So who is this Throwin' Swannanoan, anyway?
THROWING IT ALL AWAY
Drugs ruin life of ex-major leaguer Stewart
KJARRETT@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
ASHEVILLE — Sammy Stewart remembers vividly his first day in the major leagues in 1978, when he set a record by striking out seven consecutive batters at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.
“I started the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox,” Stewart said.
“There I was, in my brand new uniform, with a gold zipper and my name on the back — Stewart, No. 53.”
Now the back of his everyday wear — a white jumpsuit — reads “Buncombe County Inmate.”
Stewart, who grew up in Swannanoa, remembers striking out Reggie Jackson in front of a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium.
He won a World Series with the Baltimore Orioles, striking out Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt.
His life began to change in 1987, when he ended his 10-year baseball career with three major league teams. He descended into a hellish life of drugs that eventually left him homeless and incarcerated.
“I’ve wasted a lot of years,” Stewart said recently in an interview from the Buncombe County Detention Facility in downtown Asheville.
“I’ve lost everything I owned.”
Since 1988, he has been charged 46 times with more than 60 offenses. According to Department of Corrections records, he has been sent to prison six times for a total of 25 months.
Now, just days away from his 52nd birthday and nearly two decades after the cheering stopped, Stewart is facing a prison sentence of up to 10 years on a felony drug charge. He’s being held before the trial because he couldn’t raise the $70,000 bail.
Stewart is on the trial calendar this week in Buncombe County Superior Court, when the district attorney’s office will attempt to convict him as a habitual felon.
“I’m a crack addict, a drug addict,” Stewart said. “I want one more chance. I’m hoping I get 18 months in rehab or three years, and I’ll do that. But don’t give me seven years. Don’t just throw me away.”
With an arrest record that dates back nearly 30 years and runs 17 pages from a court printout, he is asking for another chance while admitting he’s uncertain if he can lick the addiction to drugs that he blames for ruining his life.
From hero to bum
Stewart was the “Throwin’ Swannanoan,” a 6-foot-3, 208-pound, country boy who threw hard and lived hard, a three-sport star at Owen High in the early 1970s.
He was once the athletic hero of the small community where he grew up, the star player kids dreamed of becoming.
“I can’t explain to you how bad it feels to be walking down Tunnel Road and you don’t have a home or any money and people look at you and say, ‘That’s Sammy Stewart. He used to be a famous ballplayer,”’ Stewart said.
“I had it all, and now I have nothing. I’m a 51-year-old man in jail begging for another chance.”
After once earning more than $580,000 per year, he said he now lives on a $1,600 monthly pension, $1,100 of which is taken out for child support and back taxes.
His advantages have been numerous; his hardships include dealing with two children born with cystic fibrosis.
Colin, the son of Sammy and Peggy Stewart, died at age 11 in 1991. Daughter Alicia, who admits to loving her father and being angry with him, had a double lung transplant last year at age 23.
Stewart and his wife separated in 1994 but have never divorced. Stewart said he has two other children, boys ages 8 and 6, with another woman.
He said he hasn’t seen those children in more than a year.
Happy childhood
Samuel Lee Stewart Jr. remembers growing up happy. He went hunting with the father he was named after and has fond memories of playing on the nearby high school football field, pretending he was throwing the winning touchdown years before he actually did that.
“He was a real class-clown kind of guy, always cutting up and having fun,” said Steve Davidson, a childhood friend who grew up playing ball with Stewart.
“And he was a great player, no matter what the sport.”
After a standout career at Owen High and Montreat College, Stewart signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 1975.
That year was also the first time his name appeared in a police record. He was arrested for marijuana possession in Buncombe County. The charge was later dismissed.
A different person
While in the minor leagues, he also married his high school sweetheart, Peggy Logan.
“He’s totally different now than the guy I fell in love with,” said Peggy Stewart, who at age 51 works two jobs and lives with her daughter in Oteen.
“In high school, he despised people who did drugs. He couldn’t understand why people did that to their bodies.”
Stewart made an immediate impact in his major league debut by setting the mark for consecutive strikeouts.
