a helpless addict so he could end up broke and develop cancer. Gee, thats what I'd do! The guy was the best all-around talent ever to wear a Mets uniform. And yes, he should be an example to show to kids how NOT to live your life, but unless you've walked in his shoes, leave the man alone. The funny thing is if somehow a scientest were to develop a time machine and send the 1986 Darryl to the Mets this year, these narrow-minded pinheads, who somehow take his slide personally, would be the ones cheering the loudest.

David M.
December 8, 2001
The guy is a friggin' loser. This putz coulda been a career Met and a Hall of Famer if not for the nose candy. Way to go, ya schmuck

Mets62
December 11, 2001
Darryl had one of the sweetest swings in baseball. For everyone here, who lives in a glass house, please remember there have been much nicer people who have done a lot less for our team. If you remember '86 you'll know how good it felt. Darryl was a major player in '85 and '86 and all your comments about his personal life will not change that. If we could throw a ball like we throw rocks maybe we would be playing instead of writing about it.

don kincaid
December 12, 2001
The biggest waste of talent the game has ever seen . The drugs were more more important. A major head case

Mike Philips
December 14, 2001
Let me just tell you this, I calculated a graph over how old you are to the number of home runs you have and Darryl was above the pace of aaron and ruth, its a shame to see that as a met fan

Scrappy
December 25, 2001
I once made a pizza for Daryl Strawberry. Pepperoni and sausage. Thin crust. I have more respect for that pizza than I have for Daryl himself.

EG
January 5, 2002
Some of you sound as if he affected your life because of his drug problem. He screwed up his life, not yours. Don't be so biiter. At best, he was still only a baseball player.

(By the way, I think calling it a disease is utter nonsense. Unless you are a crack baby, it is still a choice. You don't choose to get MS...that's a disease.)

NL
January 19, 2002
I, too, have fond memories of Darryl as a Met. I thought he was a gamer for most of his time with team. When he was in his groove (being streaky is nothing new or criminal in baseball) he had the most beautiful swing I've ever seen. And he was a decent fielder. The "clock homer" in St. Louis in '85 and the home run off Nolan Ryan in the '86 LCS are great moments. It actually bothers me to think he could be remembered as a Yankee. It's like Yogi Berra being remembered as a Met.

Kevin
January 30, 2002
He would have been a hall of famer. Too bad he would rather kill himself.

Charles
February 12, 2002
I had not had a "favorite Met" since Cleon Jones until Strawberry--who I admiringly called StrawBOOM!--arrived in 1983. I always wondered who did Darryl have as an older "voice of reason" mentor-type of person in his life. Consider this: not close to his pops, his moms dies of cancer at a relatively young age. And don't forget, he's a young man making LOADS of money, so you've gotta figure that in that equation lies a feeling that he's conquered life.

Yet, no one will EVER convince me that Darryl did not suffer from some form of clinical depression--PERIOD!

I only wish one of the former greats of the game had taken him under his wing. I always wish that I personally had the chance to get to Darryl's ear after the 1989 season when he hit .225, and bring up the example of Willie McCovey's poor season in 1964--when "Stretch's" numbers were 18 HRs, 64 RBIs, with a .218 average. I'd would've said to Darryl, "Look how McCovey rebounded from that off-year. He went on to continue his Hall of Fame career; surely, you could do the same." But alas, so much for my career as a "crack psychologist."

Though he let HIMSELF down eventually, my "good" memories of StrawBOOM! will always far outweigh my "bad" ones. When "No. 18" was in the game, I always thought my Mets had a chance to win! And many times, with one swing of his bat--they did!

Straw, if there's ANY chance that you read this--God bless you, and get well. As much emotion as you may see here--in our hearts, we DO want to see you rebound and come back!

Longo
February 16, 2002
What can you say about Darryl? I get sick to my stomach when I hear his name. A role model that cannot handle the pressure and turns to drugs. Sorry poor excuse. In my eyes "The Straw" had it all. He deserves the pain he goes thru..... just like the pain he put his fans thru that looked up to him.

