SAN DIEGO - Ken Caminiti was never short of fearless on a baseball field. He made incredible stops at third base, swatted home runs from both sides of the plate and played through pain that would wither most men.

Friends and former teammates shocked by Caminiti's death Sunday in New York at age 41 remembered not only the great plays, but many off-field struggles.

He admittedly used steroids at the height of his career and had been arrested on cocaine charges in recent years. Early in his career, he admitted to abusing alcohol and painkillers.

"We all want to reduce people to pegs in a board. He just wasn't that kind of guy," San Diego Padres owner John Moores said Monday. "There was something that was horribly defective and we loved him in spite of it."

Caminiti died of a heart attack in the Bronx, said his agent-lawyer Rick Licht. The city medical examiner's office performed an autopsy Monday but could not rule on a cause of death until toxicology tests were complete, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

That process could take as long as 10 days.

Caminiti was a fan favorite both in San Diego, where he led the Padres into the 1998 World Series, and Houston, where he played two stints with the Astros, including his first eight seasons.

Caminiti's 15-year big-league career ended in 2001, five seasons after he led the Padres to a division title and was a unanimous pick for NL MVP.

The three-time All-Star third baseman was in trouble often the last few years.

Just last Tuesday, he admitted in a Houston court that he violated his probation by testing positive for cocaine in September.

"I just don't know if he ever came to grips with not being able to go out and perform," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said Monday.

In May 2002, Caminiti told Sports Illustrated that he used steroids during his MVP season, when he hit a career-high .326 with 40 home runs and 130 RBI.

He played most of the 1996 season with a torn rotator cuff that required offseason reconstructive surgery.

"If I can get to the park, I want to play," Caminiti said after receiving the MVP award.

"People really cared about Cammy because of the kind of guy he was," said Boston general manager Theo Epstein, who worked in San Diego's front office while Caminiti played for the Padres.

"He was battling demons. It's a tough road for anybody, even a guy with Cammy's tough spirit. He was in a fight off the field."

Said Houston star Craig Biggio: "I think one thing that he didn't understand is really how many people loved him. There's a lot of people that wanted to help him and tried to help him. It's a bad disease. It's a tough thing."

Caminiti's career stats

Year, Team	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
1987, Hou	203	10	50	3	23	.246
1988, Hou	83	5	15	1	7	.181
1989, Hou	585	71	149	10	72	.255
1990, Hou	541	52	131	4	51	.242
1991, Hou	574	65	145	13	80	.253
1992, Hou	506	68	149	13	62	.294
1993, Hou	543	75	142	13	75	.262
1994, Hou	406	63	115	18	75	.283
1995, SD	526	74	159	26	94	.302
1996, SD	546	109	178	40	130	.326
1997, SD	486	92	141	26	90	.290
1998, SD	452	87	114	29	82	.252
1999, Hou	273	45	78	13	56	.286
2000, Hou	208	42	63	15	45	.303
2001, Tex-Atl	356	36	81	15	41	.228
Totals	5,288	894	1,710	239	983	.272

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