#1Coneyfan
02-02-01, 09:47 AM
I just found this article which was published last year. It's heartbreaking and inspiring to read what Rags and his family have been through:
The Sacramento Bee, California, Thursday, March 9, 2000 ....
Righetti's intensely divided focus: His 8-year-old triplets are improving but have had a tough life
By Nick Peters
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Dave Righetti was 32 when he finally got his wish. After a decade in the spotlight with the New York Yankees, he was signed by the Giants, the baseball team he loved as a youngster in San Jose.
That same summer -- the date was July 19, 1991 -- his dream turned into a nightmare.
The Giants were in Montreal. Righetti received a phone call saying he was about to become the father of triplets. But the babies were two months premature. They were beset with major physical problems.
Nicolette, Natalee and Wesley Righetti are now 8. Righetti is the Giants' new pitching coach. Together with wife Kandice, the family's life has been remarkable. For the children, doctors offices and hospitals have become second homes. Nicolette is deaf. Natalee has a shunt in her brain. Wesley has an eye problem. And there are other complications.
"The kids are unbelievable," Righetti said during a break from his coaching chores at Scottsdale Stadium. "They are a source of strength for Kandice and me because they handle it so well.
"Nicolette will be going to a public school with Natalee and Wesley next year, which is remarkable for a deaf child. They're all pretty healthy now and should lead reasonably normal lives."
But it has been far from an ordinary fatherhood for Righetti. Hardly a moment goes by when he isn't thinking about his family.
"We've never gotten into the why-me thing," he said. "We've done a lot of crying, but we're too much in the middle of taking care of them to feel sorry for ourselves.
"There were so many problems from the start, but we were happy they were alive . . . and so broken-hearted because we knew what they would be going through."
The Righettis persevered. A nanny was with the family the first four years. There have been nurses to help Kandice. Righetti has had pitching as a distraction.
He was credited with 24 saves in 1991. Then his effectiveness dwindled. Righetti -- called "Rags" by teammates -- was out of baseball by 1996.
"I don't think we saw the real Rags on the mound when he was here," recalled first-base coach Robby Thompson, a former teammate. "The family situation was always on his mind. But you never heard him making excuses. He never brought it up. He showed what a pro he was.
"Rags knew we were all there for him, but he kept it to himself and just kept going out there. The way he handled it.. . . I don't know if I could have been that strong."
Even if the triplets had been born healthy, the pregnancy was far from normal. Kandice was unable to carry children, so her sister Kayla, a mother of four in Southern California, did it for her.
"Kandice produced eggs, and we used in vitro fertilization, which always creates the possibility of multiple births," Righetti said. "We found out we were having triplets, and we were hopeful for a normal, nine-month term. But the doctors said they were ready to come out after 26 weeks.
"We knew then that there were potential problems, but you have undying faith that everything will be all right."
As luck would have it, Righetti couldn't have been farther away when it was time for the triplets to be born by Caesarean section. The Giants were 3,000 miles from home, playing in Montreal.
"I figured if I had to leave the team, it would be no problem," he said. "Well, that's the case when you fly in and out of Canada with a team. "But I didn't have a visa and was having problems getting through customs until a passenger who was a Yankees fan recognized me and vouched for me."
Before leaving, Righetti revealed his situation to teammates, then began an anguished journey to Long Beach Memorial Hospital. He didn't know what to expect. Reality struck hard.
"Before I saw my family, I got to the prenatal area and ran into a doctor," Righetti said. "He had a foreign accent, and I couldn't understand what he was talking about. He was using medical terms, handed me a handbook and sent me on my way. The handbook was on cerebral palsy, so I knew something was wrong. I was tired and was in a daze.
"Then I saw the kids. They were losing water and were down to about two pounds, no bigger than my hand. They had swelling of the head. They just didn't look normal. I was devastated."
Nicolette was the first born. She had candida, a heart problem that required medication which contributed to her deafness. Natalee's brain swelling was severe.
