By Jim Baumbach
Newsday

Darryl Strawberry has a message for Joba Chamberlain: Stop now. Don't be like me.
Shortly after learning about Chamberlain's alleged DUI early Saturday morning, Strawberry said he called Yankees executive Ray Negron and asked him to pass along some words to Chamberlain.

Words from someone who knows too much about this kind of trouble.

"I told him I think the main thing for Joba right now is he needs to look at himself in the mirror and evaluate himself, more than anything," Strawberry said Wednesday morning. "At that age, in the situation he's in with the Yankees, it's easy to think you can do whatever you want to do. But that's just the beginning."

Whenever a young star player experiences off-field trouble, it always brings Strawberry back to the beginning of his long list of mistakes, which morphed into problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, tax evasion, going AWOL more than once and even public talk of suicide.

Who knows how his career would have been different had someone been able to break through to him when he was young and make him realize the path he was headed down was not a good one? The question has been asked thousands of times.

Can you blame Strawberry for thinking along those lines when he hears about Chamberlain's situation? Sure, it's only one DUI, only one mistake, but Strawberry knows how quickly one misstep can turn into 10, 20 or 30.

"No question about it, I regret it," Strawberry said. "I regret the fact that after one misstep, I let them pile on. They don't have a reason to stop if you don't correct them."

That's the lesson Strawberry wants Chamberlain to learn from this experience. That this situation will be a turning point for the 23-year-old Yankee. It's up to him to decide which way his career - and life - goes from here.

What Strawberry doesn't want to hear is Chamberlain say this was a one-time occasion. That, Strawberry said, would sound like denial. "Think about it. He just got caught this time. How many other times did he drive drunk?" Strawberry said. "It's probably not the first time he was behind the wheel intoxicated. It's just that this time he got caught."

So what should Chamberlain do? That's easy, Strawberry said.

"If Joba was smart, he would walk right across his clubhouse and sit down next to Derek Jeter and talk to him about responsibilities and living life the right way," Strawberry said. "If he was really smart after what just happened, there's a guy right in your clubhouse on your team who can help you. Ask him for some advice. Ask him the things you should do. And he'll sit down with you and tell you.

"But you've got to be willing to put your pride to your side, say I got this, and then go over and ask the guy who's been there from day one. Look at his reputation. Look at what he's done.

"That's what Joba can learn. He can learn a lot if he really wants to. He can learn about what it is like to be a person who has the spotlight on him and all this attention. There are things he should know he just can't do. It's important. We all hope he sees that and understands that."

Speaking on his cell phone while awaiting a flight to New York, Strawberry, 46, said he is feeling good. He works for the Mets, does occasional appearances on SNY and focuses on his foundation, which raises awareness about autism. But most of all he's thankful he's still around after everything he's been through.

Strawberry stressed that Chamberlain should be thankful that the only problem he wound up with early Saturday morning was a DUI and a possible date in court - and nothing more severe.

"Like I was telling Ray, it's not just about the fact he was intoxicated behind the wheel, and that he's a star athlete who got caught with a DUI," Strawberry said. "He could have killed somebody. Then there's no more Joba Chamberlain, no more major-league baseball, no more Yankees. It's done. It's over."

Strawberry doesn't know Chamberlain. He's met him only once. But he knows mistakes like this very well.

"I just hope the young man realizes how serious this is and doesn't take it for granted," Strawberry said. "Hopefully he understands that getting caught is a sign to him to stop now."