Outside Oberlin

2003 showcases baseball’s youth
By Eben Askins

In this atypical baseball preview, I want to focus on the learning curve that young superstars have mastered in recent years. There has been a renaissance of young talent, the likes of which I have not witnessed in my brief time on this earth.
Texas Rangers $250-million-dollar man Alex Rodriguez nailed his 300th career home run in Anaheim Wednesday night, passing Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx as the youngest ever to accomplish thus feat. It is neither the milestone nor his youth that baffles me, but rather the relative ease and fluidity in this young man’s swing. At age 27 A-Rod would need roughly nine more seasons of 40 homers to reach 700, assuming he reaches 40 this year. That would put him at the end of his prime, an age where Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds all kicked it up a notch. Vladimir Guerrero is perhaps our generation’s first true foreign-born player to achieve superstar status despite being sheltered in the non-baseball enclave of Montreal. Guerrero has quickly and not so quietly produced stirring numbers and a highlight-reel cannon of an arm. Nothing is orthodox about this Dominican slugger. Holding his hands high and close to his head, Vlad’s body coils like a spring and then explodes with a thunderous amount of torque as the pitch comes in. Never one to take a pitch, the 27-year-old consistently ranks near the top in fewest pitches per plate appearance. The last two years have seen this superstar expand his game, adding the stolen base — 37 and 40 the last two years — to his arsenal. Also, for the first time in his career, Guerrero posted more walks than strikeouts in 2002.
Though these two may now be considered veterans despite their youth, the story of Albert Pujols’ meteoric rise to annual all-star is the stuff of legends. Pujols was slated to start the 2001 campaign in AA ball. A momentous spring gave him the starting job, and Albert never looked back. Posting all-star numbers from start to finish, Pujols was unanimously named National League Rookie of the Year. Proving 2001 was no fluke, the 23-year-old prodigy became the first ever major leaguer with an average of .300, 30 dingers, 100 runs and 100 RBI in each of his first two seasons. This was all accomplished while playing six different positions last year in Tony LaRussa’s musical chair defense. Finishing second for MVP last year, look for Pujols to benefit from a full season of protection from fifth-place hitter Scott Rolen.
For the hurlers, the list is immeasurable. But in a world of pill-popping, buffed out, ’roided bashers, one buffed out, genetically manipulated pitcher stands above the rest. And if he can’t stand above them, just try to push him out of the way. Yes, I am talking about the 6’4”, 220-pound freak of nature known as Mark Prior. Drafted by annual cellar dweller Chicago Cubs (if you think the Red Sox are cursed, just ask a Cubbies fan) as the second overall pick in 2001, there was much hype surrounding the USC grad. I admit to skepticism as well, that is until I saw him in the flesh on his debut May 22, 2002. Taller than his 6’4” frame suggests, and looking more like a fullback than starting pitcher, it seems like Prior ordered a uniform three sizes too small. Don’t be deceived, yes, those are his calves, and they do have their own zip code. With a compact fluid delivery, Prior releases the ball just next to his ear, short-arming the ball. His mechanics are nearly flawless, and the 95-plus heat and a variety of breaking pitches doesn’t hurt either. At age 21, Prior blew through the competition last year racking up an astounding 147 K’s in 116 innings, which prorates to about 260 over a full season. Not too shabby for a 21-year-old rookie fullback.
What list could be complete without last year’s AL Cy Young, Barry Zito. Termed alternative or a little “out there,” by MLB’s old-boy establishment, Zito blends a knee-buckling curve with pinpoint accuracy in much the same way he blends eastern meditative practices with visualization exercises the day of his starts. Zito turns 25 in mid-May, but he has already established himself as an ace. With just two and a half seasons under his belt, Zito boasts the best winning percentage of any pitcher since he toed the rubber in 2000. With an impressive 47-17 record and a career opponent’s batting average of .194, Zito is well on his way to baseball’s elite echelon of starting pitchers.
For those of you with vested interest in the new baseball season, good luck to your respective teams. Unfortunately, my allegiance is to a confused franchise, the New York Mets, but at least they have removed the tumor from the clubhouse — Bobby Valentine. A few words about this pathetic excuse for a baseball man: the whole fake moustache and glasses gag showed his true colors, but last year’s press conference regarding a New York Post story with a front page photo of reliever Grant Roberts taking a mighty bong rip was downright embarrassing. When asked if pot was a problem in the clubhouse, Bobby V then proceeded to “act out” what it would be like to step in the box nicely toasted. Miming a swing with his eyes half shut while making cosmic surfer groans does not a manager make. If he is interested, there is a batboy position open in the Saskatchewan Blubber League. Sidebar: Anyone ever seen Bobby V and Kermit the Frog in the same room? I didn’t think so. Well that’s all from me, I can only hope for fewer headlines with the word Selig in them.

Men’s Lacrosse goes 1-2 over break
By Brad White

The Oberlin College men’s lacrosse team stayed in Oberlin over Spring Break and played two games against Medaille College and Washington and Jefferson College.
Both games proved to be competitive and represented steps in the right direction for the team. On March 26, Medaille came into town to face the Yeomen for the home opener. Medaille, a member of the Allegheny Mountain Conference, came into the game with an 0-1 record.
The Yeomen were able to pull out their first victory of the season in a 9-6 effort. This success shows the improvement the team has made considering the fact that they lost to Medaille 6-1 last year.
After this victory the Yeomen were excited to play Washington and Jefferson on March 29. Last year the teams battled, but the Yeomen fell by a score of 5-4 in overtime.
This year proved no different with a tight game from the beginning. In the end, the Yeomen fell by a score of 12-10. This victory evened Washington and Jefferson’s record at 2-2, while the loss brought the Yeomen to 1-3.
The team, however, was not entirely disappointed with the effort.
“We played a solid game and it was close all the way through, but we just could not pull it out in the end,” junior Gabe Hendricks said. In fact, though Yeomen moved the score to 11-10 on a goal by first - year Will Jaffe. Washington and Jefferson’s Jeff Ford sealed the Oberlin’s defeat with a final goal, cementing the score at 12-10.
The team returned to conference action this past week with a game versus the College of Wooster on Wednesday, April 2.
Wooster proved to be too much for the Yeomen, who fell by a score of 15-2. The loss brings the Yeomen’s North Coast Athletic Conference record to 0-1.
Two bright spots for the Yeomen included goals by Jaffe and senior Erik Vachon.
The Yeomen are next in action this Saturday in a conference game against Wittenberg University.