American Icarus

Daedalus built the wings from feathers and wax, and before the two set off he warned Icarus not to fly too low lest his wings touch the waves and get wet, and not too high lest the sun melt the wax. But the young Icarus, overwhelmed by the thrill of flying, did not heed his father's warning, and flew too close to the sun whereupon the wax in his wings melted and he fell into the sea. Daedalus escaped to Sicily and Icarus' body was carried ashore by the current to an island then without a name. – THE MYTH OF ICARUS

Anybody with an appreciation for the game loves to read about those few guys who have what it takes to be a winner at any level. Throughout my life, I watched the story of Steve Howe unfold.

"He loved to play baseball and was always fun to be around," said Paul Tungate, his high school coach. "He was a joy to coach. Very likable, cocky and confident. He knew what he could do, and we knew what he could do. He just went out and did it."

The left-hander played two seasons at Michigan and helped lead the Wolverines to the College World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the first round of the 1979 amateur draft, shortly after he was an All-America selection.

Howe was the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year with Los Angeles, closed out the Dodgers’ 1981 World Series championship and was an All-Star the next year.

He flew to incredible heights. Yet, in rarified air, there are precious few warning signs. And, like Icarus he flew too close to the light. What follows is a staggering chronology of his fall. Equally staggering are the number of times he was invited back into the hot spotlight by the well-meaning, the foolhardy and the callous, indifferent suits whose performance is not based on what is right, but statistics.

1982 - Enters drug rehabilitation after the season.

June 29, 1983 — Fined one month's salary ($53,867) and placed on probation by the Dodgers after admitting a drug problem.

July 15,1983 — Reported late for game and suspended two days by the Dodgers.

September 23, 1983 — Missed team flight to Atlanta and suspended indefinitely by the Dodgers for what the team says is cocaine dependency. Goes into substance abuse rehabilitation.

December 15, 1983 — Suspended for one year by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for cocaine use.

May 1984 — In a grievance settlement, agreed not to play in 1984.

June 23, 1985 — Fined $300 by Los Angeles for arriving three hours late for a game.

July 1, 1985 — Placed on the restricted list by the National League for three days at the Dodgers' request after missing a game against Atlanta. Released by the Dodgers two days later.

August 12, 1985 — Signed by the Minnesota Twins, but released a month later after missing three games with what the team said was a "temporary recurrence" of cocaine problem.

March 20, 1986 — Signed by San Jose of the California League.

May 15, 1986 — Suspended by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues after allegedly testing positive for cocaine. The following month he was suspended again through December 31 for the same reason; San Jose released him the day his suspension was over.

July 11,1987 — Signed by Oklahoma City of the Class AAA American Association; the Texas Rangers purchased his contract the following month.

November 1987 — Agreed to two-year, $1.2 million contract with Texas.

January 19, 1988 — Released by Texas after violating aftercare program by using alcohol.

April 4, 1990 — Signs contract with Salinas of the California League.

February 1991 — Signs contract with Columbus of the International League.

May 9, 1991 — Contract purchased by the New York Yankees.

November 5, 1991 — Signs one-year contract with the New York Yankees.

December 19, 1991 — Arrested on cocaine charges in Kalispell, Montana.

June 8, 1992 — Suspended indefinitely after pleading guilty in U.S District Court in Missoula, Montana, to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to buy a gram of cocaine.

June 24, 1992 — Suspended permanently by Commissioner Fay Vincent.

August 18, 1992 — Fined the minimum $1,000 and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service by a federal judge in Montana and placed on probation.

November 11, 1992 — Reinstated by a baseball arbitrator.

June 22, 1996 — Released by Yankees.

June 24, 1996 — Arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when a police officer spots a loaded .357 Magnum pistol in his carry-on baggage.

April 1997 — Signs with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent Northern League in comeback attempt at age 39 but quits midseason because of an arm injury.

August 19, 1997 — Critically injured in a motorcycle crash and later charged with drunken driving. Charges later dropped after prosecutors decided his blood test was improperly obtained.

April 1, 1999 — Suspended as a volunteer coach for his daughter's softball team in Whitefish, Montana girls' softball team.

April 28, 2006 — Dies in a one-vehicle car accident in Coachella, California, when his pickup truck rolls over in the early morning. Howe was 48.

A decade ago, it was clear that he was no longer the shining star that the world saw in 1980. And sports fans quickly discarded any thought of him. Society was indifferent as his demons took control of him. And, his employers uttered only a demand of accountability. Like Icarus, only the forces of gravity were present to dictate the fall. Only the few left who loved the person were close by as his story concluded.

How deafening was the silence after Howe had played his last meaningful game. How guilty was the game for allowing him to take part, instead of demanding that he clean up. What more compelling cry for involved parenting is there than the story of Steve Howe? It was Icarus’ father who gave him the ability to fly. What would his father have given for a few more minutes to discuss the danger of flying too close to the bright lights, the hazards and temptations? Once he was airborne, Howe was headed for the sun. And, his story will serve only as an object lesson for those few who care to hear it.

(Chronology of Arrests, etc. from Wikepedia.Com)