Steve Howe (baseball player)

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Steven Roy Howe (March 10, 1958 – April 28, 2006) was an American left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. He is one of the more tragic figures in the history of the sport, as his promising career was derailed by drug abuse.

Born in Pontiac, Michigan, Howe was a two-time All-Big Ten selection at the University of Michigan. He made his Major League debut at the age of 22 in 1980 and would eventually become the National League Rookie of the Year that year, the second in a string of four Dodger rookies of the year (Rick Sutcliffe, Fernando Valenzuela, and Steve Sax were the others). He saved 17 games during his ROY season, establishing a new rookie record. The following year, Howe helped the Dodgers win the World Series against the New York Yankees. A hard-throwing left-hander, Howe's career was plagued by alcohol and cocaine abuse; he first checked himself into a substance abuse clinic in 1983, but a relapse resulted in him being suspended for the entire 1984 season. Over the course of his 17-year career, Howe would be suspended seven times.

After briefly pitching for the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers and being out of the major leagues for four years, Howe signed with the Yankees, where he once again pitched effectively. However, in 1992, Howe became the second player to be banned from baseball for life because of substance abuse (the first was Ferguson Jenkins, who was also reinstated). He successfully appealed the suspension and re-signed with the Yankees, where he had one final great season in 1994, recording 15 saves and a 1.80 earned run average as the Yankees' closer. He failed to repeat the performance the following year and was relegated to a setup role, and was released in June 1996 after posting an 0-1 record with a 6.35 ERA.

Howe retired in 1996 with a career record of 47 wins, 41 losses, 91 saves, and a 3.03 ERA in 497 games.

Howe published a 1989 autobiography, "Between the Lines: One Athlete's Struggle to Escape the Nightmare of Addiction," which was co-written with Jim Greenfield.

After his career ended, Howe vowed to get clean. It seemed as if he had turned his life around until April 28, 2006, when he was killed at age 48 after his pickup truck rolled over in Coachella, California. The toxicology reports following his autopsy indicated he had methamphetamine in his system, but the exact amount is unknown [1].

He is survived by his widow Cindy and their children, daughter Chelsi and son Brian.

[edit] Timeline

June 5, 1979 — First round-draft selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1980 — Has 7-9 Win-Loss record, 17 Saves, 39 Strikeouts and 2.66 ERA for Los Angeles and named National League Rookie of the Year.

1981 - Has 5-3 Win-Loss record, 8 Saves, 32 Strikeouts and 2.50 ERA.

1982 — Enters drug rehabilitation after the season.

June 29, 1983 — Fined one month's salary ($53,867) and placed on probation by the Dodgers after admitting a drug problem.

July 15, 1983 — Reported late for game and suspended two days by the Dodgers.

September 23, 1983 — Missed team flight to Atlanta and suspended indefinitely by the Dodgers for what the team says is cocaine dependency. Goes into substance abuse rehabilitation.

December 15, 1983 — Suspended for one year by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for cocaine use.

May 1984 — In a grievance settlement, agreed not to play in 1984.

June 23, 1985 — Fined $300 by Los Angeles for arriving three hours late for a game.

July 1, 1985 — Placed on the restricted list by the National League for three days at the Dodgers' request after missing a game against Atlanta. Released by the Dodgers two days later.

August 12, 1985 — Signed by the Minnesota Twins, but released a month later after missing three games with what the team said was a "temporary recurrence" of cocaine problem.

March 20, 1986 — Signed by San Jose of the California League.

May 15, 1986 — Suspended by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues after allegedly testing positive for cocaine. The following month he was suspended again through December 31 for the same reason; San Jose released him the day his suspension was over.

July 11, 1987 — Signed by Oklahoma City of the Class AAA American Association; the Texas Rangers purchased his contract the following month.

November 1987 — Agreed to two-year, $1.2 million contract with Texas.

January 19, 1988 — Released by Texas after violating aftercare program by using alcohol.

April 4, 1990 — Signs contract with Salinas of the California League.

February 1991 — Signs contract with Columbus of the International League.

May 9, 1991 — Contract purchased by the New York Yankees.

November 5, 1991 — Signs one-year contract with the New York Yankees.

December 19, 1991 — Arrested on cocaine charges in Kalispell, Montana.

June 8, 1992 — Suspended indefinitely after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Missoula, Montana, to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to buy a gram of cocaine.

June 24, 1992 — Suspended permanently by Commissioner Fay Vincent.

August 18, 1992 — Fined the minimum $1,000 and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service by a federal judge in Montana and placed on probation.

November 11, 1992 — Reinstated by a baseball arbitrator.

1993 - Has 3-5 Win-Loss record, 4 Saves, 19 Strikeouts and 4.97 ERA for Yankees.

1994 - Has 3-0 Win-Loss record, 15 Saves, 18 Strikeouts and 1.80 ERA for Yankees.

1995 - Has 6-3 Win-Loss record, 2 Saves, 28 Strikeouts and 4.96 ERA for Yankees.

June 22, 1996 — Released by Yankees.

June 24, 1996 — Arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when a police officer spots a loaded .357 Magnum pistol in his carry-on baggage.

April 1997 — Signs with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent Northern League in comeback attempt at age 39 but quits midseason because of an arm injury.

August 19, 1997 — Critically injured in a motorcycle crash and later charged with driving while intoxicated. Charges later dropped after prosecutors decided his blood test was improperly obtained.

April 1, 1999 — Suspended as a volunteer coach for his daughter's softball team in Whitefish, Montana.

April 28, 2006 — Dies in a one-vehicle car accident in Coachella, California, when his pickup truck rolls over in the early morning. Howe was 48.

June 28, 2006 — The coroner's office of Valencia reports that toxicological results determined there was methamphetamine in his bloodstream at the time of his April 28, 2006 accident.

[edit] Reference

Steve Howe with Jim Greenfield. Between the Lines: One Athlete's Struggle to Escape the Nightmare of Addiction. Grand Rapids, MI: Masters Press, 1989.