Hideki Irabu found dead at 42

[Drale]

He was supposed to be the next Hideo Nomo, only bigger and better with a fastball that rivaled the best in the major leagues and earned him the label of "The Nolan Ryan of Japan."

Former Yankee Hideki Irabu, shown Aug. 20, 1997, was found dead Thursday at a home in Los Angeles.
Instead, Hideki Irabu became a joke, stuck with an unfortunate nickname courtesy of one of George Steinbrenner's childish piques. As we learn of Irabu's death at his home in California -- an apparent suicide -- what's forgotten in his troubled life and disappointing big league career is that he was a key member of the one of the great teams of all time, the 1998 Yankees.

Irabu had been a star in Japan, leading the Pacific League in ERA and strikeouts in 1995 and 1996, leading Bobby Valentine to compare him to Nolan Ryan and Irabu to bolt for the U.S. The Padres won his rights, but Irabu said he only wanted to play for the Yankees. A trade was finally worked out, Irabu eventually signed with the Yankees and made his debut on July 10 against the Tigers at Yankee Stadium. Over 51,000 packed Yankee Stadium -- one of the Yankees' biggest totals of the season -- and Irabu was electric, striking out nine and getting the win. But it went downhill from there. He finished 5-4, but with a 7.09 ERA and 15 home runs allowed in just 53 innings. The Nolan Ryan comparisons ceased to exist. Steinbrenner called him a Fat Toad.

By spring training of 1998, Yankee players were tired of Irabu's act, his temper and his frequent flare-ups with the media. "This can't go on," David Cone said at the time. "This is something that has to be talked about. It transcends baseball-media relations. It's about common decency, common workplace behavior. Irabu has to understand the media has a job to do, and we have to make ourselves available. At least that's the way it's done here. "
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/14307/hideki-irabu-found-dead-at-42

[bluestateguy]

1. Any player who hates the media is fine by me

I hate the sportswriters almost as much as the political reporters.

[Danmel]

2. Very sad