A Kile Update:

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile likely died from a blockage of a coronary artery, Cook County's chief medical examiner said Sunday.

Dr. Edmund Donoghue said initial findings of an autopsy showed Kile had ''80-to-90 percent narrowing of two of the three branches of the coronary artery.'' He said the blockage was the ``likely cause of death.''

[ June 23, 2002: Message edited by: Jim at Outsports ]

What happened to the first thread on Kiles death? I had a very heart felt response on it. Now it and the entire thread is gone. Whats going on?

Thumper, I killed the whole thread and apologize. However, a poster was making scurrilous accusations and it was setting off a mini-flame war and getting off topic. Rather than having to go through and individually kill separate messages I ended the whole thing. We virtually never do it but I felt I had no choice in this case.

Thank you Jim! This story is sad enough as it is. I know the last thin on his teammates' minds is playing baseball, but here's hoping that the Cardinals are able to continue their wonderful season, make a run at the NL crown and dedicate it all to Darryl Kile. Cardinal palyers and fans can really use a break.

[ June 24, 2002: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]

thanks Jim. I really think that was the right thing to do.

many times dumbasses hide behind their computer screens to say whatever the hell they want (true or not) without any sense of responsibility.

thanks again for killing and squishing out all those dumbass comments

[quote]Originally posted by Jim at Outsports:
Thumper, I killed the whole thread and apologize. However, a poster was making scurrilous accusations and it was setting off a mini-flame war and getting off topic. Rather than having to go through and individually kill separate messages I ended the whole thing. We virtually never do it but I felt I had no choice in this case.

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Seeing as how I didn't check in here over the weekend, I missed the whole thread...but I can guess at what the scurrilous accusation was. On a celebrity gossip newsgroup, someone posted a message about how people who were interviewed should have held off on saying he was a great guy/great teammate/wonderful father, etc., until AFTER the autopsy. As if, if they had found something, that would make him a lousy person. Unbelievable.

I was on the train back to Baltimore last night, so I missed most of the game on ESPN. I read that there was no music played at all (except for the national anthem and the rather mournful organ version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," unaccompanied by a celebrity singer), and nothing but no. 57 on the electronic message board. Not even advertisements?

It was obvious that the Cardinals just weren't that into the game. Understandably so.

I listened to the Cardinal-KMOX broadcast over RealOne audio, and it was (understandably) the most flat, "neutral" broadcast of a game I have ever heard.... the total lack of background crowd noise was positively eerie...

[quote]Doctors: Kile's condition treatable
The heart condition linked to the death of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile is common and treatable, and should have been suspected, given his family history, doctors said. Kile's narrowed heart arteries, probably caused by a buildup of fatty plaque deposits, could have been symptomless -- or could have triggered vague signs he might have blamed on the strain of pitching, said one cardiologist. Kile's father's death from cardiovascular disease in his 40s should have been a red flag signaling that the pitcher had an increased risk of the same fate, doctors said.

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absolutely.

anyone with a family history of pre-maturecoronary artery disease should be thoroughly evaluated.

kile's death could've been prevented.

I was at Wrigley Field on Saturday! It was the weirdest and saddest day that I have ever spent at a stadium! My friends and I arrived at our seats about 10 minutes before the game was to start. (Pregame partying at the many establishments near Wrigley!!!). We sat by the Cub's bullpen, so I was a little suprised that Kerry Wood was not warming up. I thought there was going to be a tribute to Jack Buck on the Fox broadcast, so that was probably the delay! I could see a PR woman run back and forth between the dugouts! The Cardinal dugout was empty! It was about 20 minutes after 2 (Chicago time) when a lady (wearing a Cardinal's jersey) on a cell phone a few rows away started to freak out and ran to the concourse crying while her husband followed her. A guy near us stopped her husband and asked him what was wrong! He whispered something to the guy and left! I asked the guy what he was told and he said that some guy named "Kyle something" for the Cardinals died before the game in warm ups. I said Darryl Kile the pitcher and he said "Yeah, I think that was his name!" Word started to circulate. Every one was hoping that the lady got the wrong information and that noone had died! I told my friends that if it is true, then the game had to be cancelled. Reality set in when the security guards started to line up down the baselines. When the Cubs emerged from the dugout to address the crowd, many people in our section already had an idea what was going on! When Joe Girardi told the crowd that the game was cancelled because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, most of the people gave a serene clap or just stood silent. One real jerk about 20 rows behind us yelled "F*** the Cardinals" It did not go over well with the other fans!!! I want to say that I think that the Cubs organization handled the situation with a lot of class! I also think that the Chicago fans were outstanding!!! ( I am from the Detroit area). We went to a bar called Slugger's after the game like we always do and they made an announcement there about it! They also turned down the music and turned up the volume on the tv when Joe Buck interviewed Tony LaRussa on Fox! Cardinal fans and Cubs fans were consoling one another! It was just a weird feeling the whole rest of the night!!!!!! My prayers go out to the Kile family!!!!!!!

