Jewish World Review Oct. 23, 2002 / 17 Mar-Cheshvan, 5763

Drs. Michael A. Glueck & Robert J. Cihak

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Once the World Series ends, we need to create a Donnie Moore Day of Remembrance: Sports and mental health


http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | In the unlikely case you hadn't noticed, the Anaheim Angels -- against all long odds -- finally made it to the World Series. Whatever the outcome against the San Francisco Giants (an East Coast émigré club of no small magnitude), the Angels will be remembered as one of the scrappiest teams of all time. They conquered the Curses of devastating playoff series losses in 1979, 1982 and 1986; dumped their Demons; gored the Ghosts of seasons past; hammered their Hounds and jammed their Jinxes.

The Angels have made it on the field. But when the post-season ends, the club and the fans have one more task. They -- indeed, all of us who cherish the game -- need to remember the late Donnie Moore. Recommended: a special day of remembrance at Edison Field.

The year 1985 had been an all-star season for the Angels relief pitcher. But his reputation turned on a single pitch. In 1986 the American League Championship Series was 3-1 in favor of the Angels. One strike away from putting California in the World Series, Moore allowed Boston's Dave Henderson a home run. His major league career ended three years later. Then, in 1989, Moore killed himself. He was 35. This tragedy came about at least in part because of his brooding over that incident. He perceived that he had become another Ralph Branca, doomed to be remembered for just one pitch and one failure.

But Moore was no failure. After signing a $3 million contract with the Angels in 1985, Moore set a club record with 31 saves, surpassing his entire previous major league total. He was named club MVP. In 1986, trying to justify his big contract Moore tried to pitch with a sore shoulder. In 1987 (while trying to redeem his gaffe) he succumbed to nerve irritation in his right rib cage.

The fans and writers unfairly scapegoated Moore. We forgot that without him the Angels might not have made to the LCS. We forgot that baseball is a game of inches, feet, singles, runs and homers. How fast we forgot that a previous pitch to Henderson looked like a strike -- to everyone but the umpire. We also forgot that the Angels had more chances to win in the bottom of the 9th, 10th and 11th innings. They also had two more chances to win at Boston. Moore did not lose those games.

In any sport on any given day, half the teams lose. In every baseball game, there is one losing pitcher. No way around it. But baseball is a team game, and in the end it's the team that's responsible for the win or the loss. Always.

When Moore died in 1989 he was severely depressed and suffering from drug and alcohol abuse. He refused to get help and his family was unable to persuade him to seek treatment. Was this man, who'd already been so abused, unwilling to seek treatment because of the social stigma (society's belief that depression and addiction are signs of weak character, not serious and treatable mental conditions) that would attach to him and his family? Imagine the newscast. Some smug sports reporter announcing that "Donnie Moore -- you remember, the guy who threw 'The Pitch' back in 86 -- checked himself in for rehab today." Whether we are willing to admit it or not -- society and many of us avid sport fans are a bit culpable here.

Donnie Moore, and all those like him, deserved and deserve something better. The issue of integrating mental health and substance abuse treatment into mainline general medical care continues to frustrate the nation. It is now increasingly apparent that the major mental illnesses are biologically-based disorders. These include patients with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorders, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder. Most of these can be treated today with psychotherapy and prescription medications. In 1999, California became the 25th state that required mental health and/or substance abuse treatment to be covered in the same way as other medical care. This concept is known as "parity."

In the unlikely case you hadn't noticed, the Anaheim Angels -- against all long odds -- finally made it to the World Series. Whatever the outcome against the San Francisco Giants (an East Coast émigré club of no small magnitude), the Angels will be remembered as one of the scrappiest teams of all time. They conquered the Curses of devastating playoff series losses in 1979, 1982 and 1986; dumped their Demons; gored the Ghosts of seasons past; hammered their Hounds and jammed their Jinxes.

The Angels have made it on the field. But when the post-season ends, the club and the fans have one more task. They -- indeed, all of us who cherish the game -- need to remember the late Donnie Moore. Recommended: a special day of remembrance at Edison Field.

The year 1985 had been an all-star season for the Angels relief pitcher. But his reputation turned on a single pitch. In 1986 the American League Championship Series was 3-1 in favor of the Angels. One strike away from putting California in the World Series, Moore allowed Boston's Dave Henderson a home run. His major league career ended three years later. Then, in 1989, Moore killed himself. He was 35. This tragedy came about at least in part because of his brooding over that incident. He perceived that he had become another Ralph Branca, doomed to be remembered for just one pitch and one failure.

But Moore was no failure. After signing a $3 million contract with the Angels in 1985, Moore set a club record with 31 saves, surpassing his entire previous major league total. He was named club MVP. In 1986, trying to justify his big contract Moore tried to pitch with a sore shoulder. In 1987 (while trying to redeem his gaffe) he succumbed to nerve irritation in his right rib cage.

The fans and writers unfairly scapegoated Moore. We forgot that without him the Angels might not have made to the LCS. We forgot that baseball is a game of inches, feet, singles, runs and homers. How fast we forgot that a previous pitch to Henderson looked like a strike -- to everyone but the umpire. We also forgot that the Angels had more chances to win in the bottom of the 9th, 10th and 11th innings. They also had two more chances to win at Boston. Moore did not lose those games.

In any sport on any given day, half the teams lose. In every baseball game, there is one losing pitcher. No way around it. But baseball is a team game, and in the end it's the team that's responsible for the win or the loss. Always.

When Moore died in 1989 he was severely depressed and suffering from drug and alcohol abuse. He refused to get help and his family was unable to persuade him to seek treatment. Was this man, who'd already been so abused, unwilling to seek treatment because of the social stigma (society's belief that depression and addiction are signs of weak character, not serious and treatable mental conditions) that would attach to him and his family? Imagine the newscast. Some smug sports reporter announcing that "Donnie Moore -- you remember, the guy who threw 'The Pitch' back in 86 -- checked himself in for rehab today." Whether we are willing to admit it or not -- society and many of us avid sport fans are a bit culpable here.

Donnie Moore, and all those like him, deserved and deserve something better. The issue of integrating mental health and substance abuse treatment into mainline general medical care continues to frustrate the nation. It is now increasingly apparent that the major mental illnesses are biologically-based disorders. These include patients with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorders, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder. Most of these can be treated today with psychotherapy and prescription medications. In 1999, California became the 25th state that required mental health and/or substance abuse treatment to be covered in the same way as other medical care. This concept is known as "parity."

We fully understand and accept that many in this country oppose parity because of cost containment and freedom of choice issues. However, how many us would deny medical treatment to someone who had a cerebral injury secondary to diabetic coma, stroke, brain tumor, car accident or sniper wound? Parity does not mean that a broken bone and a shattered mind are physically equivalent. It simply means that, when medical intervention can help, intervention should be available.

So how about a Donnie Moore Day of Remembrance sometime soon. Part victory celebration. Part requiem. And part reminder that for those in the kind of emotional crises that won't let them "wait until next season" . . . there's help and, therefore, there's hope.

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Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., is a multiple award winning writer who comments on medical- legal issues. Robert J. Cihak, M.D., is past president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. Both JWR contributors are Harvard trained diagnostic radiologists. Comment by clicking here.

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