Willie Aikens’ wife has stroke; he postpones his new gig with Royals

Life just cackled manically at Willie Aikens. The former Royals first baseman was just about to revive his career in baseball as a minor league coach with his old team. Then his wife, Sara, suffered a stroke.

The gig teaching young players how to hit was going to be the next step in Aikens’ redemption-story arc that took him from being a star slugger (he bashed four homers in the 1980 World Series) to a washout drug addict who spent 14 years in prison on cocaine charges.

But on the eve of re-immersing himself into the baseball cocoon, his mother-in-law called with the terrible news. Needless to say, Aikens has flown back from Royals fantasy camp in Arizona to be with her as she recovers in a Kansas City hospital. He put his new job with the Royals on hold to be with her. Come on, universe.