3 Philly Sports Greats' Outcomes: Jail, Homeless, Hanging from the Rafters

We have heard many stories about professional athletes who have done everything but succeed in life. As much as we cheered and rooted for them during their playing days, there is almost a sense of karma when they fail. It is not as if we wish them to fail, but most of us believe that what comes up, must come down. This week we have had three former Philadelphian sports stars make the news for other than their athletic acumen.

Lenny Dykstra goes to jail is not a shocking development of this former Phillies great centerfielder. We have seen him rise to the top of the financial fruit tree, then hang off, they come down hard without any thing to show for it. It is disappointing that one of the most defining Phillies ever of the 1993 National League Champions is now incarcerated by his greed and disregard for the law.

When I was growing up, Dykstra was synonymous for hustle, battling each pitch and a desire to win. Even as a Met, I cheered for him. When he came to Philly, he was the backbone that built my first experience with winning baseball. The 1993 team was individuals who conspired to win regardless of decorum or public opinion. We loved them for their non-conformity as long as it meant winning. The fans’ demand is what allowed us to love Lenny despite of his faults. Even today, I justify Lenny’s behavior as one stemming from his passion for winning, but breaking the law is not a boy’s summer game.  

Delonte West is broke and homeless. He was player who changed the face of St. Joseph’s basketball and rallied a region around this City Line school as they beat the giants of NCAA basketball. A too skinny player, who beat the odds in attending St. Joseph’s from Washington DC and joining the NBA, formed one of the best backcourts ever in college basketball with Jameer Nelson. This small college and often overlooked basketball program even in the Big 5, shocked the country as it went 27-0 and landed in the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament. Delonte West cemented himself in the halls and memory of this storied city’s landscape of college basketball memories.

He is just shy of 30 years of age and battling with mental illness. Although he has squandered more than $14 million for various reasons, the NBA still desire is drive and talent. Delonte’s story is a haunting tale of mismanagement and out-of-control spending. The game of basketball was easy for him, but life’s challenges seem more than his 6’3 frame can handle. Without strong support, the future will hold more struggles and not a whole lot of sympathy if he does not learn from this experience.     

Mark Howe is Honored.  All sports’ players do not end in jail or sleeping in the locker-room.  This is why I was grateful when the Philadelphia Flyers honored No. 2 Mark Howe by retiring his number to the rafters of the Wachovia center. Mark Howe was one of the earliest Flyers I remember. He was perennial all star, a leader and played the game calm and cool. I only remember seeing him in one fight at a time when the Flyers fought four times a game.

Howe and Brad McCrimmon made up the best defensemen duo in Flyers history. He was a stay at home defenseman who had the stick handling skills and wrister that made the Flyers a success. It is important that we have role models like Mark Howe as a child. He played in a system and excelled. He did his job and played within himself. Most importantly, Howe never seemed he was playing in a life or death event. He enjoyed playing as much as I enjoyed learning the game from his demeanor.

As the Flyers retired his number (the first in 20 years), the fans shouted boisterously in thanks. He had his family around him and a new grandchild. He made the transition into civilian life with grace; a grace formed by his playing days. He was the son of the greatest hockey player ever, Gordie Howe, and yet, he achieved his own success in both playing and in family.

We spend so many hours watching sports. We grow up with players. For others, we enjoy their 15 minutes of fame. And even after their playing years, they are still part of our consciousness. Maybe we admire professional athletes for their tremendous highs they can achieve in their careers that we could never come close to accomplishing in normal life. But in the same way, we watch with the same eagerness their crashing downfalls knowing gratefully we could never experience that either.