Monday, March 12, 2018

Today's Blind Items - Guess The Athlete - Double Dose

#1

Guess the athlete time again. Real sport. Big sport. World stage level sport. One of the dirtiest sports out there. Has been for some time and still is today. If you do not cheat, you simply have no chance to win in this sport. And if you do not cheat, that means you simply do not WANT to win in this sport!!

Well, not always it seems....

Our athlete today is one of the most genetically gifted athletes walking the Earth today. Our athlete was not expected to get this far in their sport. But they are approaching their prime and they are just getting better. They are not a household name, but two years from now, they will be.

Our athlete is both feared and respected by their opponents. Feared because their career is starting to approach the phase of going from chasing records, to setting records. Possibly some very, very big ones. Records their teammates and opponents have no chance to beat.

And respected because they are one of the rare athletes who are respected by most of their peers and teammates for starting to become the best in the sport... all the while doing it cleanly.

Being a good athlete, though, does not make you a household name. But doing so with an incredibly charming, yet humble personality, and great looks does. This athlete hit the genetic lottery there too.

Some of you may have heard of this athlete or may be able to figure out who this athlete is. Two years from now you will all know this athlete. And your children will too. They will want to BE this athlete.


#2

One of the all time greats is how this athlete is described. This athlete is retired, but alive. The sport is one of the biggest sports in certain parts of the world, if not the biggest. And within this sport, our athlete is a big name. Not the biggest, but still big.

Strangely though, unlike other athletes mentioned, this athlete wasn’t very gifted in the genetics department. Even on paper, there wasn’t anything, any metric that would even be considered average within their sport. Certainly no drugs were used to get ahead. This athlete looked more like a high school science teacher than an athlete at their peak. Today, they would more closely resemble a truck driver if you saw them in person.

So how exactly did they dominate their sport for so long? We’ll answer that in a second.

This sport has been a breeding ground for cheating since its inception. Heck, Arguably the BIGGEST case of cheating in sports EVER happened within this sport. But as the sport grew and the ways to cheat were discovered, rules were made. Lots of rules.

There was one rule that was made a long, long time ago about a very specific ways to cheat. There was a specific incident that lead to this rule change. This rule was made before anyone reading this was even born. This rule is heavily enforced to this day.

Yet our athlete broke this rule every day in their career and not until their later career did anyone even suspect anything. Athletes in this sport today ask the athlete how they did it and how they never got caught. The athlete will simply just coyly wink and slyly say “there’s no cheating in this sport, haven’t you heard?”.

95 comments:

sandybrook said...

#2 Royce Gracie?

T. W. said...

#1 is a track & field athlete. Tokyo games are in 2020.

#2 I will need to research for this but I am sure the CDaNers will beat me to it because I am gonna go eat now.

Tim said...

#2: Pete Rose


Big name, but not the biggest.
Looks like a trucker.
"Heck, Arguably the BIGGEST case of cheating in sports EVER happened within this sport." = Chicago Black Sox
Guessing the cheat is... corked bat?

sandybrook said...

#1 cyclist Marcel Kittel?

Brayson87 said...

Yeah corked bat was my first thought, forgot who was known for it.

Anonymous said...

#2 is clearly curling.

Anonymous said...

But, seriously, @Tim, I like your guess. I was thinking maybe Pele since soccer is huge worldwide, but your's makes sense.

T. W. said...

@Tim - Pete Rose sounds right.

I am not even 40 but I remember the gambling scandal. I guess most of the CDaNers are in their mid twenties or younger.

One of the most important things I have learned is that you can get by but you can't get over.

Sara, Making It Work said...

"In two years" he will be a household name makes me think it is a summer Olympic sport.

sandybrook said...

Sammy Sosa had the corked bat and he clearly did hGH or whatever Mark McGwire was doing.

CuriousTex said...

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2010/06/08/the-story-of-pete-roses-corked-bat/

Brayson87 said...

But seriously let the players use corked bats and greenies again. Nowadays the baseball stadium is just a bar with hotdogs and some guys standing around on grass in the background.

#TEAMGEELJIRE CLASSIC said...

Barry Bonds
A Rod
Giambi
Really any of them
Me and Sammy gonna start a bleaching cream company

MollyGolly said...

I read this blind and immediately thought of cycling. Lance Armstrong and all that but I don't know enough about the up-in-comers to guess the athlete.

s.s. said...

Item # 1 has me baffled. Isn't this a re-run from a couple weeks ago?
And why does it need to be a blind if it's such a positive story for this guy ?

Ice Angel said...

Funny thing about corking a bat is that it has been proven (Myth Busters) to actually HARM the batter not help!

