August 10, 200620 yr Marlins pitching prospect Jeff Allison has reportedly suffered his second overdose in just over two years. According to The Boston Globe, Medford, Mass., police found Allison unconscious Monday in an apartment building. Rescue workers revived Allison at the scene, and he was hospitalized in Winchester, Mass., and later released. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basebal...-sports-marlins
August 10, 200620 yr Report: Marlins top pick Allison has second overdose By Mike Berardino South Florida Sun-Sentinel August 10, 2006 Marlins pitching prospect Jeff Allison has reportedly suffered his second overdose in just over two years. According to The Boston Globe, Medford, Mass., police found Allison unconscious Monday in an apartment building. Rescue workers revived Allison at the scene, and he was hospitalized in Winchester, Mass., and later released. It's unclear what caused Allison, 21, to overdose this time, but he suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose in July 2004. He has also tested positive for marijuana in baseball-sanctioned drug tests and has sought treatment for Oxycontin dependency. Medford is just north of Boston and about 20 miles south of Peabody, where Allison starred in high school. The Marlins drafted him with the 16th overall pick in June 2003 and gave him a $1.85 million signing bonus. Because of his off-field troubles, Allison has seen no more than perhaps half that amount, much of which he must repay the Marlins per the conditions of his restructured contract. Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello said the team was aware of the incident but had not spoken with Allison and would have no comment. The hard-throwing right-hander has been on the suspended list since spring training. He was recently cited for driving 70 mph in a 55-mph zone on Interstate 85 in Greensboro, N.C. He also was cited for failure to carry his driver's license. Allison has a Sept. 19 hearing date in Guilford County (N.C.) Court. He listed a Greensboro address on the incident report and was believed to be living there with his mother, Noreen. "I couldn't believe he was in Medford," said an officer at the Medford Police Department who asked not to be identified. "It's a weird situation. It's awful, really. Kid had all the talent in the world." Allison has made 20 professional starts over the past four years. He spent the 2005 season pitching for the Class A Greensboro Grasshoppers, going 5-4 with a 4.18 ERA in 17 starts. The Marlins' last public comment on Allison came from team owner Jeffrey Loria in March after Allison left the team's minor league complex and was placed on the suspended list. "I feel sad for the kid, but he's going to have to get himself together," Loria said then. "I hope he does because he's got a great talent and a great ability. He has a gift and it would be a shame to waste that gift." Mitre activated After nearly three months on the disabled list, former starter Sergio Mitre was activated Wednesday, replacing reliever Logan Kensing, who went on the DL with a wrist flexor strain. While Mitre would like to get back in the starting rotation where he started the season before being sidelined May 13 by an inflamed right shoulder, he understands why his next appearance will be out of the bullpen. "I wasn't around long enough to come back from an injury and say, `OK, this is my spot,'" Mitre said. Mitre was 1-4 with a 4.89 ERA before the injury, and his replacement in the rotation, Josh Johnson, is 9-6 with a 2.85 ERA. "Everyone else is doing well and they deserve to stay there, and I respect that," Mitre said. "He'll be asked to do short stints and probably some important innings. We are going to need big outs from Sergio," said manager Joe Girardi. COMEBACKER Marlins closer Joe Borowski said he was "flattered" when he found this week that he was one of the six finalists for National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. Borowski was on the disabled list for much of 2004 and began last season on the disabled list before pitching for Chicago and Tampa Bay, going 1-5 with a 4.47 ERA. Borowski got his 23rd save Tuesday and is 1-2 with a 3.13 ERA in 47 appearances. "I had to spend time on the disabled list and I can appreciate it a little more," Borowski said of the nomination. Borowski said his pick among the finalists would be the Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra. Copyright ? 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 10, 200620 yr Sucks,but once you start you just can't stop.Too bad he's ruining his life,he's just throwing away a bunch of millions that he could've earned in the Majors.I really hope he recovers somehow and realizes that he's really f***ingup,and stops doing it.But like i said,that's going to be hard to do it's an addiction.
August 10, 200620 yr Sorry to hear that. Such a talented kid, such an unfortunate situation. I wouldn't wish heroin addiction on anyone.
August 10, 200620 yr :banghead Coming off a senior year in which he didn't allow a single earned run to this? This kind of disregard for god given talent and just life is so disgusting.
