Former major league reliever Jim Corsi passed away earlier this week at the age of 60. As he recently detailed in an interview with Steve Burton of WBZ-TV, Corsi had been battling liver and colon cancer.
As part of that conversation, a visibly emotional Corsi said he “made a mistake” not getting a colonoscopy earlier in life. He encouraged others to be diligent in monitoring their health. “If you’re out there, don’t wait. Don’t be stupid,” Corsi told viewers. “I was a professional athlete. I thought I was invincible, strong. You’re not; cancer is not prejudiced to anyone. … If you get (a colonoscopy) soon enough, you’ll be alright.”
Corsi, a right-handed pitcher, appeared in the majors in ten seasons between 1988-99. He broke in with an A’s team that won three consecutive pennants in the late 1980’s, tossing 38 1/3 innings of 1.88 ERA ball for Oakland’s World Series-winning 1989 team. Corsi bounced around the league over the next decade, suiting up with the Astros, Marlins, his hometown Red Sox and Orioles. A consistently effective bullpen option, he posted a cumulative 3.25 ERA over 481 1/3 innings.
MLBTR apologizes for the belated nature of this post and sends our condolences to Corsi’s family, friends and loved ones.
Was very sad about that, the article where he discussed it came out the day before he passed. He said some wise words about not waiting when it comes to health. RIP
That interview was right before he passed away? That’s pretty crazy. It reminds me of The Ultimate Warrior in wrestling for all you WWE fans out there. I don’t know if anyone remembers but he was long since retired and came back to the ring just to give a speech. He was talking about afterlife and dying in the speech. Then he died in his hotel room that night before he caught his flight home. I guess sometimes people just get that sixth sense that the end is near. I can understand if someone is in their deathbed or something but these guys were walking around in public and talking to people but still basically predicted their natural deaths less than a day before it happened. I don’t think Warrior even had cancer or any kind of terminal disease. He just died of a heart attack but seemed to almost know it was coming that day.
RIP Corsi. 60 is so young in this day an age when Betty White made it to 99. Condolences to the Corsi family.
Damn. I’m going to take his advice seriously. When are you supposed to get your first one, at 40?
RIP Corsi
it truely can not be stressed enough – get scanned. too bad scans were considered “elective” last year…
DarkSide – It’s awful how insurance companies no longer cover cancer prevention healthcare like they did not too long ago.
Recently I went for a routine skin cancer screening, something I hadn’t done in seven years. It was only a month after that I learned it was no longer considered “preventative” and what was free seven years earlier cost me $360 out of pocket … and that’s with “good” insurance through my employer.
Don’t insurance companies realize they will save money by helping prevent disease?
They won’t save money. They make more if you’re diseased. They milk you with all the treatments and hospital stay and eventually hospice care until there’s nothing left for you to leave your family. It’s disgusting. This is obviously a generalization that doesn’t apply to everyone, but it happens a lot.
Stage 4 colon cancer survivor here. Diagnosed at 42. Please do wait folks. RIP Jim.
Different kind of stage 4 cancer survivor here, glad you also made it through. I’m assuming you meant *do not wait folks*. RIP Jim Corsi.
Thank you for the oversight. Always happy to meet any cancer survivor. Good bless.
Spidertac, I’m a cancer survivor too, but have lost a wife and mother to cancer. I’m assuming you meant *God bless.*. RIP Jim Corsi.
Do not wait folks. Apologies for the typo
What age do you suggest?
“I’m a man…I’m 40” in the famous words of Mike Gundy. thx
It’s always been, get a colonoscopy at 50. Though recently it’s been suggested 45.
The recommended age has been dropped to 45 now
Especially where there is a family history.
I’m 36 and got my first one last year. Took out a few pollups too. And with todays medicine there is this new prep where you drink a glass of the solution, go poop your brains out, drink another glass, poop your brains out a second time, then you’re done. The days of drinking that giant gallon of syrup are over. Easy peezy and you feel light as a feather once you’re done.
I’m 50 and I’ve had 2. 45 and 50, but my dad is a CC survivor…
@lebronhates. I too did it in my middle 30’s. Which was 10 years ago. One of the worst experiences of my entire life was drinking all that junk they made you drink. Just found a couple polyps (non cancer). I think I’ll wait to go back till I’m 50. All this was at my wife’s urging because I had some occasional blood in my stools. Nothing in my stools since. Honestly I considered the vasectomy and spinal tap procedure a breeze compared to drinking that horrible tasting stuff. As far the colonscopy I had them put me out which wasn’t to bad.
