[NewYorkDoctorD]

10) Barry Bonds: Some would say you have to have grace to fall from it. Still, there is no disputing Bonds' greatness in his Pirates days. Even if he'd never done any cream or clear (allegedly...wink, wink), he'd be in the Hall of Fame. Affairs and arrogance sank Bonds' ship. There were at least five times over the last 15 years when I truly believed that people wanted him to show any sign of decency so they could root for him. Bonds may not be able to show what isn't there.

9) Daryl Strawberry: Othen than Junior, Darryl Strawberry had the most potently perfect home run swing I have ever seen. Drugs took down Straw, but he did have a memorable 1996 comeback with the Yankees. Following his retirement, trouble found its way back into Strawberry's life. Drug arrests, prostitution charges, depression, and divorce littered his last decade. But, it appears, Strawberry is currently on the upswing. He's beaten cancer twice, and now serves as an analyst on SNY. Strawberry can also be seen as a cast member of the latest "Celebrity Apprentice."

8) Marion Jones: She was the Olympic hero, the woman that could not be stopped. Then five letters took her down: BALCO. Jones denied, denied, and denied some more, until she became a joke in the sporting world. Yeah right, Marion, that's au naturel. Got it. The sad part is that Jones was a multi-sport talent. She actually played college hoops for the Tar Heels. By the time she finally admitted what she had done, few were willing to listen.

7) Floyd Landis: This little pipsqueak came out of nowhere to win the 2006 Tour de France. The French still haven't taken down Lance Armstrong, but boy, did they ever catch Floyd.
Landis failed a drug test and was stripped of his Tour title. He fought suspensions and disqualifications vigorously, but to no avail. Dude, just admit it. You could score a reality show on Versus or something.

6) Jayson Williams: One night of blackout-level drinking and gunplay took a man's life and ruined another's. Williams was the lovable star of the loser Nets. He had a huge future as a broadcaster after the game. Instead, he's just the guy that everyone points to at the bar on Hilton Head. "Yeah, that guy. That's him." Before his last bizarre arrest in New York, Jayson Williams was playing in a beer softball league down the street from me in South Carolina. He still owns a huge home in a swanky neighborhood down here in the Lowcountry. Wonder if it will still be there when he gets out of jail.

5) Mike Tyson: He could have been the greatest boxer to ever live. He was supposed to save the sport. Instead, he made a laughing stock of both the Sweet Science and himself.
The Buster Douglas fight was just the beginning. Tyson's name repeatedly appeared in the headlines, linked with sexual assault, domestic violence, drug abuse, and depression. And, just when he could have had a revival, Tyson went and bit Evander's ear. Tyson filed bankruptcy in 2003, reportedly $30 million in debt after making $300 million over his career.Tyson enjoyed a bit of a pop culture comeback last year with a scene-stealing moment in the top comedy of the year, "The Hangover." Iron Mike celebrated his success with an arrest for hitting a photographer at a Las Vegas airport. Tragedy struck as well, as his seven-year-old daughter was strangled to death in a bizarre home accident

4) Dwight Gooden: In 1985, Gooden had arguably the greatest season in pitching history. Nothing could stop Doc, except Doc. Drug suspensions shocked the baseball world the first time. But then they just kept coming. Gooden made a spirited comeback with the Yankees in 1996, throwing a no-hitter on May 14. But, his body and his mind couldn't hold up. He was left off the Yanks' playoff roster that year and bounced around until finishing with a murmur in 2000. Since then, he's been arrested for punching his girlfriend, fleeing from a traffic stop, DUI, and for leaving the scene of an accident in January.

3) Steve Howe: Howe went from National League Rookie of the Year in 1980 to a rehab clinic in 1983. The lefty could not stay away from the alcohol or the cocaine. He had a revival in 1994, recording 15 saves and a 1.80 ERA as the Yankees' closer—King George was always the one to give him another chance. But Howe couldn't repeat those numbers and finished his baseball career in 1997. He had a relatively low-key retirement as a contractor in Arizona before a tragic accident in California in 2006, when his pickup truck rolled over and killed him. Toxicology reports showed Howe had a boatload of meth in his system. Some demons never die.

2) Pete Rose: Yes, he can't get into the Hall of Fame. For now. But the dude has a smokin' hot Playboy Playmate girlfriend.Listen, he let us down. He bet on the game. I just wish we could let it go. Remember when you saw "Nightmare on Elm Street" and pissed your pants? Now, you see it and it looks like "The Smurfs." That's how I see Rose. He hurt himself. There's been plenty others who have done way worse and got five more chances.

1) O.J. Simpson: Do we have to explain? He went from Hall of Famer, "Naked Gun" star, and "Mr. Hertz" to the butt of every joke about the '90s. And, oh yeah, he allegedly killed two people. The Juice just can't stay out of trouble. In 2008, he was convicted in a bizarre burglary of his own sports memorabilia, finally landing him in an orange jumpsuit.



http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3...istory#page/21