Padres assistant Dave Roberts has Lymphoma

Dave Roberts, whose stolen base for Boston in the 2004 playoffs sparked the Red Sox to an elusive World Series championship, is being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Roberts was diagnosed in mid-March and he says the cancer was detected early. He says the prognosis is “good.” He has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy so far. “I expect to beat this fully,” Roberts said during a conference call Monday. The 37-year-old Roberts, who is working for the San Diego Padres as a special assistant, said he wanted to keep his illness private but knew that his appearance would be changing as he underwent chemotherapy. “Going forward I definitely hope that I can keep this private with my family,” he said. Roberts said he began feeling soreness in his neck before spring training, then discovered a lump that began to grow. He continued to work with players during spring training. “It was a challenge,” he said. “I had to kind of balance it and try not to do too much throughou...