Darryl Strawberry, Author

With a name like "Strawberry" how could you not have loved this guy?

Darryl Strawberry, whose achievements on the field were often overshadowed by his struggles with cancer, drug abuse and the law, is writing a memoir called "Straw" set to come out in 2009 via HarperCollins.

According to HarperCollins, Strawberry's book "details his life growing up in South Central LA, his rise to baseball superstardom as a Met, Dodger, and Yankee, the high life and low life, his brushes with the law, his triumphant battle over cancer, his religious awakening, and his marriage to the love of his life."

New York Times & Washington Post cultural commentator John Strausbaugh will collaborate with Strawberry on his memoir. Strausbaugh's past books have examined the history of recreational drug use and explored race relations in popular culture.



Strawberry, 46, was an eight-time All-Star who hit 335 home runs in 17 seasons and played on World Series championship teams with both the New York Mets and New York Yankees. But he also had a long history of personal problems, including substance abuse, domestic violence and colon cancer. Strawberry recently agreed to pay the IRS more than $430,000 in back taxes, penalties and interest and in March, the Mets announced they had re-re-re-rehired Strawberry as a traveling ambassador, visiting minor league teams and community organisations.