1993 Mark Whiten vs. 2002 Mike Cameron

Your first lament (I suppose) is that steroids changed the game irreparably and you use as evidence the difference between the ‘93 Cards and the ’02 Mariners. The Cards (the good guys, presumably) had all their success au-naturale and the M’s consisted of one cheater after another. Luke vs. Darth Vader, so to speak. Mark Whiten was built like a brick shithouse. He was built like an NFL tight end. Was he a juicer? I’ve seen nothing to indicate that he was, but he had a Greek-god type body that was dissimilar from 99.9% of every other baseball player on the planet.

The ‘93 Cardinals finished 3rd to last in the NL in homers. That’s why people like Gerald Perry (Perry hit 4 homers in 1993 — big power hitter) and Todd Zeile were considered their power hitters — b/c they didn’t have any power hitters. The #1 HR hitter on the Cards that year was Whiten so, if you’re looking to point fingers at steroid cheats…23 major league teams hit more homers that season than the Cards did so it’s difficult for me to fathom your using that team as an apt comparison to the steroid era. BTW, guess who led the majors in homers that year — Barry Bonds w/ 46. He tied Juan Gonzalez, another one who is often unfairly accused of having cheated.

Aside from statements such as yours — referring to Bret Boone’s “puffy balloon like body” — I’ve never read anything that directly linked him to steroids. His name often comes up among internet scribes who are looking for others who “must’ve done steroids” even though there is no actual proof. There aren’t even any real anecdotes, postive tests, or anything other than speculation — that I’m aware of — linking Boone to steroids yet his opposite field homer here and his obvious strength is good enough proof for you.

Besides Boone, you chose here to indict Mike Cameron — since he hit 4 homers in a game — Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, and David Bell as steroid cheats as well. Is there any evidence, anecdotal or through positive tests, that links any of these guys to steroids? Yet, to you, they’re guilty b/c they played on the same team w/ A-Rod (though, as you point out, A-Rod wasn’t actually on the team during the year you first referenced and has never been accused of using steroids during his tenure w/ the M’s — nevertheless, to you, he’s guilty then as are many of his teammates.) Cameron, btw, is 6’1" and 170 lbs. Whiten was 6’3" and 215. Which one of them MUST HAVE USED STEROIDS? Bell’s guilty b/c he shared a locker room at one point w/ Mark McGwire. To you, this “reaks (sic) of juice” yet there is not one member of that team — NOT ONE — about whom there is one shred of evidence that they used steroids. NONE! But, in your mind, they’re all guilty.

There are a lot of things about the steroid era and post-steroid era (if that’s what this is) to which I object but most of it has to do w/ the self-righteous sanctimony that many baseball “fans” have when referring to baseball during this time. Not only is there no statistical evidence that steroids help a baseball player and, more importantly, that they have only helped hitters but there is no evidence that anyone on your little blacklist was a user of any kind of “performance enhancing drug.” To you, however, they’re all guilty — mostly b/c they played on the same team as A-Rod or were very strong for a fairly small guy. Boone, btw — 5’10", 180 lbs. That’s huge! It’s McGwire-esque!

I think the easiest way to put all this behind us is for people to stop their witchhunts and stop pointing fingers at those who may have done steroids b/c they hit a lot of homers once or appeared to be really strong. And, as for “level playing field” — if everyone was using, wasn’t the playing field level?

Everyone use steroids.

you’d think google would have a better pic, oh well. he also had one of the cooler nicknames in baseball

http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2008/2/26/04547/8714

I’ll save any discussion about steroids for another place, if I ever feel like doing so at all.

Anyway . . . I definitely saw that spectacular game he had in 1993 live on TV. I was a wee tike back then, and it was summer vacation for school . . . therefore, no set bedtime, especially if the Cards were on TV (back in those days, it wasn’t always a given . . . and yes, my parents were cool like that). My brother watched the game too.

Second game of a doubleheader. Game 2 didn’t end until after midnight. Many people forget that Whiten misplayed a fly ball in CF in the 9th inning of Game 1 of that DH that handed Cincinnati a win. Obviously he made up for it in Game 2.

Apart from the four taters . . . one of the biggest things I’ll remember from that game (and I’m reciting this solely on memory, so forgive me if I’m "misremembering") was the fact that Bernard Gilkey scored on a sac fly in the at-bat before Whiten’s 4th. The flyout (for the life of me I can’t remember who hit it) was the 2nd out of the top of the 9th inning, and Gilkey was NEARLY thrown out at home on the play. Had that happened, Whiten would’ve been left with a pretty nice 3-HR game, but no history.

Also, had Gilkey not tagged up at all . . . well, who knows how Whiten would’ve been pitched to with a man at 3rd and 2 out, but had everything that followed happened regardless . . . Whiten would’ve broken the record for RBI in a single game with 13. He ended up tied with a Cast Of Half Dozens Or So with 12 (I’m not certain if that record is still intact).

Mark Whiten was one of my favorite Cardinals of the downtrodden early ’90’s clubs. Couldn’t hit for average, but when he got a hold of one . . . oh my. Plus he was an above-average fielder (despite the Game 1 of the DH miscue referenced earlier) and had an absolute CANNON for an arm – I’d love to see an Outfield Arm Throw-Off between the early ’90’s Mark Whiten and the present Rick Ankiel, just to see who would win. It was that good.

Hard Hittin’ Mark Whiten will always have a place in my memory bank thanks to that wonderful evening in Cincinnati in ’93. Oh, and the call by Joe Buck (Yes, Joe Buck!) and Al Hrabosky was pretty good too. (YYEESS!!)

“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.”

I understand the point you are making but it wasn’t just steroids that affected homerun totals. Players were getting bigger but stadiums were playing smaller. I do not think it ia fair to compare a homerun hit at the new Comiskey with a homerun hit at the cavernous Riverfront Stadium. Imagine if Whiten had been hitting at Great American Ballpark. I don’t think those balls "modestly " clear the fence.