I’ve not seen any further details in print or online, but ESPN News is reporting this afternoon that Rod Beck has passed away (thanks to Joel Hunt for the tip).
Beck, a right handed reliever for the Giants, Cubs, Red Sox and Padres, was a 13 year big league vet with 286 career saves and one of the scarier mullets in North American history. A three-time NL All-Star, Beck saved nearly 200 games in 6 seasons in San Francisco before collecting another 51 saves as a member of the 1998 NL Wild Card Cubs.
Beck’s big league career ended with a spate of personal problems in San Diego ; last heard from in this space last Autumn, he was making a cameo in the independent film, “Work Week”.
I have been following this guy since I interviewed him about someone else and his comments were along the lines of “he’s got a lot of sack” and “he could lose a few pounds but shit, look who’s talking.” Super nice guy, RIP Rod.