Where are they now: 1993 Phillies

I got an email this morning. Rumors and Rants wants bloggers to share their memories of their favorite baseball teams.

I’m a Phillies fan under 40 years old, so I’ve only got a couple of options. And I chose to write about the 1993 Phillies.

I’m sure you remember the ‘93 Phils, the ragtag team that came tantalizingly close to winning the World Series, only to lose when Joe Carter took a Mitch Williams hanging slider deep for a three-run home run.

But do you know what happened to the team after that World Series? I did a little digging, and here’s what I found:

1. John Kruk, who weighed 317 lbs. in 1993, was diagnosed with testicular cancer following the 2003 season. The cancer was only discovered after an errant Mitch Williams pick-off throw shattered Kruk’s cup during spring training. Following surgery, Kruk went on Letterman and joked about life with only one ball. ESPN now pays him to analyse baseball games. He recently guessed starred on Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

2. Dave Hollins returned to the Phillies in 2002, but was forced out of the league after only 17 at bats after a series of dangerous spider bites agrivated his diabetes.

3. Lenny Dykstra retired in 1998 after a series of injuries. In the 2003 book, “Moneyball,” A’s GM Billy Beane described Dykstra as a player who succeeded because of a lack of self-awareness. Today, Dykstra serves as president of several of his privately held companies, including car washes; a partnership with Castrol in “Team Dykstra” Quick Lube Centers; a ConocoPhillips fueling facility; a real estate development company; and a new venture to develop several “I Sold It on eBay” stores throughout high-demographic areas of Southern California. Dykstra has helped bring to the forefront an investment strategy called “Deep in the Money Calls”. He has also appeared on Fox News Channel’s The Cost of Freedom and was a columnist for TheStreet.com. Last year he purchased Wayne Gretzky’s $17 million estate. The New Yorker recently wrote a six-page story about Nails. Read it.

4. Darren Daulton was the leader of the 1993 Phillies. He was a rock behind the plate. And he had great hair. In 1997, Daulton, minus all of his knee cartilage, switched to right field. The Phillies traded him to the Marlins at the trading deadline, to give him a chance to win a World Series. The Fish used him at first base and as a pinch hitter and Florida won championship. Daulton retired with a ring. Since retiring, he has been arrested a number of times for DUI and domestic violence. In 2004, he spent two months in jail in contempt of court after refusing to abide by the terms of a legal agreement related to the divorce. He recently claimed in a televised interview with ESPN that he has “skipped through time” and undergone “astral travel.”

5. Mitch Williams was traded to the Astros after the 1993 season. His MLB career fell apart pretty quickly. After retiring he operated a Philadelphia-area bowling alley. He spent some time with the Atlantic City Surf, first as a player and then as a manager. Today he’s a post-game analyst on Comcast Sports Net in Philly. Recently, he was tossed out of his daughter’s youth basketball games after he cursed at the ref.

6. Jim Eisenreich resides in the Kansas City area with his wife Leann and four children. They run the Jim Eisenreich Foundation for Children with Tourette Syndrome which they founded in 1996. It helps children with TS to achieve personal success.

7. Pete Incaviglia is in his first season as the manager of the Grand Prairie AirHogs, a new semi-pro team (with an awesome logo) that isn’t affiliated with any MLB teams. He was named in the Jason Grimsley affidavit as a user of amphetamines.

8. Curt Schilling is on a diet.