Ken Caminiti

Kenneth Gene Caminiti (April 21, 1963 - October 10, 2004) was a MLB player. He was born in Hanford, California, and attended San Jose State University.

Personal Struggles

Caminiti struggled with substance abuse throughout his career. He admitted in 1994 to having a problem with alcohol and checked himself into a rehab center in 2000. In a Sports Illustrated cover story in 2002, a year after his retirement, he admitted that he had used steroids during his MVP-winning 1996 season, and for several seasons afterwards. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/magazine/03/02/flashback_juiced/index.html Caminiti also had a long struggle with cocaine, having been arrested in March 2001 for possession and sentenced to probation. Just prior to his death, on October 5, 2004, he admitted in a Houston court that he had violated his probation by testing positive for cocaine in September of 2004. It was his fourth such violation and he was sentenced to 180 days in prison but given credit for time already served and released.

Related Topics:
Substance abuse - 1994 - Alcohol - Rehab - 2000 - Sports Illustrated - 2002 - Steroids - Cocaine - 2001 - Probation - Death - October 5 - Houston - 2004

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Caminiti died unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack in The Bronx at the age of 41; he was pronounced dead on October 10, 2004 at New York's Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Preliminary news reports on October 15, 2004 indicated he died of a drug overdose. Rob Silva, an acquaintance of Caminiti who spent part of the day with him on October 10, told Newsday that Caminiti was edgy and depressed on the day he died, but also said he did not witness Caminiti using drugs on that day. On November 1, the New York City Medical Examiners Office announced that Caminiti died from "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates," but coronary artery disease and cardiac hypertrophy (an enlarged heart) were also contributing factors.

Related Topics:
Heart attack - The Bronx - Lincoln Memorial Hospital - October 15 - Newsday - November 1 - Opiates - Coronary artery disease - Hypertrophy - Heart

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~