- Jun 9, 2014
- 19,752
- 27,649
Founding Member
Please indulge me a moment.
I sat down with Daulton on a blistering Clearwater summer day 30 years ago to assess the rehab of a surgically repaired knee and his fight to get back to the bigs. It was the second major knee rehab of his young career and there was ample reason to wonder if the body was up to the rigors of major-league catching. Gimpy-kneed and behind the plate weren't meant to be long for one another. I was there to find out if he was up to the test.
As willing as Daulton was to acknowledge the uphill struggle, he was just as determined to prove the doubters wrong. His words came through soft spoken and with an air of quiet confidence, a trademark character trait of his in the years to come. I came away thinking here is a guy who knows where he is going because he believes in himself, and just as willing to patiently deliver the message. I became a fan that day.
Darren Daulton died yesterday at 55 from brain cancer. I can't help but remember the shy and humble kid from Kansas with the gimpy knees who would rise to hero status in Philadelphia and elder statesman clubhouse leader in Miami. Cancer may have cut short a life but not before it became packed full of memories.
RIP, Dutch.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/obitua...er-resident-darren-daulton-dies-at-55/2332878
I sat down with Daulton on a blistering Clearwater summer day 30 years ago to assess the rehab of a surgically repaired knee and his fight to get back to the bigs. It was the second major knee rehab of his young career and there was ample reason to wonder if the body was up to the rigors of major-league catching. Gimpy-kneed and behind the plate weren't meant to be long for one another. I was there to find out if he was up to the test.
As willing as Daulton was to acknowledge the uphill struggle, he was just as determined to prove the doubters wrong. His words came through soft spoken and with an air of quiet confidence, a trademark character trait of his in the years to come. I came away thinking here is a guy who knows where he is going because he believes in himself, and just as willing to patiently deliver the message. I became a fan that day.
Darren Daulton died yesterday at 55 from brain cancer. I can't help but remember the shy and humble kid from Kansas with the gimpy knees who would rise to hero status in Philadelphia and elder statesman clubhouse leader in Miami. Cancer may have cut short a life but not before it became packed full of memories.
RIP, Dutch.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/obitua...er-resident-darren-daulton-dies-at-55/2332878