If you’re in your 30’s and they found a few polops, waiting 15-20 years is the worst thing you can do. If it’s been more than 5, go get checked. My gf was diagnosed with CC at 36. I promise it’s not worth putting off. The experience blows, but cancer is much worse.
RIP Jim Corsi. Always loved watching you pitch for the Sox. Prayers for your family during this difficult time.
As someone over 50, I know it’s always easy to put the colon cancer screening as next on the list, and that’s where it remains. Next on the list. My sister was diagnosed with colon cancer that was advanced. She has amazingly survived, but only with five years of surgery, chemo and other unpleasant treatments. Thing is, she could have avoided all she’s been through if she had her regularly scheduled screenings.
Decide not to die early and leave your grieving family and friends behind because you didn’t want to have a screening every five years. The prep isn’t even that bad.
RIP Jim Corsi.
Make sure you have regular scans and talk to your doctors guys, especially if you have a family history of cancers. If you get the chance, watch Corsi’s interview on WBZ, it’s heartbreaking but is such a valuable lesson.
May he Rest In Peace.
Thanks Duf. I just watched it and wow, it was gut-wrenching to see him there with his daughters. They don’t mention a wife or mom. RIP Jim Corsi.
RIP
Look at Trey Mancini, colon cancer can show up at a much younger age in some people. If you have symptoms go see a doctor, but even absent that I think people should start getting a colonoscopy at age 35 these days, and they can even remove polyps during a colonoscopy itself, before they can potentially turn into cancer. It’s such a slow growing cancer that if caught early it’s very treatable.
I think this article, and all of these posts will make this late 50’s dude get one asap, thanks all, and RIP Mr. Corsi.
koufax – Very happy to hear that!
A few years ago Katie Couric showed her colonoscopy on television, so that viewers can see it’s not that bad a procedure at all. Here it is … youtube.com/watch?v=adMfyB-eHoI
If you get the chance, take a look at the story The Athletic did discussing Jim and his grandfather. It’s a nice read. RIP Jim.
theathletic.com/3051708/2022/01/04/buckley-red-sox…
I cannot recollect a single post by MLBTR that has been distasteful or anything less than the most respectful/class in nature. Condolences to the Corsi family… class act.
RIP
Anyone try that Cologuard or whatever it’s called? They recommend it for people with no family history over the age of 45 I guess. I have been thinking about it, despite being 43 with no family history. Corsi on top of everything else lately really has me shaken about my health. I think he would like his legacy being that guys like me are going to get tested.
Sid – Absolutely, he would be happy to know that he influenced people into getting tested. There are many things that we can’t prevent, but colon cancer is something we definitely can.
If you feel like you should get tested, do it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing so.
I appreciate the support fellas. I would say that I had a rather disastrous 2020 health-wise, though not because of Covid. I caught a case of bacterial meningitis which led to me becoming permanently deaf and caused me to have 3 strokes in November of 2020. Almost made it through. lol. There is a meningitis vaccine which has been thoroughly tested and vetted and that I wish I had gotten. I am struggling to adapt to my new disability, but I am alive. I can’t recommend that vaccine enough.
The hospital literally had to put me in a medically induced coma to go save me, and I had to learn how to walk again…..all at 43.
I’ve already shared some of my thoughts on his passing, but I do want to say I don’t think some people realize how immensely popular a teammate he was, a genuinely nice guy with a fantastic sense of humor. What Eck told him was 100% true, how much he was loved.
For those who haven’t seen it yet, here’s a short clip that shows what he was all about.
twitter.com/JoeGiza/status/1478414032147202053
If you’re 50sh like me, note that a colonoscopy is painless. You sleep right through it.
I`ve had 4 because when I got my first at 50,they found polyps,one pre cancerous..My parents died of colon related ills and colonoscopies also reveal other potential problems.`I`m 70 now and thank my lucky stars (and a boot in the a** from my wife and brother )encouraging me to go get one.RIP Jim,I hear you were a nice man,God bless your family.
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Just want to point out that everyone having this conversation, is exactly what Corsi wanted. We are honoring his memory and his dying wishes properly in here.
Well said, thank you.