[Lefty Noob]

Fascinating article at USAToday.com about Dmitri Young and his near-death experience.

Nationals' Young turns it around on, off field - USATODAY.com
By Mel Antonen, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — A few days after celebrating Thanksgiving, Dmitri Young faced death. A diabetic, he spent three days in intensive care at a Fort Lauderdale hospital with blood-sugar levels that could have caused a coma, organ damage or death.

"I really thought I was gone," Young says. "I was throwing up every 45 minutes. Before the ambulance came, I felt like I was in a wind tunnel. It was like I was free-falling, and everything was whizzing by me. Everything was flashing before me. My heart was racing. I was going in and out.

"But I'm still here, and my story's not done."

Young's story is full of dramatic twists. He started 2006 as the designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers and now is the Washington Nationals' first baseman with the third-highest average (.333) in the National League entering Monday.

In between, his career fell apart. Young says the diabetes caused mood swings and weight gain. He went through a divorce, a two-month absence to be treated for alcohol addiction, a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence and a career-low .250 average that led to his September release from the Tigers.

Scary sounding stuff, but he's made an amazing comeback. Think he's a Comeback Player of the Year candidate? After reading this, I sure do.