August 10, 200620 yr Ex-Peabody star Allison suffers heroin overdose By Christopher L. Gasper and Ari Bloomekatz, Globe Correspondent | August 10, 2006 The sad saga of former Peabody High ace and Florida Marlins pitching prospect Jeff Allison , whose once-promising baseball career has been derailed by drug problems, took another disappointing turn Monday when, according to a Medford Police report, he suffered a heroin overdose. According to the report, Allison, 21, was found lying unconscious in a T-shirt and shorts on the bathroom floor of a two-story home at 3 Hastings Lane Monday around 3 p.m. Heroin injection was cited as the cause of Allison's condition, and the report stated that police found a bag with heroin paraphernalia on the floor of the bathroom. Jaclyn Caraviello , a resident where the incident took place, identified herself as Allison's friend and said she found him in the first-floor bathroom. ``I was freaking out," Caraviello said. ``I was in the kitchen screaming, `He's going to die. He's going to die.' I didn't know how he was. Thank God, he's fine." Allison was taken to Winchester Hospital and released the same day, according to friends and witnesses. Medford Police Lieutenant Paul Cavino said no charges had been filed against Allison, but police have sought a complaint and Cavino could not rule out charges being brought. Allison was drafted in the first round (16th overall) by Florida in 2003 after going 9-0 with a 0.00 earned run average and 142 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings as a senior at Peabody. He has not pitched this season for the Marlins organization and the team suspended him indefinitely in March. Marlins officials were unaware of this week's incident until informed by a Globe reporter. This is Allison's second heroin overdose. The hard-throwing righthander told the Globe in 2004 he was addicted to the painkiller OxyContin, which he said he first began using when he was a junior at Peabody High. A two-part Globe series painstakingly detailed his downfall, which culminated in him nearly dying in July of 2004 after overdosing on heroin in Lynn. ``He's just been battling everything," said Andrew Coppola , a longtime friend who visited Allison at the hospital following this week's incident. ``He's been doing the best he can and unfortunately things like this keep happening. He has so much against him right now. He's doing what he can, but it's overwhelming him." Coppola said he gave Allison a ride to the Medford residence Sunday night but was not present when Allison overdosed Monday afternoon. Coppola said he had not seen Allison since November before seeing him over the weekend. Allison signed with the Marlins for $1.85 million in July of 2003, but has made just 20 appearances since. He pitched for Florida's rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League in 2003, going 0-2 with a 1.00 ERA in three appearances, spanning nine innings. After he left extended spring training in 2004 without permission, the Marlins placed him on the restricted list and he was forced to repay $250,000 of his signing bonus. Allison battled back from his drug problems to return to the mound in May 2005, pitching for Florida's Single A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers. The former Baseball America High School Player of the Year went 5-4 with a 4.18 ERA in 17 starts for Greensboro, striking out 83 in 94 2/3 innings. Since his suspension the pitcher has been living in Greensboro with his mother, Noreen. A Greensboro address was listed for Allison on the police report. ``I know the reason he hadn't come back was because of his history here," said Coppola. Attempts to reach Noreen Allison at the number listed for the Greensboro apartment she shares with her son were unsuccessful. (A woman who refused to identify herself, but said she was a family member, answered the phone at a number obtained for Allison's father, Bob. She said she didn't know Jeff Allison's whereabouts.) Coppola said that not being able to pitch has exacerbated Allison's struggles. ``I think that's been the deciding factor in everything that's happened," he said. ``He screwed up a few times before, but he always had baseball to fall back on, and I always believed as long as he had baseball he'd pull out of this thing. It's possible that he doesn't have baseball anymore and I also think that's a deciding factor in what's going on and whether or not he'll be able to pull out of this." Allison told the Globe in 2004, four months after his first overdose, how tough it is to conquer the demons of drug addiction. ``It's ridiculous," he said. ``It's something no one should go through in their life. It's the worst. You wake up. You don't think about it at first. But when you have a habit you don't think about it at first. And then you get up and as soon as you stand up you're like, `OK. I need to go get it.' Because you don't feel good. You physically do not feel good and mentally you know you want it." Ryan Moorer , who succeeded Allison as Peabody's ace and now plays for the University of Maryland, was saddened by the news. ``He's probably the best player I've ever seen," said Moorer. ``The things he could do on the field were very special. Hopefully, he can straighten out and recover because I know he's still got the talent." Gordon Edes and Thomas Farragher of the Globe staff contributed to this report
August 10, 200620 yr geez. I wish he'd get off this sh*t. He has so much talent. Well at this point, his baseball career is over... I'm just hoping he can get his life back.
August 10, 200620 yr Sucks,but once you start you just can't stop.Too bad he's ruining his life,he's just throwing away a bunch of millions that he could've earned in the Majors.I really hope he recovers somehow and realizes that he's really f***ingup,and stops doing it.But like i said,that's going to be hard to do it's an addiction. Yeah it's like pringles... He is an idiot that is all there is too it. If he was going to make millions to do what your already good at, he should have gone into rehab as soon as he was drafted if he couldnt stop himself, so that he could have a decent career.
August 10, 200620 yr Wow I really feel bad for this kid. I've seen this first hand before and its crazy. Iv'e seen people get through this, its really hard and I really hope he can get through these problems too, not even for baseball just to get back to a normal life.
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