Eli (ROSY)
February 18, 2002
I used to like Strawberry alot when I was yonger. Even with the Yankees you had to love Staw. But ever since his last incident that will probably keep him out of baseball forever I rever since really lost respect for Darryl.

Coach HoJo 20
February 21, 2002
(From MSGNETWORK.COM)
The New York Yankees owner said Tuesday the troubled former outfielder will be offered a job as a player development coach after completing court-mandated drug treatment.
“He will join me,” Steinbrenner said. “He will come with us. He knows he has a place to go.”
Strawberry was sentenced May 18 to two years’ house arrest at a rural Florida drug treatment center.
Steinbrenner has been monitoring the progress of the eight-time All-Star, and said he deserves another opportunity.
“I’ll take that chance,” Steinbrenner said. “You got reach out and help.”

The position likely would involve working with minor league players at the Yankees’ complex in Florida.

I wonder if one of the requirements needed to work for the YES is a track record of rampant drug abuse? If so Darryl should have a promising future in the YES organization. Maybe if Darryl Overdoses a few more times Steinbrenner will promote him to GM! Brian Cashman watch your back!

a mets fan
April 5, 2002
I really loved him in the 80s-90s but he just did some stupid things and he will have to pay the price for what he did. The truth is he was really a nice guy, always cared about how he played, and always gave his best. I remember a game in 1989 where the Mets were losing 6-7 and pitcher Derek Lilliquist was on the mound for the Braves. Darryl just crushed the ball and then Lilliquist was pissed off about the whole thing so he started kicking the mound and luckily the Mets won that game.

Patrick Ryan
April 19, 2002
When I watched Darryl take BP it was as if it was the only event in the world. His swing had my full attention. I would watch and think of nothing. It was as if I was in a trance. Darryl had that power over people. Sure there are the Barry Bonds and Sosas and McGwires, but NONE of them could capture a crowd's attention in BP the way Darryl could.

I try not to think of his problems and just think of him during BP. Thats where he belonged. Just him and his bat nothing else. It wasn't a game, there was no pressure. It was just him.

DREWHALL
May 1, 2002
I know he's had lots of problems -but I can still remember waiting with my dad through a two hour rain delay at Shea just to watch him bat.

Larry Burns
May 28, 2002
If spousal abuse, drug abuse, cancer, convicted felony and fugitive from the law are "some problems" then Dennis Rodman has "a tattoo." Are you Strawberry apologists for real? Here is a guy with Hall of Fame talent. NO one, and I mean NO one did not stop and watch him bat, who through all fault of his own threw it away over drugs and violence. If I did not pity him, I would hate him. The tragedy of potential unfulfilled is criminal. Even with these enormous faults, Darryl gave us his share of great Met moments. His home run in Game 7 iced the World Series. I only wished for his and our sakes he gave us more memories---a true tragedy.

vemmerf
July 12, 2002
Forget the drugs and all the crap. Other than Bonds and maybe Sosa, there has never been a more exciting guy to come to bat than Straw. Never got the credit he deserved. In his day, he was the best.

Me
October 3, 2002
Did anyone see ESPN's Sport Century they did of Darryl? It was on the other day and I got depressed all over again. The guy received chance after chance after chance to get cleaned up, but there were too many worshipping enablers around him. But like others have said, he ruined HIS life, not mine, so I don't feel ashamed for still liking the guy. Whenever he came up to bat in a clutch situation, it was like the whole world stopped to watch. I've never seen that with another player before and I doubt I ever will. That's the Darryl I prefer to remember, not the Darryl in the orange jumpsuit.

brett
October 3, 2002
Be sure to visit the Darryl Strawberry webpage at http://www.darrylstrawberry.org. It was just updated (10/02/02) and includes info on the SportsCentury which just aired in September on ESPN Classic, as well as info on Darryl Jr, who just signed a college basketball contract with Maryland.

Markus
November 7, 2002
During spring training in 1988, Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez got into fisticuffs during the team photo session, due to Hernandez busting on Strawberry for being late. Met historians reflected that this was the first time in over a year that Strawberry managed to hit his cut-off man.

