Ex- Syracuse Chief suicide

[SWC75]

This guy played for the Chiefs from 1998-2001:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/...former-outfielder-jacksonville-florida-122212

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=freel-001rya

Good ball player. Troubled guy. Not a very Merry Christmas for his family. RIP.

 

[KCJax03]

I used to see his father out and about when I lived in Jacksonville, I even spoke to him once. He would wear a cincinnati reds jacket just about everywhere he went. He was obviously very proud of his son, I was quite saddened when I read that Ryan had passed away.

 

[Orangeyes]

Guess there was more to this than some imagined:

"Freel drew attention in 2006 when he was quoted by the Dayton Daily News as saying he had an imaginary friend, Farney. ''He's a little guy who lives in my head who talks to me and I talk to him,'' Freel was quoted as saying. ''Everybody thinks I talk to myself, so I tell `em I'm talking to Farney.''

From another story:

"The high-energy, hard-charging Freel told Baltimore reporters that he wasn't diagnosed with a concussion after that Boston incident, but he had "three or four" concussions previously during his career. It has been estimated this week that he had as many as 10 concussions while playing baseball."

And there you have it!

Story where second quote came from

Baltimore Sun: Remembering Ryan Freel's time with the Orioles