“In the fourth inning, people started clapping, and my catcher told me to turn around and look at the scoreboard,” he said.
“It said, ‘Sammy Stewart has just tied a major league record by striking out six consecutive batters. The record was set by Karl Spooner in 1954.’
“I turned around and threw three of the hardest sliders I ever threw to the next batter and got that seventh strikeout.”
Long before bullpens became specialized with specific roles for every player, Stewart could do it all — spot starter, long relief, middle relief and closer
In eight seasons with the Orioles, he pitched in two World Series, won a world title in 1983 and in 12 innings of postseason work allowed no runs and struck out eight batters.
“Sammy would have some of his friends come up to Baltimore,” Davidson said. “We would all go out and have a good time, we’d watch Sammy play, and he would pay for everything. It was fun knowing a big league ballplayer.”
Those good times were starting to catch up to Stewart. He was convicted of driving while impaired in 1983 in Baltimore.
Daughter’s view
Alicia Stewart knew about drugs from an early age.
“I remember when I was 5 or 6 years old, and I knew cocaine was in his life,” she said.
By 1985, Stewart was making $581,250 a year and was recognized as one of the game’s most versatile relief pitchers. He remembers getting a paycheck of $26,000 every two weeks.
“I’d take $400 to $500 for cash and tell Peggy to put the rest in the bank and pay the bills,” he said.
But the good times were about to come to an end.
He was traded to Boston after the ’85 season, suffered arm injuries and was never the same pitcher again.
He became a free agent after the ’86 season and expected the offers for huge money to come in. But baseball owners had gotten together to slow down the huge salaries that free agency had created. Stewart was among the victims of collusion, and after a lawsuit was filed, Stewart said he eventually received a settlement of $332,000 in 1994.
“When I was a baseball star, I would go home and pick up the bill for everything. It was an ego thing for me. And after baseball was gone and I started doing drugs, I still wanted to be the big guy. So I would go out and buy an ounce or two of cocaine, and boy, I had a lot of friends then.”
After his baseball career ended, Stewart, his wife and two children retreated to a $300,000 home in Framingham, Mass.
While there, he went to a party and made a decision that forever altered his life.
“There were people there smoking cocaine,” he said. “I had seen people do it before, and I tried it. I was hooked right off the bat, and it’s been downhill ever since.”
Coming home, losing it all
Stewart moved with his family back to the Swannanoa area about 1989, and his life since has been a long series of drug and alcohol abuse, arrests and jail time, brief and unsuccessful attempts at rehab, and plenty of personal tragedy.
When his son died in 1991, the Baseball Assistance Program (BAT), a charitable organization that helps former ballplayers, paid for funeral expenses, Peggy Stewart said.
Sitting in jail, his hair gone on top and tinged with gray elsewhere, the once-menacing mustache now also a droopy gray, Stewart described his life in hell.
“When you are under addiction, you don’t acknowledge anybody. You don’t acknowledge your family, and then your family pushes you away,” he said.
“You burn bridges with your friends. You borrow money from your friends, and you never pay them back. I’ve conned my friends and family, I’ve lied to them, and I’ve let them down so many times.
Stewart said he has been homeless, stabbed, shot at and been in fights in every housing project in Asheville.
“After every binge, you say, ‘Why did I do this?’” he said.
“Why did I spend all that money? I could have took my little boy and bought him a new bicycle. And then you come out of it and you get angry and you say, ‘What the heck. I’ve already dug myself a hole, I might as well go ahead and cover myself up.’”
He recalled a low point in a span of nearly 20 years that has been little but low points.
“I went to a drug rehab and had a high amount of cocaine in my system when I got there,” Stewart said.
“I was kicked out after 14 days, and I took my suitcase and started walking down the road. I didn’t have anybody to call to come pick me up, nobody to call and tell them how embarrassed I was. All I wanted to do was go get some drugs and hide away from it all. It’s like your worst dream (realized).”
His family and friends have agonized over his choices.
“I don’t know why he turned out the way he is,” Peggy Stewart said. “I’ve searched my heart many times for that answer.
“I think everybody spoiled him. Me, his parents … whenever he got in trouble his father bailed him out.”
