Phillies rumors: Did the turf at Veteran’s Stadium cause brain cancer?
By John Town
Three former Phillies who played at the Vet have now died from the same form of brain cancer. Could the Veteran’s Stadium turf be the cause?
Aug. 6 former Phillies catcher and leader of the 1993 NL Champion Philadelphia team Darren Daulton died of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. The loss was tragic and Daulton will surely be missed by everyone that knows him.
What’s a bit alarming about Daulton’s passing is the fact that he is just one of several former Phils to die of glioblastoma. Tug McGraw, John Vukovich, and Johnny Oates all passed from glioblastoma. Other notable baseball players who suffered from glioblastoma include Gary Carter, Bobby Murcer, Dan Quisenberry, and manager Dick Howser.
One thing that is common about all these players is that they played on early versions of artificial turf, like the one in Veteran’s Stardium. The pattern between former baseball players and glioblastoma worries some former Phillies.
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Current bench coach and former shorstop Larry Bowa said he is “concerned” about the trend. Former pitcher and radio commentator Larry Andersen said to the Rolling Stone, “It would be nice if there were some answer … But nobody knows anything. It’s frustrating.”
Some players would rather not even know if it’s possible.
1993 first baseman and TV commentator John Kruk told the New York Times, “If I thought about it, I’d go crazy.” First base coach and second baseman Mickey Morandini said, “I don’t know if I’d rather know or not.”
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There is some correlation between players who played on artificial turf and this form of cancer. The Philadelphia Inquirer performed an analysis of 533 players who spent time in Philadelphia at Veteran’s Stadium. The study found that the incidence of glioblastoma was three times higher than the average male population. Granted, the study had its flaws that the Times detailed, but there was a correlation between the two.
Dr. Henry S. Friedman, a neuro-oncologist at Duke University who was McGraw’s and Carter’s doctor, neither confirmed nor denied whether or not the two were linked.
He said that there is not nearly enough data to find a connection. Even if there was, Friedman said proving a connection would be hard to do.
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For now, the best anyone can do is research the potential connection between the two, but at the same time recognize that this could be nothing more than a coincidence.