Darryl Strawberry

In 1986, Strawberry helped lead the New York Mets to their first World Series championship since 1969, which was capped by a bizarre Game 6 that featured the infamous Mookie Wilson groundball that went through hobbled first baseman Bill Buckner's legs and won the game. But his off-field troubles, which were compounded by several teammates' own travails, led to a near-falling apart of the team. Though they remained competitive for a couple of seasons after their World Series win, Strawberry's Mets never again made it to the big game. The left-handed slugger did remain productive, however, amassing enough home runs to become the Mets' all-time leader. Meanwhile, he was an ever-popular player with the fans, making the All-Star team eight years running from 1984-1991. In 1990, his personal troubles began to become public knowledge when he was arrested in January of that year for alleged assault with a deadly weapon during an argument with his wife, Lisa Clayton. While Los Angeles city attorneys weighed their decision whether or not to file charges, Strawberry entered Smithers Addiction Treatment and Research Center for alcohol abuse. Charges were ultimately never filed.Following the 1990 season, Strawberry became a free agent and signed a hefty five-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991. Following a successful first year that saw the right fielder retain his past prowess, Strawberry spent his next two seasons with the Dodgers plagued by injuries and personal problems, including another arrest for assault when he allegedly struck a girlfriend he was living with in 1993. Again, no criminal charges were filed against him. Meanwhile, he found himself under the thumb of the IRS, which was investigating Strawberry for failing to file over $300,000 of excess income derived from selling autographs and other memorabilia. After failing to make the final preseason game for the Dodgers, he was placed on the disabled list by the team, which cited his continued substance abuse problems. He finished a stint at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1994 and tried a comeback with the rival San Francisco Giants, only to find that his off-the-field issues followed him north to the Bay Area. At the end of the 1994 season, both he and his agent were indicted for tax evasion.Adding insult to injury, Strawberry was cut from the Giants in early 1995 after the league suspended him for 60 days when he tested positive for cocaine. Two months later, he was ordered to repay some $350,000 in back taxes and sentenced to six months of home confinement, though he was allowed to leave for practice and to play games. Also that year, he was given yet another chance at redemption, this time by the New York Yankees, who signed Strawberry to a minor league contract. But this redemption was still far into the future when he was charged in California for failing to make child support payments, which was partially settled six months later when he used a signing bonus from the Yankees to make back payments. In 1996, he had a resurgence of sorts when he homered 11 times for the Yanks in limited play. But the following year, he underwent surgery on his knee, which kept him sidelined for the majority of the season. In 1998, he seemed to finally get himself back on track - at least on the field - when he hit 24 home runs and helped the Yankees reach the World Series for the second time in three seasons. His personal trials and tribulations reached a head, however, when he was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 1998. While the Yankees went on to win the World Series and have arguably the greatest season in baseball history, Strawberry underwent surgery to have 16 inches of his large intestine removed in order to extract an almost three-inch tumor that had been obstructing his intestine. Though he had to undergo chemotherapy following is release from the hospital, Strawberry's troubles mounted in 1999 when he was charged with possession of cocaine and soliciting a prostitute, who turned out to be an undercover officer. He received 18 months of probation, 100 hours of community service and a 120-day suspension from baseball. Strawberry returned to the Yankees at the beginning of August and finished the season enjoying his "Canyon of Heroes" ticker-tape parade in New York City following the team's second consecutive World Series win.Strawberry's personal issues compounded even further into the 21st century, starting with another positive test for cocaine that resulted in a year-long suspension from baseball and a third stint in a rehabilitation center. After his cancer spread to his lymph nodes, Strawberry had surgery to remove a tumor for his stomach. A month later, he was arrested in Tampa, FL following a crash, which he immediately followed by testing positive once more for cocaine. Though he told a judge he lost the will to live and stopped his chemotherapy while in jail, Strawberry received another year-long probation, 50 more hours of community service, and a court-mandated stay at drug rehab. In March 2001, Strawberry disappeared from the drug treatment center where he had been serving his house arrest, only to be found four days later at a hospital, where he was promptly arrested. He served 18 months at the Gainesville Correctional Institution for violating his probation and was released in 2003. Though he was divorced from his second wife, Charisse, in 2005, Strawberry managed to keep himself out of trouble, at least in the public eye. He later married Tracy Boulware, whom he met while in rehab, in October 2006. In the years since, the couple formed the Darryl Strawberry Foundation, which helped to educate and socialize children with autism. With his life and health on the mend, Strawberry tried to put his career back on track, leading to an appearance on the reality show "Pros vs. Joes" (Spike TV, 2006-10) and an occasional commentary stint for the Mets on SportsNet New York. In 2009, he published his memoirs, Straw: Finding My Way, with the help of author John Strausbaugh, which detailed not only his own battles with drugs and alcohol, but also recounted the pervasiveness of cocaine and women in the locker room during the mid-1980s. The following year, he joined a motley crew of celebrities like Cyndi Lauper, Sinbad, Carol Leifer and disgraced former governor Rod Blagojevich for the popular reality series, "Celebrity Apprentice" (NBC, 2004-), starring hair-challenged millionaire Donald Trump.