“I’ve seen him out begging,” Davidson said. “It makes me sad and kind of angry. It’s like a death. I feel like I lost a friend somewhere along the way.”
Rehab attempts
There have been numerous attempts at rehab, none that has been successful for long.
“When he’s sober, he’s a great guy, very giving,” Alicia Stewart said. “When he’s high, he’s very spacey, in la-la land. You can’t talk to him, and the scary part is when he comes down. He starts drinking and he looks evil. He gets a real scary look in his eyes.”
“I saw that look many, many times,” Peggy Stewart said. “It’s almost like a devil look.”
Stewart’s immediate future is uncertain but not very promising.
His attorney, Roger Smith, has tried to work out a plea bargain with District Attorney Ron Moore about the upcoming felony charge.
Smith, Moore and Assistant District Attorney Chris Hess, who is handling Stewart’s case, declined to comment for this story.
Rev. Frank Cantrell, pastor of Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in Swannanoa, has visited Stewart in jail and has talked to Moore about having Stewart assigned to City of Refuge, a Bible-centered program in Corpus Christi, Texas, that enforces strict discipline.
“I spoke to Mr. Moore about that, and he told me that he has given Sammy so many chances over the years that he is not willing to bargain any more,” Cantrell said.
Sitting sober in jail for the almost six months has allowed Stewart a lot of time to be reflective.
“Being in jail is like listening to the blues,” he said. “Somebody’s always got a sadder tale than yours.”
Asked if he believes he can turn down the temptation of drugs if he gets out of jail, Stewart offers an honest answer.
“I’m not confident at all,” he said. “I need to make some big changes, and I hope I have the strength to do it.”
“I want to believe he can get better,” Alicia Stewart said. “I don’t think rehab will work because he has done that so many times. I don’t know if being in prison for a long time will make him stronger or more bitter.”
SAMMY STEWART THROUGH THE YEARS
1974 – Drafted by Kansas City Royals in 28th round of the baseball amateur draft but did not sign.
1975 – Signed as free agent by the Baltimore Orioles.
1975 – Charged with simple possession of marijuana in Buncombe County; charge dismissed.
1978 – Made major league debut with Baltimore on Sept. 1 vs. Chicago White Sox. Set record by striking out seven straight batters.
1979 – Pitched in World Series for Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh Pirates.
1983 – Won World Series with Baltimore vs. Philadelphia.
1983 – Convicted of DUI in Maryland, received 18 months probation.
1988 – Retired from baseball with career record of 59-48, 3.62 ERA and 42 saves.
1988 – Arrested on narcotics and firearm charges near home in Framingham, Mass. Convicted of carrying firearm without a license, cocaine charges continued without a finding, two years probation on gun charge.
1989 – Arrested for holding his wife, Peggy, overnight against her will. Charged with kidnapping, wife told sheriff he beat her severely. Third time in 23 days Stewart was arrested after complaints from his wife.
1991 – Son Colin Timothy Stewart died of cystic fibrosis at age 11.
1991 – Worked as a volunteer assistant coach with UNC Asheville baseball team; later removed from team.
1991 – Served seven months in prison on drug charge.
1992 – Served five months in prison for driving while license revoked.
1993 – Felony drug charges dismissed.
1994 – Received judgment of $332,000 from collusion lawsuit against major-league baseball.
1996 – Served two months in prison on drug charge.
1997 – Served two months in prison in drug charge.
1998 – Served four months in prison on drug charge.
1999 – Felony drug charge dismissed.
2004 – Felony drug charge dismissed.
2004 – Served five months in prison on drug charge.
2006 – In jail for more than 150 days awaiting trial of felony drug charge and habitual felon charge.
2006 – Sentenced to seven years in prison. Eligible for release in 2013.
This article was inspired by an open letter Sammy Stewart sent to the Baltimore Sun in October:
Former Swannanoa baseball star writes from prison
The t-shirt is not available for sale on Etsy because it is in my boyfriend's dresser. Perks! If you feel you must own it, however, please email me with your sob story/offer. It's a Screen Stars XL, broken in perfectly soft and nice and fits like a dream.
No comments:
Post a Comment