Bob R.
January 8, 2003
I was at Shea when Darryl made his first appearance in a Mets uniform after being called up from the minors. He hit a long foul ball that was more exciting than anything else that happened in the game. Like Dwight Gooden, Darryl had tremendous talent but his personal demons kept him from making the Hall of Fame. I hope he conquers his battles with cancer and drugs. Thanks for some of the most exciting moments in Mets history, Darryl.

S. Smith
April 1, 2003
I don't care what anyone has to say about Darryl's off the field problems, for they are just that and none of our business! Darryl is the most feared Mets batter in history. He was a great player, that had demons that he had to deal with, with the whole world watching. Things that most people get to deal with in private and are not expected to explain themselves in front of the world!

Do I approve of what he has done? No. Do I care to abuse him for it? Not my place. Do I appreciate all the huge home runs? Yes.

Thanks to Darryl and good luck to you!

nick
April 10, 2003
Bottom Line: Straw was the best position player the Mets ever had. Name any other player the Mets have had that required you to be paying full attention to each and every at bat! He was the perfect compliment to Gooden.

Yes they robbed themselves of their God-given talents by getting in trouble off the field...but on the field they gave us plenty of good memories growing up. Could have been worse, you could have been rooting for Dan Pasqua at the time. Read "High & Tight."

Jim Snedeker
May 2, 2003
Ah, the name brings back memories of simpler, fun times... along with the likes of Mookie, Wally, and Hubie... when Davey took the helm, he knew the young talent he had to work with, and predicted the Mets were going to roll over everyone after years of unabashed futility (Foli, Nino, Mike Howard, aka the "Come Back Kids"). And they did.

Since I haven't heard anything about him for a few months, I'm hoping that Darryl may finally be getting "it". I miss his sweet swing.

Steven Gallanter
July 22, 2003
What is most offensive about Darryl Strawberry is that he punched his wife on 1 occasion and pulled a gun on her on another occasion. Drugs and alcohol are human weaknesses that one must take responsibility for. However, the desire for instant happiness is all too human and can be justified as understandable. The desire to inflict physical pain on someone who is weaker can not be justified as understandable.

Do I look down on Darryl Strawberry because of his substance abuse? A little. Do I look down on Darryl Strawberry because he abuses his wife? Completely.

Mitch45
September 3, 2003
He was the only Met who made me drop whatever I was doing to watch him at the plate. Awesome talent, 10 cent head.

Anonymous
December 14, 2003
There's not much more that can be said bad or good about Darryl...but I know this...he's the reason I'm still the diehard Mets fan I am today. No one player captured my imagination as a teenager watching the Mets as Darryl. The sweet swing, the flick of the wrist, the unleashed power. He struck out a lot, but man, when he was up, no matter what, you sat up in your seat expecting to see something great...and he showed it...the clock in St. Louis...the roof in Montreal...the speaker in the AstroDome...his power was feared across the league on a scale unmatched by anyone in the game during his era. Maybe McGwire or Canseco...but no right hander in the NL ever wanted to face that guy.

What his life became was a waste and a shame. He broke my heart a thousand times over the years. But I know this...his downfall came AFTER his career as a Met. He left Shea hitting 37 homers and driving in over 100 runs in his final Met season. Let the Dodgers, Giants and Yankee fans curse "what might have been".

Those of us Met fans who thrived on the '80s teams got to see "what was" of Darryl Strawberry. He was the first true superstar the Mets ever had.

Mook
January 5, 2004
I can't help but wish Darryl the best. Maybe that was part of his problem, despite his demeanor and constant lapses there always was something quite endearing about the guy, and the chances kept coming as we all continually looked the other way. Maybe Darryl is everyman to the extreme embodying the absolute best and worst in all of us; living our fantasies and our nightmares. He has known adulation even Hall of Famers never see, and fought demons some of and others not of his own making.

In a perfect world (or an ordinary one, for that matter), Darryl would be winding down a Hall of Fame career. Instead, Darryl faces the day to day struggle against addiction and the specter of a recurrent cancer that will eventually kill him. I still keep hoping Darryl has one more big hit left, maybe one that will leave a more lasting impression than the 600+ HRs he would have hit. If not, there will always be the memory of his white tracers disappearing into the Flushing night sky, reappearing like falling stars off the Shea scoreboard.