"I gave my wife a first hug, but it was a scared hug," Righetti said. "You never think about things like that happening to you."
Fortunately, he had baseball as an escape. He rejoined the Giants soon after the births and played out the season. It wasn't easy. The Giants were struggling. Righetti was unaccustomed to sharing the closer role (with Jeff Brantley) after his solo stardom in New York. He used the children as new motivation.
"I knew they would have to stay in the hospital another two months, so there was really nothing I could do. I just felt I had to get back to the team," he said.
"I got into a game right away, and started thinking, 'I've got to do this for the kids.' I finished the season strong. The situation gave me motivation to get excited about what I was doing."
Righetti returned to his Los Altos home for a rough winter. He came to spring training alone. His pitching suffered.
"Nicolette was starting to sleep too good, so we had her tested and discovered she was deaf," he said. "It takes about a year, so there was no way of knowing before that.
"Natalee had the toughest time. She needed a shunt in her brain, and was on anti-seizure medication three times a day. Wesley had eye and hernia problems."
The last few years haven't been easy. Righetti's father Leo, a former shortstop with the San Francisco Seals in the early 1950s, died. The triplets commanded much time and attention.
"We've just tried to make the best of it," he said. "It's been hard at times because all the kids have known is, 'We're going to the doctor now.'
"I learned to do a lot around the house, but I'm a young man and I had to do something else. I also knew that I had to be close to home with the family. So there weren't that many options."
One day in 1998, longtime friend Gary Hughes, a scout with the Yankees when Righetti pitched for them, and Giants general manager Brian Sabean invited him to a game at Candlestick Park. When a job opened last year for a roving minor-league pitching instructor, Sabean decided to hire Righetti. The busy father would have to travel occasionally but would be close to home.
To make sure the family spends as much time together as possible this summer and on weekends, Righetti is renting an apartment near Pacific Bell Park.
"It's an ideal situation for me," Righetti said. "I enjoyed doing it last year, and here I am. I try to keep it plain and simple for the kids -- just like I do for the pitchers."
The Sacramento Bee, California, Thursday, March 9, 2000 ....
Righetti's intensely divided focus: His 8-year-old triplets are improving but have had a tough life
By Nick Peters
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Dave Righetti was 32 when he finally got his wish. After a decade in the spotlight with the New York Yankees, he was signed by the Giants, the baseball team he loved as a youngster in San Jose.
That same summer -- the date was July 19, 1991 -- his dream turned into a nightmare.
The Giants were in Montreal. Righetti received a phone call saying he was about to become the father of triplets. But the babies were two months premature. They were beset with major physical problems.
Nicolette, Natalee and Wesley Righetti are now 8. Righetti is the Giants' new pitching coach. Together with wife Kandice, the family's life has been remarkable. For the children, doctors offices and hospitals have become second homes. Nicolette is deaf. Natalee has a shunt in her brain. Wesley has an eye problem. And there are other complications.
"The kids are unbelievable," Righetti said during a break from his coaching chores at Scottsdale Stadium. "They are a source of strength for Kandice and me because they handle it so well.
"Nicolette will be going to a public school with Natalee and Wesley next year, which is remarkable for a deaf child. They're all pretty healthy now and should lead reasonably normal lives."
But it has been far from an ordinary fatherhood for Righetti. Hardly a moment goes by when he isn't thinking about his family.
"We've never gotten into the why-me thing," he said. "We've done a lot of crying, but we're too much in the middle of taking care of them to feel sorry for ourselves.
"There were so many problems from the start, but we were happy they were alive . . . and so broken-hearted because we knew what they would be going through."
The Righettis persevered. A nanny was with the family the first four years. There have been nurses to help Kandice. Righetti has had pitching as a distraction.
He was credited with 24 saves in 1991. Then his effectiveness dwindled. Righetti -- called "Rags" by teammates -- was out of baseball by 1996.
