When Dodgers ace Jason Schmidt returned to the Bay Area this weekend for the Dodgers/Giants series, he took a lot of heat from the San Fran fans. I've already noted the extremes some of them have taken. One of the other criticisms was that Schmidt was a hypochondriac. Well Schmidt revealed to the LA Times on Monday that he wasn't a hypochondriac; rather, Schmidt was worried about cancer."For two to three years I was fearful," he said. "Every time I'd get sick, I thought I had cancer. I never looked at it from a realistic point of view. I could have stubbed my toe and thought I had cancer."Just another reminder that these players we watch on TV, our heroes, are humans too. They are afflicted by the same diseases, and carry the same worries as you and me.
The worries had a rational basis. His mother, Vicki, died of brain cancer at 53 about six months after she watched her son pitch against the Angels in the 2002 World Series. Several other of Schmidt's relatives have had the disease.
Ironic thing is Schmidt wound up leaving Monday's home opener at Dodger Stadium with what's being called a cramp in his hamstring that he hurt while covering first base on a grounder, and which he's attributing to dehydration. Luckily for the Dodgers, Schmidt's not expected to miss a start.
Previously at FanHouse:
Giants Fan Burns 'Traitor' Jason Schmidt's Jersey