with respect to the sad death of Darryl Kile: Our earthly loss is heaven's gain.

I weep for his family, especially his children.

Rest in peace, Darryl.

[quote]Originally posted by Ump25:
with respect to the sad death of Darryl Kile:... Rest in peace, Darryl.

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Ump - Did you ever deal with him? - what was he like to work with? He sounds like a good guy from what I've read.

Darryl was, indeed, a great guy. A very good person who was easy to talk to and didn't complain. His infant son, who will be one in August, reminds me so much of my only nephew, who will also be one in August. It kinda gets me close to my heart in a way.

It is all so sad.

From today's "Tops and Bottoms":

>>
Given that his dad died of heart disease in his early 40s, doctors interviewed by AP said this should have been a signal that Kile had an increased risk.
``Patients with a strong family history should get rigorous routine checkups including tests such as cholesterol screenings, blood work-ups, exercise stress tests or heart imaging tests, a doctor said.
<<

Wouldn't Kile have been getting physicals all along? Wouldn't this have been a condition of his employment?

[ June 25, 2002: Message edited by: twin58 ]

It was reported that he went through the same preseason physical as everyone else. Also, its possible Kile never told team officials about the family history of heart trouble. So at age 33, the team doctor wouldn't think to do those tests. If he did tell the team doctor, then shame on them for not running the tests. This was all just so treatable.

I'm curious about what y'all think of one aspect of this story. It was widely reported that they found marijuana in his room. It's not been suggested by anyone that his (possibly) smokin' chronic had anything to do with his death. But if the toxicology report shows that he did do drugs, do you think it'll mute the reaction to his death?

[quote]Originally posted by Jim Allen:
I'm curious about what y'all think of one aspect of this story. It was widely reported that they found marijuana in his room. It's not been suggested by anyone that his (possibly) smokin' chronic had anything to do with his death. But if the toxicology report shows that he did do drugs, do you think it'll mute the reaction to his death?

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There will be some criticism, but if it didn't play a part in his death I suspect it will die down.

[quote]Originally posted by Jim Allen:
I'm curious about what y'all think of one aspect of this story. It was widely reported that they found marijuana in his room. It's not been suggested by anyone that his (possibly) smokin' chronic had anything to do with his death. But if the toxicology report shows that he did do drugs, do you think it'll mute the reaction to his death?

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I don't think there's been any reports that the marijuana traces found in his room are conclusively linked to Darryl Kile in any way. It was a hotel room ... lots of people slept in there before him ... and I got the impression from the reports that the amount in question was very small ... so finding traces of marijuana in his room wouldn't indicate the pot was his. It's not like there was a lit joint next to his bed when hotel security broke in.

And marijuana use doesn't link to the cause of death anyway ... not like the direct correlation between cocaine and heart disease (See Bias, Len) ... not unless you take the position that marijuana smoking causes an increase in Doritos intake and all those Frito-Lay fats and oils caused the arterial narrowing. Tenuous.

Darryl Kile's public memorial service was held today at Busch Stadium. Rest in peace.