Joseph Kohler
January 25, 2004
I was a big Straw fan, but my girlfriend/Wife/Ex-Wife was a HUGE fan, thought he was "Cute." So in '87 we went to spring training to see the Mets. I believe Straw's Birthday was days away and my girlfriend had printed up this "Happy Birthday" poster/banner thing that she wanted to give to him. "Just great," I thought. Well we went to Clearwater to see them play the Phils and lo and behold there is Darryl doing an interview about 30' from us and I thought this was our chance, so I call the ball boy over and say, "Can you give this to Darryl?" He takes it and brings it to him. We were ecstatic. Then Darryl signs it and the ball boy brings it back to us, We said, "No, it's for Darryl to keep!" Just then they started to play "Happy Birthday" on the PA for him. It would have been a nice piece of memorabilia, but, hey, that was not the intention.

LenDog
January 27, 2004
I love Darryl. He is a flawed human being who has done many bad things. But let he who is without...etc. etc.

The guy gave us many thrills and won many games with big HRs. He was billed as 'savior' at a young age and had to endure NYC pressure with an overly-sensitive personality and a rough childhood. How would you have done in his shoes?

Do not mistake this as an excuse for wife-beating. That's horrific and inexecusable.

But substance abuse is a fairly common human pitfall. Darryl was young, flawed, and famous. Most young and flawed people are not famous and don't have to see their mistakes recounted in the NY Post.

Thanks for the memories, Darryl. Take it one day at a time.

George from Manhattan
February 2, 2004
Darryl's potential as a ballplayer is underscored by the amazing stats this guy put up DESPITE his off-field troubles and in a much shorter time frame.

Career Stats: .259 AVG. - 335 HR - 1000 RBI - 221 SB in 1,583 games played.

Compared against some of the other leading outfielders of his time (some of whom now being considered candidates for the HOF).

Andre Dawson: .279 AVG - 438 HR - 1591 RBI (in 2627 GP)
Dale Murphy: .265 AVG - 398 HR - 1266 RBI (in 2180 GP)
Tim Raines: .294 AVG. - 170 HR - 980 RBI (in 2502 GP)
Eric Davis: .269 AVG. - 282 HR - 934 RBI (in 1626 GP)
Willie McGee: .295 AVG. - 79 HR - 856 RBI (in 2201 GP)
Dave Winfield: .283 AVG. - 465 HR - 1833 RBI (in 2973 GP)

Even more, his individual accolades were impressive: 8 All-Star games, 2 Silver Sluggers, and 1 Rookie of the Year. 1-time 30-30 club member and 1-time NL HR leader.

Take away his terrible afflictions and weaknesses, assume he continued to play (deteriorating with age), and it is very likely that he would have put up near HOF statistics.

N/A
April 20, 2004
I had season tickets from 1985-1990 three rows off the right field line. It kills me to watch guys like Shane Spencer roam Strawland nowadays. Although when I think about him, it makes me want to cry. It's a sad emptiness that will never be replaced. To think that I was a 7 year old child idolizing him and he was probably high on 7 different drugs as I marveled at his every move. What a loss of innocence when I was old enough to understand.

It doesn't matter. I miss that swing. Who can forget his game winning, walk-off home run against Lee Smith on September 11, 1990 (my 10th birthday) to keep the fading Mets in the race.

Jonathan Stern
February 12, 2005
All-Amazin' Night at Shea Stadium, 2002, was a demoralizing experience. Forty years of Mets baseball and that's our all-time team? Well, at least we're 2 for 4 in World Series play.

But in an evening full of embarassments, a potentially inspiring moment occurred when Darryl Strawberry, Jr. accepted his father's All-Amazin' trophy for him. There was no getting around it. Darryl belonged on that team. Given that he was in jail, his son came in his place. I was all set to join the Shea fans in a warm ovation.

