Sad! Sad! Sad!

In one edition of Newsday, I read of the fall from grace of two sports heroes. I take no pleasure in the articles written about Darryl Strawberry and Jayson Williams. I have a soft spot in my heart for both of them.

Darryl Strawberry had the most beautiful swing for a left-hand batter this side of Duke Snider. The baseball just jumped off his bat and was into the stands with almost no effort. Of course, he struck out many times, but sluggers do whiff a lot. As a Met and then as a Yankee, I would wait for his at-bats because you always expected him to launch a home run with that picture swing of his. While playing right field for the Mets he was awkward. But, when he picked up that bat, which looked like a toothpick for the 6'6" Strawberry, he was exciting. In 1986 he was one of the Met heroes who brought New York the World Series trophy. With the Yankees he also was a winner.

Seeing him pictured in jailhouse stripes and handcuffed made me wince. Along with his teammate, Doc Gooden, I remember what wonderful futures were in store for these two rookies. What a mark they would make! How many baseball records they would smash? It all came crashing to earth with booze, drugs and infidelity.

Many chances for Darryl just slipped by and there he sat in stripes and handcuffs. Wasted talent.

I had season tickets to St. John's basketball back in the 1990s. Lou Carnesecca, in his weird sweaters, assembled great teams from the playgrounds of New York. Chris Mullins, Walter Berry and Mark Jackson were some of his players.

Jayson Williams is 6'10" and a hell of a rebounder. He is stockily well built for a man of his size. Williams always rode the edge. In college he once threw a chair during a game. As a professional NBA player, he made headlines drinking in bars on the upper west side of Manhattan. He is an obvious showoff, but his immaturity and seeming naiveté made you like him. As an analyst for NBC he was down to earth and entertaining. He gave good insights into the professional NBA games.

And then it happened! Jayson was entertaining his friends in his huge mansion. A limo-driver was shot and killed. Was Jason involved? Was there a cover-up? All will come out when the judicial system examines the incident. No more light-hearted, silly jokes for Jayson. Death is a serious matter.

I am saddened and troubled by this double header in Newsday. Two special giants ... with all the world on their sides rooting for them ... have dropped the ball and are waiting for the courts to judge their indiscretions.