Even now, as the Texas Rangers pray that he will be able to continue plugging their leak at third base, Caminiti is believed to have a tear in his right shoulder that would normally require surgery. The Rangers won't disclose the X-ray findings because Caminiti has told them he intends to keep playing, no matter what the tests showed. As the National League's most valuable player with the San Diego Padres in 1996, Caminiti hit 40 homers, drove in 130 runs and enhanced his reputation for toughness. Well, some are worse than others. Cortisone he can handle.
Vodka is another matter.
It scares me a lot. Caminiti confronted his demons at a rehabilitation center in 1993 and was clean for three of his most productive years before relapsing. The injuries of the last two years and the uncertainty over his future compounded his return to the bottle and painkillers, primarily Vicodin. Last Labor Day, he awoke to find his wife, father and best friend standing over him, insisting it was time to reenter rehab. Caminiti locked the door to the bedroom, sulked through the day, then emerged in agreement.