A true posterboy for the destructive effects of cocaine on talented players in the 1980s, Steve Howe died in a car accident yesterday at age 48. The former Dodger Rookie of the Year, who resurrected his career with the Yankees in the early 90s, missed four years on drug suspensions and wasted his career through his nostrils, Howe is the lesser of the three most notable 1980s stars (the others were Hall-of-Famers who would never be Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry) who wasted an excellent baseball career on drugs. Howe had a mid-90s fastball, impeccable control and a golden arm. But seven drug suspensions and an addiction he could never beat cost him playing time, money, and four years of his career (1987-1990) before the Yankees signed him in 1991. He lasted 5+ seasons with the Yanks, including a stint as their closer in the 1994 strike-truncated season, before his arm deserted him in 1996 at age 38.
After baseball, Howe seemingly got his life together working in construction and doing marketing for sports drinks. He was returning from a business trip when his pickup rolled off the road, flipped over and Howe died.
Steve Howe, 1958-2006, RIP.
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