SB Nation User Blog: thewizard3

1993 Mark Whiten vs. 2002 Mike Cameron

thewizard3 — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:59:59 -0000

With steroids on mine and everyone's mind after A-Rod's public confession, I noticed something between two games I've watched on the MLB network today.

The stark difference between the athletes playing in the 1993 Cardinals vs. Reds game and the puffy, juicy spongelike athletes playing on the 2002 Seattle Mariner team.

Mark Whiten's four homeruns were fastballs on the inside part of the plate that he put good wood on which modestly cleared the walls of Riverfront Stadium. Whiten had a solid frame on him but was very slender and lean. The home runs he hit, save for maybe one, were a case of him just mashing a fastball that caught too much of the plate.

The men considered to be power hitters on this edition of the Cards were guys like Todd Zeile and Gerald Perry. Again solidly built gentlemen, but looking more like you and me than Mr. Olympia.

The game following this one was the 2002 White Sox/Mariners game where Mike Cameron goes deep four times. Wow what a difference 9 years make.

First home run was of course by a man who I believe perfectly illustrates how steroids can make an average player an all star... Bret Boone. The pitch he hits is a high fastball in on his hands, he takes a swing that is a good hack but has a hint of defensiveness to it. It appears to be a flare that would end up about 270 ft. down the right field line. Something that you see Yadier Molina do often. But what happens? The ball keeps carrying and carryin and carrying and plops over the right field wall at Comiskey.

Boone's puffy balloon like body trots around the bases. Cameron hits a home run later in this inning that initially looks to be a deep flyout to centerfield that he just didn't get enough wood on, another pitch on his hands. But again, it floats and floats and reaches just over the cf wall.

This innning ends with two more home runs, one by each of these players. 10 runs are scored in the first inning, it wasn't all the result of the long ball but the inning never would have gotten to that level without those cheapies.

The play by play guy is explaing in amazement how this seemed almost "inhuman." He probably didn't know at the time that it actually was.

As the game is still playing in front of me it looks more and more obvious that a majority of the M's players are so juicy they are about to pop. I mean I have nothing to back this up but I remember wondering how these guys were so good with what seemed to be average players and has beens.

Boone and A-Rod have already been connected to PED's and the more and more of this stuff comes out the more you realize guys talk to each other about it. Again, tt seems very obvious to me that the clubhouse of the early 2000's Mariners teams that were very sucessful were were littered with needles and syringes.

Look at this list of players from 2000-2002: A Rod, Jay Buhner, Boone, Cameron, Edgar Martinez, David Bell (weird how he's kind of disappeared? And he was in a McGwire clubhouse), Ruben Sierra. I mean I'm just throwin names out there, but this particular era of the Mariners organization reaks of juice.

I see the bodies of Cameron, Boone, Ruben Sierra, Edgar Martinez, and then compare them to Mark Whiten, Todd Zeile, Bernard Gilkey, and Gerald Perry. And I realize that the two games I've watched today perfectly exemplify what has become known to be the steroid era.

I know it's not just limited to the Mariner's or any one team. I just hope we can put this behind us and really nip the problem in the bud. Make the playing field level, please.

Carp and his shoulder

thewizard3 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:01:55 -0000

For people that know about this type of thing, was this a good decision? I'm all for keeping this guy from going under the knife again, but is this more of a bow your head and pray move?

Is this at all similar to what Mulder has dealt with in the past, as far as the seriousness of it. Is a compressed nerve as career threateing as the labrum (I have no idea what I'm talking about, but i remember that being mentioned) problem with Mulder?

My uneducated guess on whether he will be on the opening day roster is about 50/50, and my other uneducated guess on whether he will be our opening day starter is about 10/90.

What do you people who have atleast a trace of medical knowledge think?

Clement

thewizard3 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:25:00 -0000

According to Matthew Leach's blog Clement did not really impress anybody with his two inning appearance in the AA/AAA game today. Says he was topping out at 84-85 most of the time, while hitting 86 twice. Good movement, poor command and velocity. Once again, who examined him this winter.

This angers me, am I overreacting? You expect a velocity drop, but seriously... Anytime we are dealing with any injury I just have no hope. Maybe they can prove me wrong, but I doubt it.

Rolen and Eckstein Speak...

thewizard3 — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:23:51 -0000

I just read the Matthew Leach article on the official website that includes quotes from Rolen and Eckstein concerning their exits from STL. Eckstein was not surprised he was let go, but how he was let go? I understand what he is saying, yet I don't.

As far as Rolen goes, I like what he says but the comment that he and LaRussa have different morals is very interesing. Is he talking about animal rights? Drinking and driving? Maybe he is a NRA member or something. Or is it more related to baseball?

I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts. Sorry if this has already been brought up.

NEW GUY

thewizard3 — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:23:42 -0000

Hello cards fans, I stumbled upon this blog on monday morning while at my internship out here in our nations capitol. Something perfect for me as a cardinal fan living amongst virtually no cardinal fans out here on the east coast.

I am a 22 year old college senior from Iowa (attend Iowa State University). I will graduate next spring and am currently interning with a lobbyist org. in DC. I grew up in eastern Iowa which is cubbie land, I'm one of the very few redbirds in our part of the state. Even at school in Ames (Central IA), with the abundance of chicago kids who couldn't get into Champagne crawling around our campus (not to mention the presence of the AAA I-Cubs in nearby Des Moines), it's lovable loser central. So a blog like this is a great opportunity for me to be able to acutally talk baseball with CARDINAL FANS.

As I read the gentleman from san fran's blog below it encouraged me to explain my unique fan history, so if you are bored on a friday like me read on....

I grew up on a farm in NE Iowa and both of my parents families come from farming roots. This included my sweet old grandmother, who grew up on a farm with all brothers. Her brothers were cardinal fans because at that time the only ballgame they could get in on the radio was the cards sprawling KMOX feed. Well during the day while her brothers were out slaving away on the farm she would stay indoors with her mother and was under strict orders to keep score in scorecard fashion with her ear up the radio. Then when the boys were done with a day of work they would look at the scorecard and discuss the game. My great uncle says my Grandma was to them what Karl Ravech, Dave Campbell, and Peter Gammons are to me.

Obviously this caused my Grandma to fall in love with the game of baseball and the Cardinals. Now, growing up my father was not a sports fan. SO, when forming my sports team allegiances I didn't look to my father as most kids do. Then, when I was probably 5 or so my Grandma had just turned 65, so as a reward to making it to Senior Citizen status, my mom and her sisters treated my Grandmother to a cardinal game. I saw Mets/Cards in old Busch in the astro turf days. I remember Grandma telling me about the Ozzie flips and his "sensational defense." From then on I was a cardinal fan and a Ozzie fanatic.

So as a kid when Mom and Dad would hit the town they would drop me off at Grandma's and I was in baseball heaven. Non-stop baseball, although we were unable to get cardinal games on TV unless they were playing the braves or cubs, we would huddle around the radio and she taught me how to keep score of course! Instead of lullabys, I was put to sleep with stories of the gas house gang, stan the man, and gibby and lou. The strike weakened our enthusiasm (I was only 9 at the time and was confused with the whole thing), but when TLR was hired we were back to "Baseball Like it Oughta Be" and that '96 run rekindled the fire. But when I really became a complete freak fan was that summer of 2000... Ankiel was amazing. And of course all this leads up to the first World Championship of my lifetime. My sister died in '03 (she was 21) and the Cardinals have been the best therapy for me ever since. Sorry for the length, but thats my story... Go Cards!