MLB.com

Ken Caminiti was a gamer. He was a very nice person too. Caminiti died of a heart attack on Sunday, October 10 at the age of 41. He was a former Astros player from 1987 to 1994 and again in 1999 and 2000. Caminiti ended his career in Atlanta after 15 years in the majors.

The reason I decided to write about him is to point out to kids how decisions we make that are not good for us can lead to tragic results later on.

I remember back in 1999 when my family would go to baseball games at the old Astrodome in Houston to watch the Astros play. I was eight years old and Caminiti was the guy every kid dreamed of getting an autograph from. My brothers and I would stand along the rail every game with the best of them, hoping for that chance.

One time, we decided to go to the players' gate before the game with the hopes of seeing him. It paid off. He came walking up from the regular parking lot where he had driven one of his collector cars, and walked right by us, giving us a nod. My brothers and I asked if he would sign our ball. He stopped, smiled at us and signed away. Here was the 1996 National League MVP standing in front of us. Imagine how excited we were.

I didn't hear of the difficulties Caminiti was having until he was arrested in 2001 for cocaine use. I was shocked, extremely disappointed, and couldn't understand how or why he would get involved with drugs and alcohol, much less steriods.

I read up on steroids and how bad they are for you. Side effects included heart and liver damage, strokes, aggressive behavior and endocrine system problems. We learn about drugs and alcohol in our DARE programs at school, and they do a great job teaching us of the dangers of both. So why would anyone want to do this?

No one will ever really know. But if you think about it, I think baseball players face peer pressures just like we kids do. There is always some guy coming in that may be better than you, who hits harder than you, threatening to take your job away. As players get older, many may feel the need to step it up to stay competitive. They feel lots of pressures.

Caminiti was the first Major League player to publicly admit to using steroids. He also admitted that they caused him health problems, and when he stopped using them, caused depression and side effects he did not want.

The lesson we can learn from this is to remember that certain things we do can have serious consequences down the road. Unfortunately, Caminiti suffered the ultimate loss.

I guess our heros have faults too, but I really am saddened by what happened to this talented player and all the demons he faced in his personal life and career.

I want to remember Caminiti for the person he was before and as the player many admired. That signed baseball still sits proudly on my shelf.