Mets pitcher Mark Corey admits marijuana use before seizure

Yahoo! Sportz ^ | June 28, 2002 | JOSH DUBOW

[Hemingway's Ghost]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mets pitcher Mark Corey admitted he smoked marijuana shortly before he had a seizure and collapsed on a street near Shea Stadium after a game Wednesday night, according to a newspaper report. The New York reliever said he was to meet Friday with Mets psychiatrist Allan Lans, coordinator of the Employee Assistance Program, Newsday reported Friday.

``I guess I'll have to deal with those things starting tomorrow,'' Corey said.

Corey said doctors told him he'd been affected by an ``anxiety attack.''

Corey underwent tests Thursday to determine what caused the seizure. Mets general manager Steve Phillips refused to discuss any drug-related topics regarding Corey.

Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said the team would have no comment.

Corey was taken to New York Medical Center after he was stricken about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was released early Thursday and placed on the 15-day disabled list.

``They don't think he's in any danger or jeopardy,'' Phillips said earlier in the day. ``They want to run some tests so they can come to a conclusion on the cause.''

The 27-year-old reliever collapsed on a street corner, just outside his hotel, about an hour after New York's 6-3 loss to Atlanta.

Corey complained of an upset stomach and fatigue while teammate Tony Tarasco drove him to the hotel. Corey started shaking in the car as they arrived, but then said he felt fine and tried to walk in. He started convulsing again, however, outside the hotel and collapsed to the ground.

Coach Juan Lopez, who was in the parking lot, saw what happened and rushed back to Shea Stadium to find a trainer, while someone called an ambulance.

``I can't tell you how frightened I was,'' Tarasco said. ``I spent 30 minutes with him and it felt like 10 days.''

The trainers and ambulance arrived at the same time and after Corey was stabilized he was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and later released.

On Thursday, Corey was tested by a Mets' team doctor, but there was no further word on what caused the seizure.

``Coming on the heals of the Darryl Kile situation, we're going to run every test so we get a handle on it,' Phillips said. ``We won't cut any corners.''

Corey's collapse came four days after Kile, a St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, died in his sleep in his hotel room in Chicago. An initial autopsy found that the 33-year-old Kile had severe blockages and hardening of the arteries of his heart.

Mets manager Bobby Valentine talked to Corey on Thursday afternoon.

``He said he felt OK,'' Valentine said. ``He's a little weak. It's obviously a very traumatic experience.''

The Mets put Corey on the disabled list, and made the move retroactive to Wednesday. Pitcher Jaime Cerda was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Corey is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in five games for the Mets this season. He was 2-1 with six saves and a 1.17 ERA at Norfolk.

The right-hander was brought up from Norfolk for his second stint with the Mets this year on June 13 when pitcher Grant Roberts was placed on the disabled list.

Corey, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, made his major league debut last Oct. 2 with the Mets.

Cerda was 0-0 with one save and an 0.43 ERA in 12 games at Norfolk. The 23-year-old lefty began the season at Double-A Binghamton.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

That sucks.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Usual suspects bump.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

USB.

[WyldKard]

I think the question we should be asking is: Was this guy on any prescription meds? We'd need to know EVERYTHING he had put into his body recently....

That, or he got some laced weed. (Something that wouldn't happen if it were legalized, I might point out...)

[Hemingway's Ghost]

You guys, too.

[guitfiddlist]

That's what you get for smoking paranoia-grade pot, and then going out in public.

[Wolfie]

Today's pitchers are such wusses. Back in the day, Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter while tripping on acid.

[BigNate]

Maybe the Mets are confused. They intended to "load up" to try and keep up with the Braves this year, but the players thought they were supposed to "get loaded" instead.

I suspect it will take more than a couple of tokes of weed to bat over .200 against the Bravos. We love to see the Braves win, but it is sooooo good to see them destroy the Mets year after year after year........

[cynicom]

He does not need a shrink, he needs to get wise and grow up. Perhaps this episode will activate his brain but I doubt it. Little weed never hurt anyone, did it?

[Jaxter]

[philman_36]

Mets pitcher Mark Corey admitted he smoked marijuana shortly before he had a seizure and collapsed on a street near Shea Stadium after a game Wednesday night, according to a newspaper report.
Who was he admitting this to and why was he making the admission?
It seems to me that the impetus of the article is to imply that "smoking marijuana" caused the collapse.
More "Reefer Madness" and shoddy reporting.

Usual suspect? And here all this time I thought I was an unusual aspect.

[vin-one]

must have been some pretty darn good weed,

Thanks for the ping

[Illbay]

It should be stated for the record that simply because this guy smoked pot and then passed out bears NO RELATIONSHIP to the constant mantra of the Libertine dope-heads that pot is harmless.

Dismiss that thought from your heads.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

I'd say pretty much nothing is harmless. However, MJ is small potatoes. I've had anxiety attacks before, but never one strong enough to knock me down.

[vin-one]

I have as well, one time thought I was having a heart attack. Turned out to be nothing. I have also gotten paranoid before, if you know what I mean, but never enough to knock me off my fee.

[Mike K]

Have you seen the movie? Funny stuff, I mean hilarious.

I think the people who made it were high too, nothing else could explain the wild exagerrations ... oops wait, they could have been liberals!

[jayef]

The guy was having a panic attack. Probably not a good time to be smoking weed. His poor judgement has absolutely nothing to do with me. This would be the equivalent of saying because you drink beer, you are responsible for the vehicular homicides of every drunk driver.

[Jaxter]

I saw it years ago. It is indeed a hoot.