Remembering Cammy...

[AstroNut]

on what would have been his 46th birthday.

He was a gifted ballplayer who gave us Astro fans some memorable moments.

RIP

[JimR]

and a troubled person taken down by addiction. too bad.

[Bench]

One of my true favorites as a kid.  What a tragedy.

[Fredia]

hard to think about. when something like that happens there are so many what ifs

[headhunter]

on what would have been his 46th birthday.

He was a gifted ballplayer who gave us Astro fans some memorable moments.

RIP

well done. He is one of my favorite Astros.
I didn't know today is his birthday. I became an Astros fan watching him at third, biggio at 2nd, and Bagwell at first when I moved to Houston for the first time back in 94. That was a great season--I hated to see him go to the Padres during that massive trade.

I'll always remember:
His MVP steriod-fuled season--and later admitting to using;
When he injured himself falling out of the deer stand in the off-season, and the camo jerseys made in his honor;
Que asco it was to watch him play in a Braves uniform;
How sad it was when I heard he had died, and how the Astros beat the Braves that day.

I hope he is at peace and his family is healing. It's hard to think about how horrible it was for his kids to have their father destroy himself.

[94CougarGrad]

Very sad.

[MikeyBoy]

I lived down the street from Ken for three years (2000-2002), so I saw the worst of him. That experience erased the fond memories I had of his baseball career, it was a situation where I could no longer seperate the player from the person. I have strong feelings towards Ken that are mostly negative, so I won't post them here. This is not the time nor place to have that discussion. My thoughts go out to his wife, little girls and those who loved him despite all of his faults. Just an all around sad story.

[JimR]

I lived down the street from Ken for three years (2000-2002), so I saw the worst of him. That experience erased the fond memories I had of his baseball career, it was a situation where I could no longer seperate the player from the person. I have strong feelings towards Ken that are mostly negative, so I won't post them here. This is not the time nor place to have that discussion. My thoughts go out to his wife, little girls and those who loved him despite all of his faults. Just an all around sad story.

i did not have any personal experiences with him, of course, but my feelings about him are not all warm and fuzzy either.

[Andyzipp]

Just a complete and utter waste. I feel sorry for his family.

[jaklewein]

I will remember Cammy for the good and bad, and for different reasons in each case.  When I think of him, I always think about his Columbus minor league rookie card that I treasured for years when I was a kid.  It's packed away in my closet somewhere.

[Mr. Happy]

An excellent Astro who I will always remember. He was living proof that ballplayers are humans too. The fans are inclined to elevate these heroes too much sometimes. Oh, we need heroes, but we have to remember that heroes sometimes have feet of clay.

[strosrays]

From the OWA literary anthology:

caminiti's
        defunct
               who used to
               dive watersmooth-silver
                                        across the line
        and stab onetwothreefourfive line drivesjustlikethat
                                                         Jesus
        he was a helluva third baseman
                             and what i want to know is
        how do you like your coke-head boy
        Mister Death

[TheWizard]

Substance abuse is a disease, albiet one that you bring upon yourself.  Its a shame.

[BUWebguy]

For the longest time, Caminiti was the one "good" autograph I was able to obtain as a kid. My collection was filled with the likes of Dan Schatzader, Bob Cluck (many, many times) and Dave Rohde. I can't even remember where I got Caminiti's autograph -- maybe before a game, or at AstroFest -- but for years it was the highlight of my autograph collection.

I think I've also got on tape somewhere his appearance with Bagwell and Biggio on Roy Firestone's old show that used to come on before SportsCenter, where they talked about his demons. Sad to realize that point wasn't the end of it for him.

[strosrays]

I think I've also got on tape somewhere his appearance with Bagwell and Biggio on Roy Firestone's old show that used to come on before SportsCenter, where they talked about his demons. Sad to realize that point wasn't the end of it for him.

I don't think the demons ever really go away, and Caminiti's were particularly voracious.  I didn't know him, but it appeared from a distance that once he started down the path, he was never really out of the grip of whatever it was that hounded him, even in the stretches where he appeared to the have the darkness at bay.  He was always going to get sucked back under, eventually.

[seib22]

For the longest time, Caminiti was the one "good" autograph I was able to obtain as a kid. My collection was filled with the likes of Dan Schatzader, Bob Cluck (many, many times) and Dave Rohde. I can't even remember where I got Caminiti's autograph -- maybe before a game, or at AstroFest -- but for years it was the highlight of my autograph collection.

I think I've also got on tape somewhere his appearance with Bagwell and Biggio on Roy Firestone's old show that used to come on before SportsCenter, where they talked about his demons. Sad to realize that point wasn't the end of it for him.

My Caminiti autograph story is similar. I remember I got his, Eric Anthony and Larry Dierker (the broadcaster). It was July or August I think, Sunday afternoon after the game - 100 degrees outside. Cammy comes out in a thick long sleeve shirt and jeans, with a Black velvet cowboy hat. He must have stood out there for half an hour signing for everyone - sweat pouring off of him. To this day, my favorite autograph.

[Bench]

My Caminiti autograph story is similar. I remember I got his, Eric Anthony and Larry Dierker (the broadcaster). It was July or August I think, Sunday afternoon after the game - 100 degrees outside. Cammy comes out in a thick long sleeve shirt and jeans, with a Black velvet cowboy hat. He must have stood out there for half an hour signing for everyone - sweat pouring off of him. To this day, my favorite autograph.

I went to a photo day where they let everyone out on the turf for pictures before the game.  Cammy was my favorite at the time, so my experience was a bit biased, but I remember him being the nicest and most appreciative of the players (Art Howe was awesome that night.  Other than my dad and Coach Lopez, my little league coach, he was the first person with whom I believed I had a high brow baseball conversation).