Relief pitcher Rod Beck dead at 38

[MaineDem]

Rod Beck, an All-Star relief pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox for three seasons and wore a bushy mustache while earning 286 career saves, has died. He was 38.

Beck was found Saturday by police officers responding to a call to his home in suburban Phoenix, police department spokesman Andy Hill said Sunday. Foul play is not suspected, though the cause of death might not be known for several days.

With unruly hair framing a menacing stare and an aggressive arm swing before delivering a pitch, the outgoing right-hander was a colorful baseball personality and a three-time All-Star who twice led the NL in saves. He spent the first seven of his 13 major league seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

Beck was popular with teammates, reporters and fans, but battled personal demons late in his life. He abruptly left the San Diego Padres for a two-month stint in drug rehabilitation during his final major league season in 2004.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2007/06/24/reliever_rod_beck_dead_at_38/

[Bluzmann57]

1. Sad news

When he was in Chicago, I actually drank beer with him. He was a helluva nice guy and he will be missed. One more note, when the Cubs sent him down to AAA Des Moines, he actually lived in a camper in the parking lot of the stadium. Mr. regular guy. RIP Rod Beck.

[frylock]

2. damn..

rest in peace, Shooter.

[bigwillq]

3. That story

is on my page that I am paginating at work..I have some art of him on there too.

Sad news. RIP.

[Auggie]

4. Nice piece on him by San Francisco columnist Scott Ostler

(SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Monday, June 25, 2007): What a relief it was to have 'Shooter' around

Everything you need to know about Rod "Shooter'' Beck you learned from the bush leagues.

Like: Put your money back in your pocket, dude, Shooter's buying.

Some guys will buy a round for their buddies, or maybe for the house. Beck would buy rounds for Des Moines.

Beck, 38, was found dead Saturday, and one of the memories stirred by the tragic news was from the spring of '03 and Beck was toast as a pitcher, trying to revive his career after elbow surgery. The Cubs gave him a shot, assigning him to their Triple-A club in Des Moines, Iowa. Beck was angry, embarrassed and discouraged as he drove his motor home to his minor-league assignment.

more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/06/25/SPGRFQL4H51.DTL