The relative quiet of the New York...

The relative quiet of the New York Yankees’ spring camp was rocked after Rickey Henderson’s claim that excessive drinking hurt the club’s pennant chances last season.

Henderson said that one night on the road last season he helped pitcher Neil Allen back to his hotel room after the pitcher passed out on the dance floor because of excessive alcohol use.

Allen, now a member of the Cleveland Indians, admitted to having a drinking problem in 1983 while a member of the New York Mets. A doctor who examined Allen at the time said the pitcher was not an alcoholic, but had turned to drink because of depression.

Efforts to reach Allen at the Indians’ spring training camp at Tucson were unsuccessful.