Two months later, though, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after he lapsed into a coma in his Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., home.
“I got so sick I thought I had a tombstone with my name on it,” he says.
His father, by that time a commercial pilot with Delta, flew in from L.A. and was by his son’s side. Young slowly recovered and his relationship with his dad – fractured for years – mended as well. The Washington Nationals were the only team to give him a chance in 2007 and Young responded by making the All-Star team, batting a career-high .330 and winning the NL comeback award.
All the while he collected cards. In 2009 he nabbed his favorite besides Aaron, and this one was personal. Willie Horton, former Tigers star outfielder and longtime special assistant to the team’s owner, had taken Young under his wing. So when Horton’s PSA 9 card popped up on eBay for $400, buying it was a no-brainer. Young sent it to PSA three times, asking that they bump it up to a 10. The third time they did.