Coke Isn't It

I've had plenty of opportunities to do drugs in my life.

Plenty.

After all, I went to high school in LA.

And college in LA.

But thankfully I was able to just say no.

Don't worry, this is not going to be a blog about how I am better than you.

Because I’m not.

For example, I guarantee I've consumed more calories than you.

GUARANTEED!

And that's nothing to be proud of.

But when it comes to drugs, there’s one definite reason why I passed whenever my friends would offer.

My dad.

Actually a close friend of my dad.

He had three sons.

Had.

The first son died of a heroin overdose.

Then the third son died of a heroin overdose.

Leaving him with one.

The loneliest number that you’ll ever do. 

Those tragedies happened before I was born.

But from the time I was yay high my dad told me that story.

And it obviously... thankfully... scared the hell out of me.

Now if guilt by association was a crime, I'd be in jail right now.

I seemed to hang around plenty of people who traveled down that dangerous road.

They would offer.

I would say no.

And we would move on.

But there was this one time.

In college.

Of course.

A bunch of us took a road-trip to a nearby college for a wild weekend away.

We were at our hotel on a Saturday afternoon.

Most of my friends were doing things my dad would not approve of.

I wasn't.

Well sorta.

While my boys were being boys.

I decided to put a little pinch between my cheek and gum.

Tobacco.

The smokeless kind.

Now if you've never done it.

Try it.

I DARE YOU!

Once.

You won't do it again.

Hopefully.

In one word, it is the most disgusting horrendously gross awful thing.

Ever.

Unfortunately I learned the hard way.

At first the flavor was kinda ok.

But within minutes I was spinning more than the tea cups at Disneyland.

Within minutes of spinning, I was throwing up.

All while my friends were “just chillin”.

How funny is that.

I'm blowing chunks from something you can buy... legally...  at a convenience store.

While my friends were totally relaxed from doing something they bought on the street corner outside the convenience store.

I must admit, I always wanted to try mushrooms.

“Those” mushrooms.

But I never did.

The idea of hallucinating always seemed really cool to me.

I heard that if you put M&Ms in your palm while you were high on “shrooms”.

The M&Ms actually looked like they were jumping up and down on their own.

Beat that Pixar.

Here's the thing with drugs.

They are addicting.

This just in.

Even though my one-time dipping experiment didn't end so well.

The fact that I tried it once was the bad part.

No upside there.

Len Bias tried cocaine once.

On the early morning of June 19, 1986.

At 8:55am he was pronounced dead.

None of us know for sure if that was really the only time that Bias tried cocaine.

But that's what his mom believes.

And that's good enough for me.

She lost more than anyone.

More than the Boston Celtics.

The team that selected Bias with the second pick in the NBA Rookie Draft just two days earlier.

Ron Washington only tried cocaine once too.

At least that’s what he says.

It was the first week of July 2009.

Washington was in Anaheim.

Near Disneyland.

With his team, the Texas Rangers.

Washington was the manager of the Rangers.

The 57-year-old manager.

But for one night he lost his way.

And what made it worse.

Just a few weeks later Washington was told he was on “the list”.

The list of players and coaches to be randomly tested by Major League Baseball.

Washington knew the outcome of the test before the cup was wet.

Fortunately for him the story didn’t leak to the public for nearly nine months.

No pun intended.

But even though the baseball world didn’t know what was going on.

His bosses were told right away. 

Washington offered to resign.

They said no.

Instead his team had him attend counseling.

He went through the MLB drug program.

And came out the other side.

Safe.

It would’ve been easy for the Rangers to accept that resignation.

Or find another way to get Washington out.

Even with just one strike.

But instead they stuck it out with the man they entrusted with leading this team of young men.

And his team responded last year.

By winning their division.

And winning the American League.

And reaching their first World Series.

Ever.

And now, a year later.

More than two years removed from Washington’s momentary lapse of reason.

His team is knocking on the door again.

Four wins away from reaching the World Series again.

Eight wins away from being a World Champion.

Although it’s pretty easy to say that Washington has already won his toughest game.