But before I could even stand up, the Diamondvision scoreboard suddenly displayed Darryl in his jail cell, a blue computer background covering his immediate surroundings. Bleary-eyed, beaten and broken, there he was thanking us fans for all our support and assuring us all, once again, that he was going to turn his life around.

I have never been more repulsed in all my years as a sports fan. In truth, it was one of the most horrifying things I have ever seen, period. The Mets really should not have shown Darryl in his cell. Surely they could have avoided doing it. The man had lost so much of his dignity already. Even if he had insisted, they should have said no to him. For his own sake.

What a terrible, terrible tragedy. I cannot feel too sorry for him, but I pity Strawberry so much that I sometimes cross the line into genuine sympathy. If I feel somewhat less that way about Dwight Gooden, it is only because he was spared the ridicule and abuse that the fans (myself included) and the media regularly rained on his teammate. Gooden was no less disgraceful yet he was left alone, probably because he was less outspoken and thus was believed by many to be a good guy. Was there an element of racism there? In the end, the story of those two fallen stars represents the sorriest part of the Mets' overall legacy. The team failed them, the media failed them, we fans failed them, and, most importantly, they failed themselves.

eli376
February 14, 2005
Darryl was my favorite ballplayer as a kid growing up in the 80s, and even though I've come to respect a lot of other ballplayers since then, nobody has ever meant the same to me as Darryl did. I think his career path was the sad product of too much being given to (and too much pressure being placed upon) a kid who was too young and immature to handle it all. While he's certainly responsible for his own actions and shortcomings, I think people are way too quick to judge his failures (on and off the field) and mislabel them as character faults -- he's certainly not the first young star to make poor choices under the spotlight.

In any event, my favorite memory of Darryl was a game- winning missile home run he hit in the bottom of the 9th or 10th against Lee Smith (then pitching for the Cardinals) circa mid-season 1990. Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were calling the game on ESPN, and Miller referred to it as perhaps the hardest hit ball he'd ever seen... it almost hit the scoreboard on a stringline. Darryl had more natural power (and a prettier natural power stroke) than anybody I've ever seen.

I'm glad to see he's back with the Mets as a spring- training instructor this spring. I hope he makes the best of the opportunity.

Gary
March 7, 2005
I always said that if you combined Dykstra's drive with Strawberry's talent, you would have had an incredible player. Darryl could have been so much better than he was. Still ticked off that he took a swing at Keith. Hernandez always tried to help him out.

Fan 5/31/64 - 8/11/94
May 22, 2005
OK, he didn't live up to his potential, rarely performed well with a game on the line, hit 0 walk off game winning HR's between one in '83 off Franco and one in '90 off Lee Smith, worked about as hard as Uncle Joe in Petticoat Junction and generally embarrassed himself publically. However, how many of you stuck around the ballpark during a blowout just to see if he would bounce one off the scoreboard? We paid our money for entertainment, not pennants and at least he gave us that much. Still, one wonders.

Jersey Jerry
July 11, 2005
Let me start by saying this; I hated Darryl Strawberry back when he broke in. Hated him through his tenure with the Mets. Hated him when he pushed the envelope to be traded to L.A. Finally DEFINITELY hated him when he was on the Yankees.

Never saw anyone with as much talent who totally wasted it, actually throw Gooden in that last part as well.

Darryl was to me useless after he hurt his thumb back in I believe 1985. He was a crybaby, a drug abuser, and a slacker. Where guys like Mookie, Lenny, Backman, Hernandez, and Carter busted it every single game, here was Darryl wasting his talent. Got more chances than most players did. If the game was meaningless here comes Darryl with a moon shot off some poor slob. But if it meant something like against the Cubs, Pirates, Cardinals, Dodgers, here comes Darryl okey doking after a hit, or lumbering down to first base not knowing if there is going to be an errant throw.

What an incredible waste of talent. Darryl, my boy you really could've been great.

5280 Metsfan
October 4, 2005
Like so many before me that have written. That 1-0 game against the Cardinals in Oct of 85 is my favorite memory of the Straw-man. He is the only player that ever made me stop what I was doing so I could watch him bat.

coach kelley
November 17, 2005
I saw Strawberry play for the Jackson Mets one night in Tulsa, and it was the night a young Oklahoma boy became a Mets fan. He hit one out to right that crossed the street behind the ballpark (four lanes with a median and turning lane) and landed on top of a building on the other side of the road. I never saw a ball hit that far (in person) before or since.

