Title: Jeff Reardon
SaltyCub - December 27, 2005 01:26 PM (GMT)
How the once mighty has fallen from grace-
Reardon charged with robbing jewelry store
Associated Press
Posted: 30 minutes ago
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Former major league pitcher Jeff Reardon was arrested Monday on charges he robbed a jewelry store.
Reardon, 50, walked into Hamilton Jewelers at the Gardens Mall about 11:50 a.m. Monday and handed an employee a note that said he had a gun and the store was being robbed, according to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.
Reardon fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police found him at a nearby restaurant, recovered the stolen money and charged him with armed robbery.
Reardon was in the Palm Beach County jail early Tuesday awaiting a bond hearing.
The four-time All-Star was 73-77 with 367 saves and a 3.16 ERA in 16 seasons with the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins.
Reardon charged with robbing jewelry store
Associated Press
Posted: 30 minutes ago
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Former major league pitcher Jeff Reardon was arrested Monday on charges he robbed a jewelry store.
Reardon, 50, walked into Hamilton Jewelers at the Gardens Mall about 11:50 a.m. Monday and handed an employee a note that said he had a gun and the store was being robbed, according to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.
Reardon fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police found him at a nearby restaurant, recovered the stolen money and charged him with armed robbery.
Reardon was in the Palm Beach County jail early Tuesday awaiting a bond hearing.
The four-time All-Star was 73-77 with 367 saves and a 3.16 ERA in 16 seasons with the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins.
DrunkenDragon™ - December 27, 2005 06:39 PM (GMT)
Ah, he'll be alright. He'll close the case himself, save the taxpayers lots of money, and get off free.
Camus2Kerouac - December 28, 2005 06:55 PM (GMT)
Former Twins pitcher arrested in robbery to undergo psychological tests
The Star Tribune
By Joe Christensen
Jeff Reardon reached the height of baseball glory in 1987 when he saved Game 7 of the World Series for the Twins and leaped into the arms of his onrushing teammates.
On Monday, one day after Christmas, Reardon was arrested in connection with an armed robbery near his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He was released from jail Tuesday morning on $5,000 bail and placed on house arrest. Now he faces a Jan. 27 arraignment.
The arrest left some of Reardon's former teammates stunned Tuesday as they tried to piece together what went wrong.
Reardon retired in 1995 as one of the game's all-time greatest relief pitchers, earning more than $11 million during the final decade of his 16-year career. The jewelry store heist allegedly netted him only $170 in cash.
Reardon, 50, is expected to enter a not guilty plea, his attorney Mitchell Beers said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
The former baseball star was not desperate for money, Beers said.
But Reardon has been taking antidepressants since his son, Shane, died of a drug overdose in February 2004.
Last Friday, Reardon underwent heart angioplasty surgery, and, Beers said, the combination of the antidepressants and heart pills left Reardon in a medicated haze during Monday's alleged robbery at Hamilton Jewelers in the Garden Mall.
As a condition of his house arrest, Reardon agreed to undergo a psychological evaluation within the next seven days, Beers said.
"Certainly this is not the Jeff Reardon you know in Minneapolis," Beers said. "He didn't know what was going on. ... I can't tell you what Jeff told me, but I can tell you there's no recollection [of the robbery]."
According to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, Reardon handed a note to a jewelry store employee that said he had a gun and that the place was being robbed. The police found him outside a P.F. Chang's restaurant. They recovered the $170 and, Beers said, no weapon was involved.
"This is something that's totally uncharacteristic for him," Beers said. "I've been using the word bizarre."
Changed the Twins
Former Twins manager Tom Kelly heard about Reardon's arrest on the radio Tuesday and was immediately shaken.
Reardon's first season with the Twins was 1987, and he completely changed the team's psyche.
For years they had watched Ron Davis blow ninth-inning leads, but Reardon gave them a lock-down closer.
"He made everyone feel better," Kelly said. "He was the kind of pitcher who brought out the confidence in everyone.
"Jeffy was a quiet guy. He'd say hello, exchange a pleasantry or two, and pretty much that was it. But he was a hell of a competitor."
