Posted on 03/07/2019 10:28:34 PM PST by Impala64ssa
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Tom Seaver, the Hall of Fame pitcher and greatest Met of all time, has been diagnosed with dementia and retired from public life, his family announced Thursday. The news comes as the Mets approach the 50th anniversary of the 1969 championship team that Seaver, nicknamed “Tom Terrific,” pitched to a World Series win. Seaver’s family said in a statement released by the Hall of Fame that the 74-year-old will continue to work in his beloved vineyard in California, but will no longer make public appearances. Seaver has been dealing with cognitive issues for years, but attributed them to Lyme Disease. Former teammate Art Shamsky called Thursday’s news “just another kick in the gut.’’ Seaver’s family asked for privacy for Seaver, who won three Cy Young Awards and 311 games during his career. The right-hander out of Fresno, Calif. and USC struck out 3,640 batters and had a lifetime ERA of 2.86 while being selected to 12 All-Star Games. “We’ve been in contact with the Seaver family and are aware of his health situation,” Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said in a statement. “Although he’s unable to attend the ’69 Anniversary, we are planning to honor him in special ways and have included his family in our plans. Our thoughts are with Tom, Nancy and the entire Seaver family.” Seaver won NL Rookie of the Year honors with the last-place Mets in 1967 and was an integral part of the franchise’s first championship season in 1969, leading the league with 25 wins and finishing MVP runner-up. .”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Sad to hear this - I still remember how young Seaver looked in the old Sporting News issues when I was a kid. Hopefully there will be some treatment in the not-too-distant future to spare people from Alzheimer’s.
I hate to hear of this. I met Tom when I was a kid at a spring training game in Tampa, FL.
I’m watching my long time friend slowly being consumed with dementia . He is 75 snd it just started showing up in the last 6 months, enough for his family to have him examined and diagnosed . I have known him for 60 years...
Yep, it sucks. My dear friend and college teammate developed Frontotemporal dementia in his mid 30’s. It was awful to see him deteriorate at such a young age. He was half the age (at least) of everyone else in the facility. He lasted until his early 40’s. I miss him ever day. Horrible disease.
My sympathies. We lost our grandmother to it. It’s a terrible thing for families to go through.
A sad thing. I pray for him and his family.
A sad thing. I pray for him and his family.
My sympathies to you. I lost my mother, her two sisters and her brother to Alzhiemer’s, which is one of the seven forms of dementia. It’s heart breaking I know.
He’s only 74! Horrible.
This is so scary.
I remember the Miracle Mets so well. It was the year I was fifteen and my stunned father asked me “Since when do you watch baseball?” when he caught me watching the pennant race on WPIX TV.
Tom Seaver was then a very boyish twenty five.
I was born in 1968 in NY. Seaver was a baseball demi-god in NY. One of the saddest sports moments in NY history was when Seaver was traded to the Reds.
Post/thread BUMP. One of my all-time favorites. Prayer for Tom Seaver, family and friends.
He could deal that is for sure.
Prayers for Mr. Seaver.
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