The long goodbye: When does an athlete and addict know to quit?

Adam Birbrower knew he was finished before the ball he’d just thrown crossed the plate, well before the MRI showed torn tendons in his rotator cuff. He’d played through pain before, but this was different. As soon as the ball left his hand he knew it was over. Share On Facebook Share on Twitter + Comments Six-foot-one and close to 220 pounds, here he was, his formerly brown hair almost all gray. At 41, he still looked good in a baseball uniform, just like when we were kids growing ...