Commenting on the Mary G Wanna aspect:

It was interesting to see how the marijuana find was reported: most of the papers used the AP report which was very vague about the mj itself: This verbage from a STL Post-Dispatch article by

Donoghue said some marijuana was found on the bathroom counter in Kile's hotel room. Toxicology tests will say whether Kile consumed any of the drug, although Donoghue emphasized he's "fairly sure" marijuana usage would not have factored into Kile's death. A Chicago police spokesman, Officer Carlos Herrera, said police would not confirm drugs were found

And the irrelevance of the mj is somewhat challenged by this:

The condition would be "very unusual" in a person Kile's age unless he had a family history of premature coronary disease, said Dr. Megumi Taniuchi, co-director of interventional cardiology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. "If someone that young has such severe blockages it suggests a genetic predisposition," he said. Marijuana or tobacco smoke can cause a spasm in the coronary vessel and contribute to the problem, Taniuchi said.

Note: I found it interesting that Kile was discovered with a sleep mask on. This suggests problems sleeping - might he have suffered from apnea or another disorder? Might he have made light use of mj to help him sleep? Merely conjecture.....

Also, this might not have happened (in this fashion) if it were two or more decades earlier - essentially no player got single rooms (much less a suite). We'll never know, but might there have been a chance for intervention and help if a roomie had been awakened by the sounds of Kile's attack?

Edited for unruly UBB

[ June 26, 2002: Message edited by: Wurm ]

My comments were on the previous thread which is gone, so I'll say again, this is so tragic! As a Cardinals fan, a baseball lover, and a human being, I really lament Darryl Kile's death. He was so talented and such a decent person in every way, a positive, competitive player and teammate. I feel for his wife, his children, his family, his teammates, the whole Cardinal organization, St. Louis, all of baseball (whoa, I'm sounding Clintonesque there--not intended!). Very tragic, very sad.

Interesting contrast between two recent high-profile deaths from heart disease:

DARRYL KILE (pitcher, St Louis Cardinals):
SCANDAL that possible drug use (marijuana) MAY have played in a role in his death.

JOHN ENTWISTLE (bassist, The Who):
SCANDAL that drugs were IN NO WAY involved and that he died an un-rock-and-roll death merely from natural causes.

(Hey. I lit a candle for Mr. Kile and his family after mass last week. I'm allowed ONE joke.)

and how many unfamous people died of heart disease this week???

[quote]Originally posted by okcguy327:
and how many unfamous people died of heart disease this week???

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Hopefully, there will be less next week because of the publicity surrounding these deaths and the tragic preventability, particularly in Kile's.

Very intersting "backgrounder" in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

DARRYL KILE'S STORY (by Joe Strauss)

A nice footnote to this sad story. A 10 year old boy who had gotten a photo taken with, and his glove aotographed by, Darryl Kile, will send the glove and photo to the Kile family. A NICE GESTURE.

The final autopsy results have been released. As previously reported, cause of death was 90% blockage in two of the primary arteries. While traces of marijuana were found, it was not related to his death. Tests for steroids, alcohol, cocaine and ephedrine were all negative.

From ESPN.com:

[quote] St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile died from a blockage of the arteries supplying the heart and there was no evidence that drug use contributed to his death, Cook County's coroner said Tuesday.

Edmund Donoghue, the county's chief medical examiner, said Kile, a former Colorado Rockies pitcher, died of natural causes.

Toxicology tests did show evidence of marijuana use, although it was probably indicative of drug use weeks before and did not contribute to Kile's death, Donoghue said.

Tests were negative on steroids, alcohol, cocaine and ephedrine, a substance commonly found in dietary supplements banned by some sports.

Kile, 33, had a 90 percent blockage in two coronary arteries, Donoghue said, confirming his preliminary analysis shortly after the death. The pitcher also had an enlarged heart and a blood clot in one of the coronary arteries.

Kile was found dead in the team's Chicago hotel on June 22. Workers at the downtown Westin Hotel found the body after they forced their way into Kile's 11th-floor room after being called by the team.

A substance believed to be marijuana was found in the hotel room.

Kile's heart condition, called coronary atherosclerosis, is commonly known as hardening of the arteries.

The Cardinals had said the 6-foot-4 pitcher had no known health problems and was not on medication.

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