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Darryl And Derek: One Odd Couple

Newsday, March 1, 2000

by Shaun Powell

Tampa-One by one, they stepped forward to pay their respects to a man with a dead career. There was Joe Torre, his manager, who expressed concern for his family. Then David Cone, who knew him back when they were Mets, spoke from the heart.

And then came Derek Jeter, who sounded as if he had just lost a big brother.

Of all the Yankees who expressed sorrow for Dar- ryl Strawberry, Jeter's reaction seemed the oddest. The two couldn't be more opposite in terms of personal conduct, the choices they've made and how they've handled fame and money. They're not linked by much, not even pinstripes anymore.

They are two Yankees streaking in different directions this spring. Jeter is enjoying the momentum of a career year, poised to score a big contract, and prepared to become one of the Yankees' all-time greats. Strawberry, approaching 38, was left broke from tax problems and is serving a one-year suspension for a positive cocaine test that could end his career.

Jeter is addicted to winning championships and turning the 6-3 play.

Strawberry is addicted to demons. Jeter's the toast of the town; Strawberry's getting toasted by the town. Mothers are pushing their daughters on Jeter; dealers are pushing their stuff on Strawberry.

But there was Jeter, a few feet from Strawberry's vacant locker yesterday, pledging support and lending advice while clubhouse attendants quietly packed Strawberry's belongings in a big cardboard box.

"He has to take it one step at a time," Jeter said, "and his first step is his battle with his addiction."

This isn't the first time Jeter backed his troubled ex-teammate. In "Recovering Life," a book co-authored by Strawberry and wife Charisse that deals with drugs, booze and other hardships, the forward was written by someone who hasn't done a day in rehab.

Nor does Jeter have firsthand knowledge of getting stoned and picking up a hooker in the seedy section of Tampa.

If anything, Jeter is the anti-Strawberry, which makes his presence on the book's first few pages appear out of place. Jeter writes how Strawberry "has been a special part of my life" and calls the troubled outfielder "a mentor" and "a big brother who's gone through a lot and wants to protect me."

It raises a question: Why is Strawberry being introduced in a book about life as a chronic abuser by Jeter instead of someone with those experiences, say Steve Howe?

"Straw is someone that I've learned a lot from," Jeter explains. "I know people may find that hard to believe."

If anything, Jeter is loyal. One day in an empty clubhouse following a workout two years ago, it was Jeter who sat for almost two hours and listened to advice from a most unlikely role model.

"We talked," Jeter recalled, "and talked. It was right after my rookie year, and we had won the World Series, and all sorts of things were happening for me. He was a person who could relate to some things I was going through. He told me how things were going to be a lot more difficult for me, both on the field and off it. He said people were going to be coming after me from all different angles and told me what to watch out for."

After winning the American League's top rookie honors, the world was beginning to fit in Jeter's palm, just like it did for Strawberry back in '86.

But Strawberry juggled and dropped it plenty of times since. He understood a young player's temptations, especially with the groupies and leeches.

Strawberry couldn't resist them, and he wears those scars today. So he pulled Jeter aside.

"As he spoke," Jeter said, "I listened because a lot of people really can't relate, since they haven't been in that situation. But he had been there. And what he said was true, because it had already started happening."

Of course, Strawberry didn't exactly save Jeter from a life on the edge.

You figure Jeter, who credits his parents with a proper upbringing, would've navigated any rough waters safely without Strawberry's help.

"True," Jeter said, "but you still like to get advice from other people, especially those who've been there. That makes a big difference. When you're under scrutiny, you find youself depending on the advice of those who walked that same path before you. Darryl always went out of his way to help me out."

Jeter said he'd write the same message again in Strawberry's book, even after the latest problems. At the time, he knew Strawberry was still battling his problems, and that a relapse was possible.

"He'd done everything so well up until that point," Jeter said. "He dedicated himself to getting his life back in order, and along came another speed bump."

There are no steep obstacles standing before Jeter, unless it's a pile of money. He's a safe bet at the plate, in the infield, and on the street. There probably isn't another player in New York who holds as much respect or deals with distractions better than the shortstop of the Yankees.

It promises to be another big year for Jeter, and another year of recovery for Strawberry.