"I don't think we saw the real Rags on the mound when he was here," recalled first-base coach Robby Thompson, a former teammate. "The family situation was always on his mind. But you never heard him making excuses. He never brought it up. He showed what a pro he was.
"Rags knew we were all there for him, but he kept it to himself and just kept going out there. The way he handled it.. . . I don't know if I could have been that strong."
Even if the triplets had been born healthy, the pregnancy was far from normal. Kandice was unable to carry children, so her sister Kayla, a mother of four in Southern California, did it for her.
"Kandice produced eggs, and we used in vitro fertilization, which always creates the possibility of multiple births," Righetti said. "We found out we were having triplets, and we were hopeful for a normal, nine-month term. But the doctors said they were ready to come out after 26 weeks.
"We knew then that there were potential problems, but you have undying faith that everything will be all right."
As luck would have it, Righetti couldn't have been farther away when it was time for the triplets to be born by Caesarean section. The Giants were 3,000 miles from home, playing in Montreal.
"I figured if I had to leave the team, it would be no problem," he said. "Well, that's the case when you fly in and out of Canada with a team. "But I didn't have a visa and was having problems getting through customs until a passenger who was a Yankees fan recognized me and vouched for me."
Before leaving, Righetti revealed his situation to teammates, then began an anguished journey to Long Beach Memorial Hospital. He didn't know what to expect. Reality struck hard.
"Before I saw my family, I got to the prenatal area and ran into a doctor," Righetti said. "He had a foreign accent, and I couldn't understand what he was talking about. He was using medical terms, handed me a handbook and sent me on my way. The handbook was on cerebral palsy, so I knew something was wrong. I was tired and was in a daze.
"Then I saw the kids. They were losing water and were down to about two pounds, no bigger than my hand. They had swelling of the head. They just didn't look normal. I was devastated."
Nicolette was the first born. She had candida, a heart problem that required medication which contributed to her deafness. Natalee's brain swelling was severe.
"I gave my wife a first hug, but it was a scared hug," Righetti said. "You never think about things like that happening to you."
Fortunately, he had baseball as an escape. He rejoined the Giants soon after the births and played out the season. It wasn't easy. The Giants were struggling. Righetti was unaccustomed to sharing the closer role (with Jeff Brantley) after his solo stardom in New York. He used the children as new motivation.
"I knew they would have to stay in the hospital another two months, so there was really nothing I could do. I just felt I had to get back to the team," he said.
"I got into a game right away, and started thinking, 'I've got to do this for the kids.' I finished the season strong. The situation gave me motivation to get excited about what I was doing."
Righetti returned to his Los Altos home for a rough winter. He came to spring training alone. His pitching suffered.
"Nicolette was starting to sleep too good, so we had her tested and discovered she was deaf," he said. "It takes about a year, so there was no way of knowing before that.
"Natalee had the toughest time. She needed a shunt in her brain, and was on anti-seizure medication three times a day. Wesley had eye and hernia problems."
The last few years haven't been easy. Righetti's father Leo, a former shortstop with the San Francisco Seals in the early 1950s, died. The triplets commanded much time and attention.
"We've just tried to make the best of it," he said. "It's been hard at times because all the kids have known is, 'We're going to the doctor now.'
"I learned to do a lot around the house, but I'm a young man and I had to do something else. I also knew that I had to be close to home with the family. So there weren't that many options."
One day in 1998, longtime friend Gary Hughes, a scout with the Yankees when Righetti pitched for them, and Giants general manager Brian Sabean invited him to a game at Candlestick Park. When a job opened last year for a roving minor-league pitching instructor, Sabean decided to hire Righetti. The busy father would have to travel occasionally but would be close to home.
To make sure the family spends as much time together as possible this summer and on weekends, Righetti is renting an apartment near Pacific Bell Park.
"It's an ideal situation for me," Righetti said. "I enjoyed doing it last year, and here I am. I try to keep it plain and simple for the kids -- just like I do for the pitchers."