Daulton on 97.5 the Fanatic: 'I'll be back to being perfect again'

Former Phillies great Darren Daulton told radio host Mike Missanelli on 97.5 FM "The Fanatic" this afternoon that his brain tumor has made speaking difficult at times in recent weeks but he feels "good right now" and will appear at Citizens Bank Park this weekend as part of Phillies Alumni Weekend.

"The fans are just phenomenal right now," Daulton said in his first public remarks since it came out about his diagnosis last month. "I'm missing this. It's, you know, like family. It's really like my family now and going through this thing, I mean, my God, I didn't know what the hell I was doing."

Despite ongoing problems related to the tumor, "Dutch" said he's very confident everything will work out.

"I have a little bit of trouble talking. That's why [my girlfriend] Amanda is here," he said on a call with Missanelli from 5:15 to 5:25 p.m. Thursday. "Some of these days I'm not good up there at talking."

But he promised to be at the ballpark in South Philadelphia on Sunday as part of the alumni celebration that starts Friday and runs all weekend. He also is hankering for a drink with his many Philly friends once he arrives back in town tomorrow.

"Tomorrow, I have to have a light lager in Philly with someone," he said.

[Here's a link to the entire interview on The Fanatic's website.]