Dan Carey (pictured), MVP of the 1978 State Amateur Baseball Tournament, was in a car accident on Saturday night February 27^th.  Carey blacked out, rolled his car and ended up in a ditch. He was uninjured as he was wearing his seatbelt at the time.

After being taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, he underwent an examination to determine the cause of his blackout.  It was determined that he had a tumor on the frontal lobe of his brain.  An operation was performed on Monday, March 1^st.  Most of the tumor was removed, however, it couldn't all be removed.  Plans are for Dan to undergo an aggressive 6-week radiation treatment along with oral chemotherapy once he regains his strength.

Carey, 60, is an Assistant Professor in the Health and Human Performance Department at St. Thomas University.  He has been with St. Thomas for 20 years.  He graduated from Hastings High School in 1967. His Hastings baseball team finished second in the 1966 State High School tournament and won the 1967 State Tournament.  He was the 24^th pick in that year's Major League Baseball draft, making him the highest drafted high school pitcher in Minnesota history.

Carey played in the New York Mets farm system for six years, reaching as high as "AA".  He joined the Miesville Mudhens in 1973 and played with them for 15 years, winning the MVP award in '78 as the Mudhen's first baseman.

Mike Hartung, a lifelong friend and former Miesville teammate, reported that Dan was sitting up and talking on Wednesday.  "He was alert, sitting up, eating, joking, etc. Thankfully, his personality and humor are still fully intact... he's had us laughing many times over the past couple days," stated Hartung in an email informing many of Dan's friends of the event.

As of Thursday, visitors were still prohibited, however, that could be lifted at any time.  If you want to contact Dan cards and letters may be sent to: Regions Hospital, 640 Jackson St., St. Paul, MN  55101.  The station is C2800.  His email is: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .