Baseball News - Caminiti Dies of Heart Attack



Former San Diego Padres slugger, and 1996 NL MVP, Ken Caminiti died Sunday of a heart attack in the Bronx, NY. He was 41.

After he retired, Caminiti admitted to using sterioids during his career, but at the moment, it is unknown if they played a factor in his death. The process to find out could take as long as 10 days.

"What we all loved about Cammy was his devotion to the game and his desire for the game,'' one of his former coaches, current Houston manager Phil Garner said. "But it went into uncontrollable levels with no discipline.''

Caminiti's 15-year Major League Career ended in 2001, just five years after leading the Padres to a division championship and winning the MVP award in 1996.

Just last Tuesday, he admitted in a Houston court that he violated his probation by testing positive for cocaine last month, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail.

"This is the largest mistake I've made in my life,'' Caminiti said when he pleaded guilty in March 2002. "I had a real good thing going for me and I got sidetracked. It doesn't have to be that way. It doesn't have to be drugs. It doesn't have to be alcohol. That part of my life is over.''

In May 2002, Caminiti told Sports Illustrated that he used steroids during his MVP season, when he hit a career-high .326 with 40 home runs and 130 RBIs. He estimated half the players in the big leagues were also using them.

"I'm still in shock,'' Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "He was one of my favorite all-time players.''




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