That said, I honestly do not believe Pete Rose cheated or why he was so great. He was great, and the reason for the nickname Charlie Hustle, is that he had a penchant for squeaking out small victories by simply hustling. He busted his ass on the field and always seemed to go the extra distance to make things happen. He was fun to watch.

Now. If perhaps he was paying off umpires to give him calls? I don't know.

Chaps said...

This probably isn't about baseball, but because I love Mike Trout, I'll pick him for #1.

Cary Gaul said...

Could #1 be Carson Wentz??

jessorella said...

One of these has to be cycling. Lance Armstrong aside, the level of doping and the ways of getting round the rules are just outrageous.

DH said...

#2 sounds like Gaylord Perry, famous for throwing spitballs throughout his career while only ever getting ejected once.

Unknown said...

#1 Jimmy Garapolo

#2 is a baseball pitcher who doctored the ball, maybe Greg Maddux.

More Cowbell said...

I know I'm probably wrong because I like the cycling guess for #1, but I want to say Hunter Greene/baseball for #1 just because of that glowing SI profile last year. Seems like such a nice guy and handsome.

pkelly491 said...

1. Is an olympic athlete, a future star in the Olympics per Enty. Probably a track star because of the dirtiness of the sport. My only guess, Omar McLeod? Was the best hurdler in the world (gold medalist) who is transitioning to sprinting. 100m and 200m are much bigger races than the hurdles and create much bigger personalities of Gold Medal winners (Usain Bolt...)


2. Is a baseball player. Rose makes sense, and his corked bats.

Clem Fandango said...

#1 Christian Coleman, recently broke the 60m indoor world record

plot said...

"Jimmy Garapolo"

GREAT guess. The Pats might regret losing him.

I like your second guess too of doctored balls in baseball. That's a very old rule.

plot said...

"Carson Wentz"

He's already on everyone's radar, well, anyone who watches football.

GigEm said...

@Chaps, Trout is a good guess for #1. But he’s pretty much at the height of his fame and popularity.

Living in Houston, i’ll go with Carlos Correa.

Yikes said...

I am hesitant about Pete Rose . He was very muscular during his career and did not look like a science teacher.

Brayson87 said...

@IceAngel, mythbusters missed, like many people do, that baseball is a sport of speed and accuracy, not power. A lighter bat makes it easier to hit a pitched ball, not hit it further. The more pitches you hit, the better.
Just like testing for steroids didn't ruin baseball, it was testing for amphetamines, it's about reflexes. And staying awake on the field.

#TEAMGEELJIRE CLASSIC said...

Sosa Bleach in a Bottle™
Accept No Substitutes

s.s. said...

"one of the biggest sports in certain parts of the world, if not the biggest"

It's not baseball--yes it has grown as an intl sport but nobody would argue that MLB is bigger than NFL or NBA--which gets far, far better TV ratings than baseball, and better game attendance---main reason they have tampered with the game so much last few years, timers etc...prob not NFL either.

Unknown said...

I understand why he does it, but man, all those plural pronouns being used in the singular make my teeth hurt.

Pete Rose seems to fit #2, but a corked bat wouldn't allow a player with average gifts to "dominate," as described here. I guess the author of this might not know that, though.

#TEAMGEELJIRE CLASSIC said...

It is huge in some parts of the world (Japan, Caribbean), NBA is only more recently popular, cheating is ubiquitous in the NFL but it's not openly known.
#2 gotta be baseball unless there's some cricket fix i'm unaware of.

Guesser said...

#2 is not Pete Rose,it is well known he used drugs, and the corked bat was the least of his cheats. It is likely a baseball pitcher, probably some type spitter,someone smallish with a long career. The biggest cheating scandal was the "Chicago Blacksox" the Whitesox throwing the series for gambling payoff. The first is likely an Olympic sport, but could be swimming, track,or cycling, all dirty. What if the answer to 1 just knows how to beat the system, like Lance Armstrong did for many years? What if someone else does cheat,and leaves him in the dust? We will see.

Halloweenie said...

Icarus on Netflix basically lays out the entire truth about doping and the Olympic Games. Academy award was well deserved for that one.

Unknown said...

Pretty sure #2 is Pete Rose and his gambling on baseball, while playing baseball. The reference to the old scandal is the Black Sox incident.

Guesser said...

The spitball rule was started in the 1920's, so before any of us were born,although hi to anyone 100 years old reason g this! I will guess,just a guess,John Smoltz because of a long career and kin d of looks like a science teacher.

Unknown said...

#2 - Wayne Gretzky?

Bumtitty said...

