Sparky Lyle to chair diabetes walk at TD Bank Ballpark

• Sparky Lyle found out he had Type 2 diabetes after a physical for his insurance company; he had no symptoms
• Since then, he has worked to educate himself and the community on the disease that affects 26 million Americans
• The Step Out: Walk To Stop Diabetes will be conducted on Oct. 11 at TD Bank Ballpark, Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER – A simple call to renew a term life insurance policy three years ago turned into a surprising diagnosis for former New York Yankees legend and current Somerset Patriots Manager Emeritus Sparky Lyle.

That's when he found out that he had Type 2 diabetes. So, when he was asked to serve as the honorary chair for the Step Out: Walk To Stop Diabetes to be conducted on Oct. 11 at TD Bank Ballpark, he was happy to lend his name to a cause that has affected him personally.

"We're really excited about it, especially with how obviously connected he is to the Patriots and the community. With his connection to diabetes as well, we just thought it was a perfect fit," said Courtney Angle, event manager for the Bridgewater event.

"I think it just adds an element of excitement to the walk, not only because it's something new, but because he's Sparky Lyle and people are excited to meet him and walk with him, all for the cause to stop diabetes," Angle added.

Lyle, the 1977 winner of the American League Cy Young Award, felt fine prior to his diagnosis, which came after a nurse had been sent to his house on behalf of the insurance company to give him a physical.

"About four days after that, the guy calls me and says he's from Prudential," the 70-year-old Lyle recalled. "He goes, 'That quote I gave you for your term life insurance policy, it's going to be another $100 a month.' And I asked why. He said, 'Well, you've got diabetes.' "

Since then, Lyle has not only educated himself, but his family and the community at large about the disease that is believed to affect nearly 26 million Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association. He asked all of his relatives to get tested, especially considering he also has a family history of the disease.

"My grandfather, who actually died of diabetes back when I was maybe 12 or 13, his knees used to hurt him so much where he would actually hit them with a hammer," Lyle said

"I can remember asking my grandmother, and she'd tell me about what he had," he said. "So as I got older and especially now, in my state, I had to figure that he was actually doing that because the pain was so bad already that when he did that and it regressed to the normal pain, it wasn't as bad. When I tell you that he did this, you just couldn't believe it. He had to take insulin, but they didn't have back then what they do now."

For the personable and still extremely popular Lyle, the diagnosis hasn't slowed him down. After transitioning out of his role as field manager after the 2012 season, he's still in uniform every day, signing autographs on the field before games and visiting lucky fans in luxury suites while the action is going on.

"You go up in the suites, and they'll want me to have some desserts or something, and I'll say, 'I'm diabetic.' And they'll go, "Me too.' And I wonder what they're doing eating these things," Lyle said.

Has diabetes changed his life?

"I've got to say no," Lyle said. "I still do the things that I do, but it's changed my thinking and how I do things … you really end up cutting out a lot of stuff you should have cut out. It scared the hell out of me. And it still does. But if me being out here or chairing this event brings in some more money, I'm more than happy to do it. I hope we have a huge turnout."

Get involved

To register, volunteer or more information on Step Out: Walk To Stop Diabetes, visit diabetes.org/stepout or call 1-888-DIABETES. To join Sparky's Team at the Walk in Bridgewater on Oct. 11, visitwww.diabetes.org/sparkysteam.