The other day, I started thinking about former Blue Jays second baseman Dámaso García. García was one of my first favourite Jays and he hit a bases loaded triple when I was at Exhibition Stadium for the first time. The man played a sweet second base, hit for average and stole a shitload of bases.
Did you know Dámaso García is third all-time on the Blue Jays career stolen bases list? Only Lloyd Moseby and Roberto Alomar stole more bases as a Jay. Today, García is best known as the guy who burned his uniform in '86. That doesn't happen every day. But García's proper claim to fame, and the reason he periodically pops into my mind, is that he's been cheating death for decades.
García was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 1990. In 1991, he was told he had six months to live. That was 24 years ago, and he's still with us.
Long may he run.
