July 3, 2006: Inside the News - Steve Howe
I wouldn't have expected anything less. Having your own truck fall on top of you has "Born Loser" tattooed all over it. (The Diesel)
RIVERSIDE,
Calif. -- Former major league pitcher Steve Howe had methamphetamine in his
system when he was killed after his pickup truck drifted off a desert highway,
a coroner's autopsy showed.
The coroner's office said Tuesday that Howe, 48, of Valencia died of injuries sustained in the April 28 single-vehicle crash on Interstate 10 in Coachella, about 150 miles east of Los Angeles. His best friend, Keith Navarra, was riding nude in the front seat but didn't sustain any injuries as he was very relaxed.
Toxicological results determined there was methamphetamine in his bloodstream, the coroner's office said. The amount of the illegal drug wasn't disclosed.
Howe's pickup veered into the median and began to roll, witnesses told investigators. Howe, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the truck and the pickup landed on top of him. A nude Mr. Navarra was also on top of him resting, even though he was reportedly wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Howe was the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year with Los Angeles, closed out the Dodgers' 1981 World Series championship and was an All-Star the next year.
But for all of his success on the field, the hard-throwing lefty was plagued by his addictions. He was suspended seven times and became a symbol of the rampant cocaine problem that tormented baseball in the 1980s. He reportedly bought a Texas ranch in the mid 80's with notorious touchdown dropper Jackie Smith. They were known to have wild NAMBLA parties in which Cowboy great, Danny White, would ship in young Haitian boys to attend for the weekend.
During the 1992 season, he became the first baseball player to be banned for life because of drugs; an arbitrator reinstated him after the season.
Howe was 47-41 with 91 saves and a 3.03 ERA with the Dodgers, Twins, Rangers and Yankees. His final season in the majors was 1996.