Dennis Boyd is lucky to be alive. He has lived a roller coaster life. The sole reason for its roller coaster-esque ride has been Boyd’s battle with drug addiction.
Known as "Oil Can", Boyd battled drug addiction for much of his baseball career. After all, many professional baseball players and other athletes have suffered from addiction issues before, during and long after their careers ended.
But according to a recent report by ESPN, the extent of Boyd's abuse of crack cocaine, particularly during Boston's World Series season of 1986, nevertheless is staggering.
Boyd says he used the drug every day during the 1986 season after a dealer introduced him to it during spring training.
How bad was his habit? B0yd actually took the drug out to the mound with him, hiding his baggie under his cap. Usually umps worry about Vaseline under the bill of the cap. This happened in May 1986 in Oakland when he used the drug in a clubhouse bathroom before the game and placed the remaining supply under his hat during the game.
He must have been an extremely talented player with a real God-given gift. He claims he was high on marijuana every game he played from Little League through college.
Oil Can admits to having started drinking at age 7.
When he was informed that he would not be starting the deciding game of the World Series his reaction was to heads straight for a crack house. This according to lvrj.com.
It may be interesting to note, that during this “lost season” Boyd had a career-high 16 wins for the Red Sox. Also of interest, Roger Clemens also was on that team, not that drugs of any sort aided his career, mind you.
Yet another sad tale of celebrity drug abuse. Perhaps had Oil Can had better parental supervision and role models and been subjected to a drug class and counseling as a youth, he could have fulfilled his promise.