Kelly thought Reardon's quiet confidence behind his trademark beard and steely eyes added to his closer's mystique.
Reardon pitched three seasons with the Twins, saving 104 games. He left as a free agent after the 1989 season, signing a three-year deal with the Boston Red Sox.
After a failed attempt to rejoin the Montreal Expos in 1995, Reardon retired with 367 career saves, which still ranks sixth on the all-time list.
Reardon made more than $11.5 million between 1985 and 1994, according to baseball-reference.com.
Reardon and his wife, Phebe, have been Palm Beach Gardens residents for 20 years. They also keep a summer home in western Massachusetts.
Tommy Hutton, who teamed with Reardon on the 1981 Montreal Expos, lives in the same Palm Beach Gardens neighborhood as the Reardons. He said he spoke to Phebe two weeks ago and again on Tuesday.
"She was telling me he's had some more heart problems, and combining that with what he's been through with Shane's death, it's been tough for him," Hutton said by telephone Tuesday.
"Any teammate will tell you what a super guy he is," Hutton continued. "Any time we'd have a fundraiser for the kids' teams, he'd make a donation. He bought the batting cages one year. He's that kind of guy.
"It's like my wife said: He's so giving, but he's also had a hard time receiving."
Bert Blyleven, another member of the 1987 Twins, described Reardon as reserved.
"He was a hard guy to get to know," Blyleven said. "But once you got on his list of friends, he was a friend for life."
Jeff and Phebe Reardon once ran a celebrity golf tournament to raise money for the American Kidney Fund. Jeff helped coach their sons' baseball teams.
But tragedy struck the family 22 months ago, when one of their three children -- 20-year-old Shane -- died from an overdose. He had been enrolled in the Full Sail fine arts school near Orlando.
Hutton, Blyleven and Roger Clemens were among those who attended the funeral.
"I know him and his wife, Phebe, and they're solid people," Blyleven said. "Any time someone loses a child, you can't imagine what he's going through."
Al Newman teamed with Reardon for two seasons in Montreal before joining him with the Twins in 1987. Their families lived in the same complex, and their sons played together.
"When I heard what happened to his son, I was just shocked," Newman said. "I knew Jeff was going to take it hard. You could tell it was a tight-knit family."
Blyleven, Newman and Kelly said they haven't spoken to Reardon since the funeral.
Hutton said he has extended a few dinner invitations, but Reardon has declined.
Without knowing the whole story, no psychiatrist could determine what prompted Reardon's alleged actions Monday. But Dr. Charles Schulz, who heads the University of Minnesota's psychiatry department, said it's possible Reardon's heart condition could have sunk him deeper into depression.
"It's not uncommon to have a depression after a heart event," Schulz said. "And it's certainly very understandable if he still has depression after the death of his son because that is one of the most stressful events a family can endure."
Hutton said he just hopes his friend gets some help.
"I'm sure the money was the last thing on his mind," Hutton said. "You hope if it was a cry to reach out, he can start moving the other direction."
The Star Tribune
By Joe Christensen
Jeff Reardon reached the height of baseball glory in 1987 when he saved Game 7 of the World Series for the Twins and leaped into the arms of his onrushing teammates.
On Monday, one day after Christmas, Reardon was arrested in connection with an armed robbery near his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He was released from jail Tuesday morning on $5,000 bail and placed on house arrest. Now he faces a Jan. 27 arraignment.
The arrest left some of Reardon's former teammates stunned Tuesday as they tried to piece together what went wrong.
Reardon retired in 1995 as one of the game's all-time greatest relief pitchers, earning more than $11 million during the final decade of his 16-year career. The jewelry store heist allegedly netted him only $170 in cash.
Reardon, 50, is expected to enter a not guilty plea, his attorney Mitchell Beers said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
The former baseball star was not desperate for money, Beers said.
But Reardon has been taking antidepressants since his son, Shane, died of a drug overdose in February 2004.
Last Friday, Reardon underwent heart angioplasty surgery, and, Beers said, the combination of the antidepressants and heart pills left Reardon in a medicated haze during Monday's alleged robbery at Hamilton Jewelers in the Garden Mall.