1.- No idea, but agree with others that it sound like Athletics or Cycling. Would really like to know though, as can't actually see a new great on either horizon.

The Equalizer said...

#2 has to be Greg Maddux. Looks like a science teacher; not a gifted athlete. One of the very best pitchers ever, but not super-famous, considering how good he was. The rule was doctoring the ball, either cutting it or greasing it. If you look at old videos of his, he had a LOT of movement on the ball at the last minute, which is a hallmark of a doctored ball.

CharRicho said...

Baseball and Football (especially Football) are not world stage level sports. #1 is obviously an Olympic sport athlete, probably track and field due to the attention it gets at the Olympics.

Mem said...

@Matt McDonald, Pete Rose gambling makes no sense, how would gambling make him "dominate his sport"? It's definitely the ball thing, as others have said. The "specific incident" was the death of Ray Chapman.

tetsujin said...

Christian Coleman maybe for #1, but I can't see him being as big as some of the sprinters of the past re: endorsements and such. Funny to see a UT sprinter who is all natural LOL. He is a teacher's kid, they tend to be smart, erudite, etc.

Orel Hershiser is the only record breaker in baseball who looked like a science teacher when he was playing that I can think of. He doesn't look like a trucker now. The Hit King is the only one I can think of who looks like a trucker now, but he never looked like he had anything to do with high school when he was playing.

urban chaos said...

My mind went straight to track then cycling.. no names coming to mind though..

CBH said...

1. Could be Caeleb Dressel.

#TEAMGEELJIRE CLASSIC said...

Daniel Teklehaimanot

Tech Tapas said...

#1 Is an olympian, probably the new face of swimming with Phelps retiring. Dressel is a good guess, his times are insanely fast.

Dan said...

I don't actually think it's him, but #2 had me thinking Gretzky. For being one of the most dominant athletes of all time, The Great One definitely always looked like a science teacher.

Think he's still pretty in shape though and is, by all accounts, awesome. Goddamn, the things that man could do on the ice...

T. W. said...

@Dan - I thought so too but I don't see where cheating and ice hockey to together.

In my eyes The Great One looks like Yevgeny Plushenko and Lady Elaine Fairchild.

These guess the athlete blinds are fun & torture at the same time. I hope all of them get revealed.

T. W. said...

I am still researching but I just found out Ireland lost out on an Olympic medal in show jumping because the horse tested positive for performance enhancers.

GigEm said...

Standing by Carlos Correa for #1.
In 2 years he’ll be “arbitration eligible”. Meaning Houston will know if he intends to sign a long term deal with the Astros. If not, they’ll trade him to the big market New York Yankees or LA Dodgers where he’ll ink one of the most lucrative contract in sports history

T. W. said...

Did some digging:

1. NHL (hockey) - The Avery Rule 2008

2. NFL (American football) - the Brady rule (2008) and the "Roy Williams rule" (2005) that bans horse collar tackling

3. Cricket - According to UK's Telegraph Trevor Chappell did not cheat but his " ungentlemanly behavior" forced rule changes in 1981.

Cheating happens in equestrian and in auto racing but I could not find anything that forced a rule change.

Unless this is Cricket, my research is incomplete, or Enty fudged info this is gonna be hard to figure out. I will provide links to my sources. Maybe you will see something I didn't.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sporting_scandals

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2529964-biggest-sports-rule-changes-of-the-last-15-years.amp.html

https://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000017

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/10320304/Sports-biggest-cheats-10-instances-of-notorious-unsporting-behaviour.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/17/sports/cardinals-astros-cheat-teams.html

https://m.ranker.com/list/professional-sports-cheating-scandals/swiperight

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/537712-the-40-worst-cheaters-in-sports-history

https://www.mensfitness.com/life/sports/the-10-greatest-sports-cheaters-of-all-time/amp

hothotheat said...

Is baseball a sport in the Olympics? I like the swimmer guess.

Paul said...

definitely maddux for #2, the incident is carl mays killing ray chapman with a spitball in 1920. and cliff floyd called him out on throwing one a couple years back. fits the physical description too

Ladylaw said...

#1 is a swimmer.
#2 is a cyclist.

KK said...

#2 Baseball player Gaylord Perry used the spitball - outlawed in the 1920's because someone got hit in the head with one and died. He was famous for it, yet made it to the hall of fame.

T. W. said...

@hothotheat - Baseball is no longer an Olympic sport. The IOC will remove sports when the same countries continually wins medals. The theory is this indicates the playing field is not level & I agree. If the USSR still existed they might have gotten rid of gymnastics and figure skating.

Terry Teratoma said...

