Ken Caminiti Dies of Heart Attack at 41
 

Looking for a source; title is all that's being reported so far in ESPNews.

Sad day, and most likely reason #674 why you don't do steroids.

http://espn.go.com/classic/obit/s/20...0/1899091.html

Nothing much so far.

Shocking. Just think only 8 years ago he was the unanimous NL MVP with the Padres. The Astros team which includes former teammates such as Biggio and Bagwell will have to deal with this while facing a game five tomorrow. I suspect the death may be more cocaine related than steroids related though.

I'm sure the 'roids had worn him down but the coke is probably what did him in.

It is sad that we put these men on pedastols and when they retire moreoften then not they are left forgotten outside of the spotlight. That fall can be the worst and hardest adjustment they make in life.

I'd rather have a 10 year career as a good player that noone outside of my team's city knew me than to have a stellar career where all the fans know me, expect me to play like a superstar, and if I can't expect me to retire, call me a bum and then forget me as fast as they found me.

I was floored when I read this on espn.com...

Wow. I'd say it's a sad day for baseball but that seems a bit cliche... but I think you get my point. :(

Little bit more from http://www.chron.com Houston Chronicle's web page.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory...pstory/2841230

Oct. 11, 2004, 12:43AM

Former Astro Ken Caminiti dead at 41 of apparent heart attack
By ROSANNA RUIZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Former Houston Astro and National League MVP Ken Caminiti, whose career came crashing down under the burden of drug and legal problems, died of a massive heart attack in New York late Sunday, his agent confirmed. ADVERTISEMENT


Rick Licht, Caminiti's agent and close friend for about a dozen years, said Caminiti died at New York's Lincoln Memorial Hospital in the Bronx. Licht, who last spoke to Caminiti earlier this week, declined to comment about the former All Star's sudden death.

"The whole situation is devastating certainly for myself and his family -- he has three children," he said. "I spoke to him so many times recently and he sounded fantastic. He was very clear and focused and looking forward to spending time with his little girls and getting back into baseball."

In recent years, Caminiti, 41, had been beset by legal and drug problems. He stood before state District Judge William Harmon on Tuesday and conceded he failed a drug test. Harmon revoked his probation related to a 2002 drug conviction, sentenced him to 180 days in jail and gave him credit for time served since his original arrest. He was released from custody late Tuesday.

Caminiti had failed four drug tests while on probation for cocaine possession.

His attorney, Terry Yates, said after Tuesday's court appearance that Caminiti expected to work on a land development project in Montana and other plans.

Caminiti, who broke into the major leagues with Houston in 1987 and was traded to San Diego in 1995, coached and counseled Padres minor-league players this season at spring training. He helped the team get to the World Series in 1998 as a player.

Caminiti played with Houston again in 1999 and 2000, and played in 2001 with the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves. He was known for playing with pain during his 15-year career.

In his 15-season career, he hit 239 home runs, batted .272, won three Gold Gloves and was voted the Most Valuable Player in the National League in 1996, when he posted a .326 average while belting 40 home runs for San Diego.

Last year, after getting out of a state jail substance-abuse treatment facility, he told a crowd at a health fair for National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Recovery Month that he had kicked his drug addiction. But he was arrested Sept. 10 and jailed after he failed a urine test. It was the fourth test he had failed while on probation. Caminiti had no previous criminal record.

You can't pass this on to roids for sure, but, I will say this, people WILL be taking a MUCH closer look. If baseball ever had any reason to ban, or test, now they certinaly do.

i watched him play for the padres when he was good, to bad a had some many problems after. i saw him break a bat on his leg one time when he was mad, which was pretty crazy.

Steroid users everywhere are going "Oh shit"

There have got to be a bunch of "users" of steroids squirming uncomfortably about this one. Not just current users, but also former steroid takers. This is what medical research says can happen with steroid abuse.

That is really, really sad. He really was such a good player. Did the steroids make him a better player? Sure, but he still had the talent. Too bad he gave into the pressure to be better. Too bad he got into more drugs.

He played for both Houston and Atlanta. I'm sure much will be said about this during the game today.

He made one of the best throws from third I've ever seen.

this is really sad. I always thought he played with alot of heart and determination.

that being said.. I saw something on ESPN about steroids. They were talking about how hard it is to test for them because nobody really knows what's in them. The people producing the steroids are masking them so well now that it is a slim chance of testing and finding them.

Never heard of him before this morning (at least that I can recall) but that is sad news; I was just reading about him on ESPN.com before heading over here.

maybe something like this will cause baseball to start taking a harder stance on its steroid policy

Not totally germane to this, but simply jailing people for using drugs just doesn't work. The article says the state where he was seems to recognize that.

A early heart attack could be caused by many factors, but it's reasonable for us to suspect the chemical misadventures were among those factors.

I still see a lot of people on here blaming 'roids and while they probably weakened his heart, it was the COCAINE that killed him.

Roids will kill, I remember Lyle Alzado making the rounds his last few years with a brain tumor and barely able to do anything. That was from steroids.

I have a feeling if the autopsy report comes out Caminiti had a nice amount of Cocaine in his system.

I wouldn't use this as an anti-steroid case. I would use this as an ANTI-DRUG case.

You beat me to the Lyle Alzado reference. He's the first person I thought of. A shame but if he can provide a lesson to others then his life and death wasn't a waste, as most dead drug abusers' are.

-Mikey

yeah that is sad to hear the news, but in a way thats what he gets for putting his body through all of the drug abuse, whats makes it even more sad is he turned it around and was said to have stop it all and he was even giving advice to young people about not doing what he did, taking the drug route. He will be be truely missed in the world of baseball.

It is a sad story. Obviously an early unexpected death is tragic. Couple that with the legacy he has left himself... steroids and cocaine and his playing career just went to the back of the public consciousness bus.

Actually this is not really surprising at all considering Ken's lifestyle. He was spiraling downward. Darryl Kile's death was absolutely shocking. The broadcaster from the Blue Jays who died recently too.

He got what was coming to him, you do that much cocaine, steroids, painkillers, and alcohol, you're bound to fall.

Ruff lifestyle... but a good baseball player! RIP

he sure could hit, that sucks that he died so young though

Preliminary autopsy reports are showing that he died of a drug overdose.

*sigh*

Well said. I'm getting sick of reading all of the articles and watching the sportscasters go on about how his death was entirely steroid related. While I know the steroid abuse didn't help, but this was a drug abuse issue period. Cocaine had far more to do with this than steroids - and those two combined with everything else this guy was doing was obviously a recipe for disaster.