As a condition of his house arrest, Reardon agreed to undergo a psychological evaluation within the next seven days, Beers said.
"Certainly this is not the Jeff Reardon you know in Minneapolis," Beers said. "He didn't know what was going on. ... I can't tell you what Jeff told me, but I can tell you there's no recollection [of the robbery]."
According to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, Reardon handed a note to a jewelry store employee that said he had a gun and that the place was being robbed. The police found him outside a P.F. Chang's restaurant. They recovered the $170 and, Beers said, no weapon was involved.
"This is something that's totally uncharacteristic for him," Beers said. "I've been using the word bizarre."
Changed the Twins
Former Twins manager Tom Kelly heard about Reardon's arrest on the radio Tuesday and was immediately shaken.
Reardon's first season with the Twins was 1987, and he completely changed the team's psyche.
For years they had watched Ron Davis blow ninth-inning leads, but Reardon gave them a lock-down closer.
"He made everyone feel better," Kelly said. "He was the kind of pitcher who brought out the confidence in everyone.
"Jeffy was a quiet guy. He'd say hello, exchange a pleasantry or two, and pretty much that was it. But he was a hell of a competitor."
Kelly thought Reardon's quiet confidence behind his trademark beard and steely eyes added to his closer's mystique.
Reardon pitched three seasons with the Twins, saving 104 games. He left as a free agent after the 1989 season, signing a three-year deal with the Boston Red Sox.
After a failed attempt to rejoin the Montreal Expos in 1995, Reardon retired with 367 career saves, which still ranks sixth on the all-time list.
Reardon made more than $11.5 million between 1985 and 1994, according to baseball-reference.com.
Reardon and his wife, Phebe, have been Palm Beach Gardens residents for 20 years. They also keep a summer home in western Massachusetts.
Tommy Hutton, who teamed with Reardon on the 1981 Montreal Expos, lives in the same Palm Beach Gardens neighborhood as the Reardons. He said he spoke to Phebe two weeks ago and again on Tuesday.
"She was telling me he's had some more heart problems, and combining that with what he's been through with Shane's death, it's been tough for him," Hutton said by telephone Tuesday.
"Any teammate will tell you what a super guy he is," Hutton continued. "Any time we'd have a fundraiser for the kids' teams, he'd make a donation. He bought the batting cages one year. He's that kind of guy.
"It's like my wife said: He's so giving, but he's also had a hard time receiving."
Bert Blyleven, another member of the 1987 Twins, described Reardon as reserved.
"He was a hard guy to get to know," Blyleven said. "But once you got on his list of friends, he was a friend for life."
Jeff and Phebe Reardon once ran a celebrity golf tournament to raise money for the American Kidney Fund. Jeff helped coach their sons' baseball teams.
But tragedy struck the family 22 months ago, when one of their three children -- 20-year-old Shane -- died from an overdose. He had been enrolled in the Full Sail fine arts school near Orlando.
Hutton, Blyleven and Roger Clemens were among those who attended the funeral.
"I know him and his wife, Phebe, and they're solid people," Blyleven said. "Any time someone loses a child, you can't imagine what he's going through."
Al Newman teamed with Reardon for two seasons in Montreal before joining him with the Twins in 1987. Their families lived in the same complex, and their sons played together.
"When I heard what happened to his son, I was just shocked," Newman said. "I knew Jeff was going to take it hard. You could tell it was a tight-knit family."
Blyleven, Newman and Kelly said they haven't spoken to Reardon since the funeral.
Hutton said he has extended a few dinner invitations, but Reardon has declined.
Without knowing the whole story, no psychiatrist could determine what prompted Reardon's alleged actions Monday. But Dr. Charles Schulz, who heads the University of Minnesota's psychiatry department, said it's possible Reardon's heart condition could have sunk him deeper into depression.
"It's not uncommon to have a depression after a heart event," Schulz said. "And it's certainly very understandable if he still has depression after the death of his son because that is one of the most stressful events a family can endure."
Hutton said he just hopes his friend gets some help.
"I'm sure the money was the last thing on his mind," Hutton said. "You hope if it was a cry to reach out, he can start moving the other direction."