Posted on 12/23/2012 7:23:28 AM PST by Mozilla
Ryan Freel, who played for five teams over an eight-year major league career, was found dead in his Florida home Saturday as a result of a self-inflicted shotgun wound, Jacksonville police said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said they were treating the 36-year-old Freel's death as a suicide.
Freel, who grew up in Jacksonville, last played in the majors in 2009 when he played for four organizations.
In June he had been named the baseball coach at St. Joseph Academy in Jacksonville, but the Florida Times-Union reported that he later backed out of the job.
The former utility player's best stretch came with the Cincinnati Reds from 2004-06 when he stole 110 bases over the three seasons. He played a career-high 143 games and hit .277 with 28 RBIs in 2004.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
I don’t know who this person is, but I am sorry to hear that he was that deeply depressed to take his own life.
Depression is so hard to kick. God rest his soul.
Irrelevant jock succumbs to reality of his meaningless existance
How kind of you. /s
You should learn to spell before making an ass of yourself.
As a Reds’ fan, I remember Freel. He was a scrappy player. Here’s more:
Ryan played major-league baseball for five teams over an eight-year career during which he earned $11.6 million. Freel, who played with the Cincinnati Reds from 2003 to 2008, retired in 2010 after suffering a series of injuries, including nine to 10 concussions.
Ryan told the Dayton Daily News in 2006 that he had an imaginary friend named Farney with whom he had daily conversations.
“He’s a little guy who lives in my head who talks to me and I talk to him,” said Freel. “That little midget in my head said, ‘That was a great catch, Ryan.’ I said, ‘Hey, Farney, I don’t know if that was you who really caught the ball, but that was pretty good if it was.’ “
No kidding.
Had this guy on my NL-only Fantasy Baseball team for a couple of seasons when he was stealing bases at a quick pace.
He was a ballplayers’ ballplayer.
Most people are just hitting their professional stride at age 36 with their best earning years ahead of them.
Professional athletes; especially those who are not superstars, are dumped in the ditch by age 36, having to adjust to a $50,000 per year job just as family obligations are mounting.
No one is really going to feel sorry for a guy who earned $11 million+ between age 26 and 34; but it must be a mental struggle to deal with being ‘washed up’ at age 36 when your age cohort is in a place where their life is just taking off.
R.I.P Ryan.
Even if you are a highly-successful athlete you have to have something outside of the game to fall back on.....and the one advantage they have is that they can earn the money to start their own business once their playing days are over.....but if baseball is all you have, then it won’t work out very well.
I have always believed that one of the toughest jobs in life is to transition from pro sports to being just another person. The loss in prestige, income and structure has to be wrenching and without a support structure and goals, then this kind of out becomes ‘logical’. Pro sports are a lengthened childhood like being a child actor, there is an often sickening thud at the end!
You wanna quit abusing the Extended News Sidebar?
“Irrelevant jock succumbs to reality of his meaningless existance”
The man had a wife and two young daughters, now say that to them!
That’s a good point. I hadn’t thought about it from that angle.
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