I lived in Brooklyn in 1990 when the Mets played the Reds on a June day when they both were in first place. I snapped a picture of Straw and Eric Davis that day during BP; it is one of my favorite pics. (Incidently, Davis jacked one that hit off the facade of the upper deck down the left field line and ricocheted back the field as hard as it went out.)

Mr. Sparkle
April 28, 2006
Now that Darryl is back in the Mets family as a spring training coach, and he appears to at least have somewhat of a clue as to how to keep his life from falling apart, maybe it's time to elect Darryl into the Mets Hall of Fame just in time for the 20th anniversary of 1986. I always felt he was a more pathetic character than Gooden since you kinda expected Darryl to fall apart them way he did. I don't think anyone was surprised. And now he seems to be able to hold it together and not screw up too much. Doc on the other hand no one ever expected his downfall and he doesn't get any better. He just gets worse. Doc needs to get his life clean and to stay away from the Yankees before he can get into the Mets Hall of Fame. But for Darryl, I think it's time to enshrine him.

Deb H
December 22, 2006
I became a fan of Darryl's in 85 when I was just amazed watching him. Then in '86 when he was on the championship team he was even more awesome. I think that even though he had some dreadful times over the past years, some at his own hand and some at the hand of God, he deserves the recognition for what he did in those glorious years. I can remember just getting so excited when he would step up to the plate when they needed just that one run to go ahead and Darryl had that sweet swing that just sent it out of the park. And when he hit the clock at Bush Stadium it was great. I so wish he had not gone down the road he did but we all make mistakes. I am still a fan and always will be. I hope that he finally staightened out his life and stays healthy. It seems he is finally trying. It sure was great to see him and the crowd's reaaction to him at the celebration at Shea in August. www.strawberrysfieldforever.com

Shickhaus Franks
December 22, 2006
Last month on ESPN2 (Nov 16, 2006) they showed Darryl and Mets PR man Jay Horowitz watching Maryland Terps hoops star D.J. Strawberry score 19 pts as they totally destroyed a out-manned St. John's Red Storm at Madison Square Garden! He's a senior and he's a good athlete just like Dad. Btw, Darryl had some pretty good hoop skills as well at Crenshaw HS in Los Angeles.

J-murph
December 22, 2006
Straw was my hero growing up. He was the cleanup hitter on my favorite team and in my eyes he could do no wrong. June 19, 1988 was my sixth birthday and the first Mets game I ever attended in person. David Cone brought a no-hitter into the 8th inning that day, however, I was more excited that Straw hit a homer.

Along with the playoff run, my favorite part of the 2006 season was the 20 year celebration of the '86 team. Seeing all the guy I watched as a kid, come out to take a curtain call 20 years later, was awesome.

Mex was our captain, Kid is the Hall of famer, but they still brought Strawberry out last. Shea went nuts when he made his way through the seats. That was my guy... that was our guy.

Through all the drug problems, prison, and sickness, Straw was fanialy back home and looking so well. I was so proud of him... we were so proud of him.

No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, however, Darryl has seemingly picked himself up, mended ralationships and made himself a better person. That is the type of person we can all look up to. Here's to hoping he doesn't let us down again.

exidor57
June 12, 2007
I got to watch Darryl play during some of his Met years, when I lived in NYC, and then during his Dodger years, because I had moved to L.A. To this day, I have never seen electricity in the stands like when Darryl came to bat. Even in laid back Dodger Stadium, the place would just crackle and buzz. You never knew what one swing of that sweet stroke would bring.

In nearly forty years of watching baseball, I've still never seen anything like it. It was awesome.

On a side note, people I knew in L.A., who lived there when he was growing up, told me that Darryl was already a legend when he was in his early teens. He was already expected to blast away the record book. They told me that I had no idea of the hype when he was in high school. I wonder what kind of pressure that must have been. That, and growing up in an era of tremendous partying (remember the trials and scandals that involved Dave Parker and Keith and other ballplayers) on a team that certainly did more than its share of partying.

