Son's fatal overdose consumes Reardon

[runningshoes]

It's a long story so I'll just post the first bit. You can read the rest from the link.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2006/01/22/m1a_NEWREARDON_0122.html

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Jeff Reardon gave us a window into his pain.

Dear Shaner,

It was your 21st b'day today and we still can't believe you are not here. Mom and I went to your grave and of course we were very sad. . . . Please come home, we need you with us. I know this is not possible but you are missed so much by everyone. . . .

A young son dead from a drug overdose. A father tortured by grief and guilt.

Jeff Reardon, for 16 years one of the best relief pitchers in major league history, today sits in a Palm Beach County mental health facility trying to cope.

He knows he no longer can be a rock for his family. He knows he can't ignore his feelings of helplessness.

And he knows he can't bring back his son, the one he cries out to in online messages.

Reardon's dark world, spinning out of control through depression and medication, came to a crashing halt last month when he was arrested for robbing a jewelry store at The Gardens mall. He had nothing more than a handwritten note saying he had a gun, and he turned himself in to mall security within minutes.

He faces felony robbery charges and awaits his next hearing.

[sandlot]

Jeff Reardon was a few years behind me in school. Our high schools are rivals. He was a good kid and an exceptional athlete, and he became a fine ballplayer and a family man. Now, he has consuming grief. What he did was wrong, but it was also a call for help from a deeply troubled man. He deserves support. This story is nothing but tragic.