An appreciation: Darren Daulton gave us everything he had

(David Swanson/Staff Photographer) Former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton. A vivid image came to mind immediately after hearing the news late Sunday that Darren Daulton’s four-year battle with brain cancer was over and he was dead at age 55. In the flashback to 1993, an exhausted Daulton was seated on the floor in a small room with his back to the wall and a beer in his hand.

Two Toronto players – one of them was closer Duane Ward, the primary reason the Blue Jays had just won their second straight World Series – had come to the visiting clubhouse to congratulate the Phillies for putting up such a dogged fight before falling in six games. Daulton looked simultaneously saddened by defeat and…