Catfish Tortuga
September 23, 2007
September 1983. Night game. Shea Stadium. George Foster spanks homer over right-center field fence. Place goes nuts cheering for the old geezer. Next batter up - Daryl Strawberry. First pitch - the baseball ten miles into the black night sky, out over the left-center field fence, out over the bullpen...it's still flying.

Shea Stadium shaking like a billion elephants stampeding, cheering so loud it swallowed me up.

Gets by Buckner
September 23, 2007
It still ticks me off when I see Darryl in a Yankee uniform and the fact that he won Championships with them. He was such an exciting player and I remember his 1983 debut all the way to when he left for the Dodgers. He had such a great swing. I'll never forget his home run in September 1985 in St. Louis. I wish he was a Met for life but his drug abuse was a downfall for him. Who knows? Maybe we would have had more World Series championships in the 90's?

Chris
March 6, 2008
So good to see Darryl back in a Mets uniform in Port St. Lucie priming our 2008 Mets.

Darryl has an incredible story start to finish, rose and fell like all the greats do and now has put a very nice life together. It all shows it's never too late to change and give back.

Ah, that 86 World Series team... the best season of baseball from opening day to the World Series in my life time. God how this game has changed. Thanks for all the real memories and honest home runs Darryl.

agee_of_aquarius
May 6, 2009
Sometimes we forget what a great arm Straw had. It was an important part of the Met defense.

feat fan
May 15, 2009
Ahh, the Straw-man...sweet swing, ran like a deer, arm like a rifle. What could have and would have been if he knew then what he knows now. His book seems pretty honest and revealing. Keep it going big man, one day at a time. You are helping a ton of young athletes out there and making your amends.

Mook
December 10, 2009
I saw Darryl earlier this year at an Islander game of all places. He looks like he could still lose a ball into the Shea night. It appears that Darryl is turning his life around and that is more important than any HR he ever hit.

Hang in there Straw. For all of us old Met fans, you will always be a Hall of Famer.

Shickhaus Franks
March 21, 2010
Darryl Strawberry was one of the few Mets hitters where you DIDN'T get out of your seat to go to the bathroom or go get something from the concessions stand. (Dave Kingman, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza and David Wright are the others in my opinion.) I'm glad he has turned his life around after all of the stuff he has done and these days you can catch him Sunday Nights on NBC as part of the Donald Trump reality show along with such legends like Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne, wrestler Bill Goldberg and glam rocker Bret Michaels.

Mitch45
March 28, 2010
As great as Straw was, he never lived up to his potential. When he came to the plate, everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. That physique, that sweet left handed swing - it seemed that every time he came up, a 500 foot homer was in the offing.

Darryl should have been better than he was. A classic case of a kid who needed guidance.

Feat Fan
April 9, 2010
Caught Straw on the pre-game before the opener; he sounds awesome! Full of poise, well spoken, warm and at peace. Dude, thanks for the strength and resolve, your commitment and unselfishness has been a true blessing to watch. To better things and better days for all of the NY METS family, fan base and friends.

The Dude
December 2, 2011
I loved Strawberry as a kid, as I was 7 when the Mets won in 1986. There is still a place in my heart for him, but the more I found out about not just him but the whole team, the less I liked them. Keith was also one of my favorite players and I found out Keith just messed with him constantly. If you listen to him on the SNY broadcasts, he still does it. Still talking about the "Strawberry Patch" in the OF. Pretty messed up.

Shea Forever
January 4, 2013
During my over 40 years of being a Mets fan, since 1966, no player gave me more thrills than Darryl. His swing was a thing of beauty. His home runs took your breath away, and won many a game I was there to see. He had all five tools of a great player, the first such player the team ever had, and it was a pleasure to watch him at bat, on the base paths, and in the field.

Yes, he damaged himself just as many a player, celebrity and average person has and will. None of that detracts from what he accomplished. Management deserves a portion of the blame as well: had Straw been protected and coddled the way Mantle was a generation earlier during his partying and fights, he might well be in the Hall (home to many worse human beings than Straw).

