Former major league outfielder Darryl Strawberry admires New England Patriots quarterback Tim Tebow and wishes he had been more like teammate Gary Carter.
During and after his playing days the now 51-year-old struggled with additions to illegal drugs.
“I wish I could have been like a Gary Carter or a Tim Tebow when I was playing,” said Strawberry via USA TODAY “and have Christ in my life the way I do today. When Carter left here, he left here as a right man, a righteous man, who lived his life right. He loved his faith.”
Carter, a teammate on the 1986 Mets with Stawberry, died in 2012 after fighting brain cancer.
DAULTON: Former Phillies star has brain cancer
“I look at Tebow. He gets bashed because of his faith. Let ’em laugh. Let ’em talk. He’s a greater man than anyone who might be greater than him as an athlete. He’s a real man.
“He gets challenged about his faith all of the time, but he never wavers because of opinions, or what the media is writing about him. His reward later on in life is going to be even greater because he stood in the midst of everybody criticizing him being a Christian and playing sports at the same time.
“I admire him more than he could ever imagine.”
In 17 seasons at the major league level Stawberry ended his career with a .259 average and 335 home runs. A ordained minister now, Strawberry speaks about the troubles that plagued him during his playing career with the Mets, Dodgers, Giants and Yankees.
