Yanks visit Strawberry
Posted: Sunday October 04, 1998 09:05 PM
| |
The Yankees keep Strawberry close to them on the field and off AP |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Hearing the good news secondhand wasn't good enough, so
half a dozen New York
Yankees visited Darryl
Strawberry on Sunday, a day after a cancerous tumor was removed from
the outfielder's colon.
Pitcher David
Cone intended to bring one of the Yankees' caps, which now have
Strawberry's number 39 stitched in white on the back.
"We just want to show him how much we care -- and we got the job done he
wanted us to do," Cone said before joining teammates Chili Davis, Joe Girardi, Derek Jeter and
Tim Raines on
the trip to Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, about a mile from Yankee
Stadium.
Strawberry was on the Yankees' minds as they prepared for Tuesday's start
of the AL championship series against Cleveland. Dr. Stuart Hershon, the
Yankees' team physician, held a clubhouse meeting and gave an update on
Strawberry's condition.
Hershon told them doctors believe the cancer had not spread, but they
won't know for sure until tests come back in about 10 days. Doctors removed
a 16-inch portion of Strawberry's large intestine to get rid of a tumor
almost 2 1/2 inches long.
"I think we felt a lot better because everything came out well," Tino Martinez
said. "There's a lot of relief around here. Our thoughts are still with
him, but there's a lot better feeling around here."
Strawberry remained in stable condition Sunday. He is expected to remain
in the hospital for about a week.
"He's doing well. His family is with him," Columbia-Presbyterian
spokeswoman Szuping Di said.
Strawberry also got a visit from George Steinbrenner, who didn't make it
clear whether he went Saturday, Sunday or both.
"I was with him all day," Steinbrenner said at Yankee Stadium without
elaborating.
The Yankees were shaken when they learned last Thursday that Strawberry
had a cancerous tumor.
New York manager Joe Torre, who also visited the 36-year-old outfielder,
predicted Strawberry's illness will increase the awareness of colon cancer
among the Yankees.
"Knowing George Steinbrenner, there'll be very thorough exams," Torre
said. "I have a feeling we're going to have more exhaustive physicals."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