The thrills will stay with me forever, and I will judge him based on all he did on the field. Darryl! Darryl!

Ed K
May 26, 2020
My first memory of Darryl is an early one. After taking the bar exam in the summer of 1980, I had August off before starting work. I visited friends in Winston-Salem, and then I decided to go over the Appalachian mountains to Kingsport, TN to see Darryl play in the Rookie League. How my old car made it, I will never know.

Anyway, I arrived about the 3rd inning in time for his 2nd at-bat and he hit a laser shot in the gap for an extra-base hit which looked like it never rose more than about five feet off the ground. He also was playing CF and I recall him throwing out a runner. I do not think he played the whole game. My other memory is that he was really skinny!

The next time I saw Darryl was at Shea Stadium, probably in 1983.

Hot Foot
May 18, 2022
One day, if I ever have grandkids, they might ask me, "Hot Foot, what was life like when you were a kid?"

And I would respond with, "It was great. The Mets had this guy, Darryl Strawberry, and he was the best baseball player ever, at least while I was a kid. And not only did he put up big numbers, he was a badass off the field. His friend and teammate Lenny Dykstra called him, 'Soul Pole'. And even though he was married, guess what? He once boinked a female Mets fan in the clubhouse during a game! I didn't learn this until I was a big boy, but still, even when I became a Mets fan I knew Darryl had it in him, and that's why he was my favorite from the start. He was the best player on the team: hitting, fielding, stealing bases, beaver shooting; he did it all.

What's 'beaver shooting'? Oh, that's when players pick out women in the stadium that they want to meet after the game, and then somehow, with a combination of eye contact and some work on behalf of a clubhouse attendant, the player eventually meets his favorite female fan. It usually happens on the road, but on at least one occasion, Darryl did it at Shea, and he didn't even wait until the game was over!

Also, he hit a home run in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series. That game was the perfect ending to the 1986 season and might be one of the happiest days of my life. Top five easy.

The year after, Darryl missed a couple of huge games when he faked having the flu and recorded a rap song in Midtown Manhattan when he was supposed to be home in bed. There was even video recorded in the studio, and it ended up on the 6:30 pm news; the one with Len Berman. Was I surprised Darryl did that? No! His teammates made a big stink about it, but that's only because it showed how hopeless they were without him.

Was the rap song good? No. Not at all, but it was back in the '80s so you can say Darryl was a rap pioneer. He was the best baseball player in the history of baseball until he left NY, and then everything changed. Things got a lot harder and less enjoyable for him after 1990, and guess what, the same is true for me. My family left New Jersey in 1990, and that was Darryl's last year with the Mets. Things got more difficult for both of us when we got older and went past our prime years. But that's another story for when you kids get older.

The best I can say is that things are better now for Darryl and me, and I feel lucky that I was able to see such a great baseball player when I was a kid."

Anthony L. Gonzalez
January 24, 2023
Whether you liked him or not, he always played on contending, championship, and winning teams from 1984-1999.

Darryl was a clutch player that helped his team win when he was in the lineup. Winning games is more important than what his career numbers could have been.

Going to Shea Stadium in the 1980s was an unbelievable experience during the time he played and it is the only time the Mets were more significant than the Yankees when it came to NY Sports.

John R.
April 26, 2023
Back in '80 to '82 Darryl was playing for the Jackson Mets, I was 10 or 12 years old and able to go see several games during his last last few seasons in the minors. A neighbor of mine (Mike) had box seats and would often take a neighborhood kid or two to the games. Mike and Darryl were on friendly terms. One game Darryl broke his bat trying to knock the hide off a pitch. Mike got him to sign the bat for me. I had that and a dozen or so autographs stored away for years in my closet. 10 years later Darryl's name was in the news a lot and I remember the bat. Looked for it for several hours before I found out that my mother tossed it out years ago. She didn't know why I was keeping an old broken bat. I let her know that she threw a semester or two of college for me away. Got over it a couple of weeks but would remind her about it every once in a while for kicks.