MLB: Graig Nettles diagnosed with prostate cancer

When Graig Nettles learned he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, one of the first telephone calls he made was to former Yankees manager Joe Torre.

The current Dodgers skipper went through his own prostate cancer scare in 1999, diagnosed as part of a routine checkup. Torre underwent treatment and has had no related issues since, and the 63-year-old Nettles—awaiting surgery in early April—is keeping his spirits high. “He’s pretty upbeat about it after what he’s gone through,” Nettles said. “I hope I have the same fortune that he had.”

Nettles, a six-time All-Star third baseman, is scheduled to have surgery on April 8 at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York. He was diagnosed the day before Thanksgiving last year, shortly after his brother, Jim, had also discovered his own prostate cancer.

Nettles said he was spurred to have his prostate checked by his brother, Jim, who informed the Gold Glover that cancer ran in the family. “They told me they got it early, and it’s curable and treatable,” Nettles said. “I’ve just got to think positive.”