wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

wow..a guest that didn't keep making direct referances to their book over and over again..wow ..could it become a welcome trend??

As a native New Yorker I am offended that you think that somehow midwesterners are morally superior to us or people who live on the coasts. Just because you screwed up your life has nothing to do with New York. There are many good decent people in this city. You made the choice to hang out with the wrong people. You could have easily met a person of substance and values in New York.

It is great to hear from Darryl! I knew him when he lived in Los Angeles. I had a chance to hang out with him and a couple of his friends and I remember it as a very fun time. I am even more happy to see him survive and thrive. Best wishes Darryl.

what was the steroid situation in baseball in the late 80s?

I noticed that your wife is white. Your previous wives were minority. Do you find that white women have a different outlook on life than some of these minority women? Dennis Rodman felt that way about white women.

Holy moly, Darryl is an OCTO-DAD!

Leonard,

Shea . . . ". . . one of the worst stadiums in the world"?

I loved big Shea and will always miss it. The jet noise just doesn't sound the same at the new place!

Darryl had/has the sweetest swing I've ever seen . . . it was a real pleasure to watch him bat.

It's great to hear from Darryl. He could have hit 500 homers with the Mets if he stayed off cocaine. Can you ask Darryl about all the temptations of that '86 team and whether other players had a bad influence on him?

I am glad that Darryl is now well. His career, on the other hand, was a perfect example of drugs and a lack of the kind of focus one needs to be a true professional, can do to raw talent.

What kind of will do you need to avoid all the temptations that are presented to a professional athletes. From the temptation to take steriods because "everyone is doing it" to all of the intelligent beautiful women who want you because of your status as an athlete (not talking about dumb groupie types). I am told they hang out either near the locker room or outside the players exit (if you are single its not an issue, but different when you are married).

And do the wives accept the fact that you will be cheating? I can tell you that I could not say no to so many beautiful women wanting to throw themselves at me.

I listen to a lot of sports talk radio. You were the A-Rod of your time (in terms of being a lightening rod for the fans)

The one thing I have noticed is a disconnect between the fans, sports commentators and the athletes.

I am feeling that more and more fans have not played the game at any level beyond little league and you have these sports hosts and media who also do not have the experience of playing the game at a high school level.

And, you have athletes who live a completely different life from the fans. It seems that many athletes on the fast track are pampered at the early ages.

I have also seen that the fans are less tolerant of players making mistakes and having slumps because of the money they make.

Are you concerned about what it means for sports with this disconnect.

He wrote in one of his early books (written with Art Rust Jr.) that he felt like "Dred Scott in downtown Johannesburg" when he played in New York.

Does he still feel that minority/black athletes are treated poorly in New York?

I am just grateful that Darryl is with us, and is finding some peace and fulfillment. I wish him nothing but the best.