Kyle Lohse starts his ninth season in the major leagues today. He is the second native American to ever play for the St. Louis Cardinals and his 15 wins last season were a career high. Lohse spent his first 5 seasons with Minnesota before coming to the National League and playing for Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
If Lohse can repeat or better his 2008 season the 4 year 41 million dollar contract he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in the off season will seem like a bargain. It is the richest contract ever signed by a person of Native American ancestory in major league baseball history.
Lohse follows in the footsteps of fellow Native American Pepper Martin. Martin was a beast when he played for the Cardinals in the 1930’s earning 4 All Star games appearances, 3 stolen base titles, and was named the first AP male athlete of the year in 1931. Martin remains one of the top World Series players of all time.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Distinguished Careers - Players of Spanish Descent
Keith Hernandez - Ranking as a Cardinal player: 21th in hits, 24th in runs, 23rd in RBI’s. He fits comfortably into any discussion about the top 25 postion players in Cardinal history. Keith is not in the national Hall of Fame, although he should be. His statistics easily merit his induction. Keith’s time with the Mets would qualify him for their distinguished players of Spanish descent.
Distinguished Careers - Native American Players
Pepper Martin - Current Cardinal Ranks - 17th in Runs - 20th in hits - 29th in RBI's. Martin is one of the 25 best Cardinal position players ever. He is also one of the top World Series performers ever. Martin is not in the Hall of Fame nor should he be but I would have no problem putting him in a St. Louis Cardinal hall of fame. Martin lead the league in stolen bases on 3 occassions and was an all star 4 times.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Player Spotlight - Joe Thurston
Joe Thurston is the lone African American player on the 25 man roster for the Cardinals as they begin the 2009 season. Thurston is 29 years old and the Cardinals are the 4th major league team he has seen action for at the major league level. He has also been a member of the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals but hasn't played on the field for those teams at the majors.
At 29, Thurston, has played in a total of 59 major league games. He is now a utility player that can play 3rd, 2nd, or the outfield. Should he be able to produce he has a chance to be used like Aaron Miles, who starred in a similar role for the last two seasons for the Cardinals.
When people speak to the lack of African American ballplayers on today’s teams many hint that there is a lack of opportunities for today’s African American ballplayers. In truth, there are just more opportunities for today’s African American athletes in other sports. Thurston at 5’ 11” and 190 pounds might not be ideal size for professional basketball but the relative cost of playing basketball as a kid is considerably lower than playing baseball.
The baseball glove is roughly the same price as a basketball. The only difference is that you need 9 gloves per team and only one basketball per team. In addition, the footwear for baseball is specialized but basketball sneakers are frequently everyday wear. The field for baseball can house up to 5 or 6 basketball courts and basketball is generally easier to referee on your own. Outside of the lower west and east coast and some southern states, baseball can’t be practiced year round but basketball can.
In addition, at a high school level, baseball is not glorified on the same level as football and basketball are in most areas. Basketball and football players are local legends but only those really into baseball can name one or two players on the local high school team.
Thurston being the lone African American player on the 25 man roster is not so much a statement on the difficulty of African Americans making a baseball team but on the contrary it is a statement on the wealth of opportunities available for African Americans in other sporting venues. Although baseball is a game that I love, it is not necessary that African Americans participate in high numbers for me to enjoy the game.
While the game is great at teaching teamwork, communication, and hard work paying dividends to young people it is not the sole source of these goals. Baseball remains an important part of African American achievements in this country and I am sure that African Americans will continue to turn out star players but just not in the numbers when baseball was the jewel of American sports.
At 29, Thurston, has played in a total of 59 major league games. He is now a utility player that can play 3rd, 2nd, or the outfield. Should he be able to produce he has a chance to be used like Aaron Miles, who starred in a similar role for the last two seasons for the Cardinals.
When people speak to the lack of African American ballplayers on today’s teams many hint that there is a lack of opportunities for today’s African American ballplayers. In truth, there are just more opportunities for today’s African American athletes in other sports. Thurston at 5’ 11” and 190 pounds might not be ideal size for professional basketball but the relative cost of playing basketball as a kid is considerably lower than playing baseball.
The baseball glove is roughly the same price as a basketball. The only difference is that you need 9 gloves per team and only one basketball per team. In addition, the footwear for baseball is specialized but basketball sneakers are frequently everyday wear. The field for baseball can house up to 5 or 6 basketball courts and basketball is generally easier to referee on your own. Outside of the lower west and east coast and some southern states, baseball can’t be practiced year round but basketball can.
In addition, at a high school level, baseball is not glorified on the same level as football and basketball are in most areas. Basketball and football players are local legends but only those really into baseball can name one or two players on the local high school team.
Thurston being the lone African American player on the 25 man roster is not so much a statement on the difficulty of African Americans making a baseball team but on the contrary it is a statement on the wealth of opportunities available for African Americans in other sporting venues. Although baseball is a game that I love, it is not necessary that African Americans participate in high numbers for me to enjoy the game.
While the game is great at teaching teamwork, communication, and hard work paying dividends to young people it is not the sole source of these goals. Baseball remains an important part of African American achievements in this country and I am sure that African Americans will continue to turn out star players but just not in the numbers when baseball was the jewel of American sports.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Player Spotlight - Silvio Martinez
Silvio Martinez was born in the Domincan Republic on August 19, 1955. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates when he was 18. The Pirates traded him in 1956 to the Chicago White Sox, who traded him the next year to the St. Louis Cardinals. On May 26, 1978 at the tender age of 22 Martinez no hits Omaha in the minor leagues. Three days later after being called up to the parent club he one hits the New York Mets. The rookie pitches 2 one hitters and 2 two hitters for the Cardinals that year. At the end of the season Silvio Martinez is 23, has pitched 138 innings, has 9 wins, 5 complete games, and 2 shut outs. The world is his playground.
In 1979, Martinez finishes the season with more wins than any other Cardinal. He goes 15 – 8, pitches 200 innings, and completes 7 games. At the age of 24 he has 24 major league victories. In comparison, when hall of fame pitcher Bob Gibson turns 24 he has 3 major league victories.
Martinez at 24 had established himself as a major league starter and an ace of one of the most storied franchises in all of baseball. He had taken his opportunity and ran with it. His career trajectory was dialed directly for the Hall of Fame and he was going to be the next great Cardinal pitcher.
But baseball is not always predictable or fair. Martinez developed arm and shoulder trouble. His record in 1980 was 5 – 10 and in 1981 it was 2 – 5. He was then traded to the Cleveland Indians in a 3 way deal that brought Lonnie Smith to the Cardinals. He never pitched in the majors again however and he retired from baseball.
In 1979, Martinez finishes the season with more wins than any other Cardinal. He goes 15 – 8, pitches 200 innings, and completes 7 games. At the age of 24 he has 24 major league victories. In comparison, when hall of fame pitcher Bob Gibson turns 24 he has 3 major league victories.
Martinez at 24 had established himself as a major league starter and an ace of one of the most storied franchises in all of baseball. He had taken his opportunity and ran with it. His career trajectory was dialed directly for the Hall of Fame and he was going to be the next great Cardinal pitcher.
But baseball is not always predictable or fair. Martinez developed arm and shoulder trouble. His record in 1980 was 5 – 10 and in 1981 it was 2 – 5. He was then traded to the Cleveland Indians in a 3 way deal that brought Lonnie Smith to the Cardinals. He never pitched in the majors again however and he retired from baseball.
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