Joe and Jada - Darryl Strawberry breaks down addiction & redemption in 'Another Life' + talks '86 Mets, Jeter's Yankees, Barry Bonds & steroid era

Growing up in South Central L.A. taught him to navigate gang territory and handle adversity, which prepared him for the high-pressure New York baseball environment.

He refuses to criticize steroid-era players, arguing that PEDs were part of the culture and that talent and hard work are still required to succeed.

He speculates that he probably would have used steroids if it had been his era.

He didn't start playing baseball until age 14 because his alcoholic father's abuse kept him from organized sports. After his father threatened the family with a shotgun and left, Strawberry began playing and quickly developed a belief in his own elite ability.

He wrote 'Another Life' to encourage incarcerated people and those battling addiction, drawing on his own 11-month sentence at Florida State Prison.

A recent surgery exposed him to fentanyl, which he describes as the best feeling he ever experienced, fundamentally changing his perspective on addiction.

He says the experience made him realize how difficult it is to tell people to stop using when the drug provides such a powerful escape from pain.

He recounts severe physical abuse by his father and says he vowed never to put his hands on his own children.

He explains that trauma and rejection can turn people into monsters or drive them to addiction, but can also be transformed into a force for helping others.

He entered prison without fear, viewing it as a challenge to overcome rather than a place of terror. He recounts being prosecuted by Pam Bondi, who argued he should be locked up, while the judge ruled he was not a criminal but had a drug problem.

He describes the 1986 Mets as a wild, swagger-filled team that partied hard but dominated on the field. He contrasts the Mets' wild culture with the disciplined, exemplary leadership of Derek Jeter's Yankees.

He struggled when he first arrived in New York in 1983, arriving late to the ballpark until hitting coach Jim Frey confronted him and instilled a daily work ethic. He credits Keith Hernandez with teaching him how to hit left-handed pitching and elevating his game.

He learned hand-eye coordination and how to pick up pitch spin by hitting rocks with a broomstick in his neighborhood.

He argues that limited resources can actually make athletes greater by forcing them to develop fundamental skills.