Is #1 foreign born? If so, I'm going with Andre de Grasse - doesn't look like a typical sprinter (very small), has unique form that his coaches decided to nurture instead of correct, and is by most accounts a really nice guy. I assumed the sport in #1 was cycling, but if not, I'm going with de Grasse.

Sabrina said...

#1 Someone who will be on Tokyo Summer Olympics, and it is either swimming or track and field, which are two of the dirtiest sports out there. Even though baseball is coming back in Tokyo, it is not, sorry, a world stage sport.

#2 is Maddux, for all the reasons listed above and because baseball is the biggest sport in certain parts of the world and with some very old rules.

Chad N Freud said...

#1 What about Steph Curry! Comes from the great looking family, definitely elite level talent, not expected to be great because he is short, definitely not a steroids freak.

If not him, then soccer star Harry Kane, who will probably become England's biggest goalscorer in the next few seasons--also never expected to be great. Very humble, although not good looking like Steph Curry

KGB said...

#2 is definitely Greg Maddux and presumably refers to him doctoring balls. As mentioned above, the late movement he got on his pitches was insane. He absolutely looked like a science teacher during his playing days. Although why he needed to cheat I'll never know, as the umps gave him a larger strike zone than any other pitcher of his era.

Harry Kane's a good shout for the first one. But I'm not sure that his popularity is going to skyrocket in the future. Even moving to Madrid or Barca isn't really going to raise his profile that much more. Besides, he's a diving little cheat, though not as bad as Delle Ali.

P-Dog said...

I don’t think #1 is a cyclist simply because most of the records require a 5-7 year run of dominance. (that said the description of the athlete winning the genetic lottery matches the standard description used for Taylor Phinney). The timeframe (Olympics) and way records are made seem to match a summer Olympic sport like Track better.

lucy said...

#2 is definitely about baseball and in my opinion a pitcher but who was well-kept during their career but now resembles truck driver? rather maddening clue. this person also was 'suspected' later in their career but doesn't seem like they were outright caught, even once. any name I come up with I search for their current pic and none resemble truck driver grrr. who is this?!

interestingconsequences said...

Biggest sports in the world.

1. Football - not the silly American game - which is played by virtually every nation on Earth.

2. Olympics

3. Cycling.

2 and 3 have both had big drug scandals repeatedly throughout recent decades.

Ozark said...

Could 1 be tennis? Olympic sport and otherwise huge. I also feel like the reference to looks is maybe more suggestive of a woman.

2 I think is cycling.

Nubian princess said...

Hubs is a cyclist. Greg LeMond #2

tetsujin said...

Harry . . . Kane? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHHAHAHAHAHA

Disappeared into Giorgio Chellini's pocket in the Champions League. Good for England he scores loads against weak sides, maybe that will insure they make it into the knockout rounds in the WC.

P-Dog said...

I’m skeptical it’s Lemond simply because his baseline VO2 and other measures where world class. He also never looked like a professor. I think the blind is about Greg Maddux and scuffed balls / spitters. He was skinny and wore glasses early in his career and is now about 90lbs heavier.

Bikey said...

Rafa Nadal for #1? Just because he seems genuinely nice, humble and looks cute. Oh, and because I love him:)!

lucy said...

but Greg maddux doesn't now look like a truck driver! when I think truck driver I see someone like David Wells.

what about that last odd sentence? "haven't you heard no cheating.." is that to make us think to no crying in baseball phrase or are we to look deeper into the shy, coy wink? was there a known "shy" player? or one that winks? we've recently been talking about Seinfeld could it be reference to wink episode with Keith Hernandez? maybe it's not a pitcher but a corked bat as previously mentioned .

Unknown said...

1. Javier Baez 2. Michael Jordan

PurplePuffin said...

#1 is Marcel Kittel, cycling

Andy said...

Just to be different:

1) Jimmy Garapollo, QB, San Francisco
2) Tom Brady, you know who

Cody said...

#1. Shohei Otani Baseball
Pitcher and batter from China, very young, 22 years, and just signed MLB. They are already calling him amazing and has broken records for his pitching and hitting.
He will be the first player since Babe Ruth to excel at both.
Tall, about 6'5" athletic and adorable ��

Aoife said...

My first thought was cycling for #1 until teams were mentioned. I don't know enough about the sport to know if there are teams or not. Then I thought cricket but it's a bit too esoteric and why would people be talking about a break out star in two years? I don't think cricket is an Olympic sport but I could be wrong.

Track and field is too obvious.

Tennis is not a team sport except in special circumstances.

I think it will be swimming especially since Phelps is retired.

#2 I don't have a guess.

tetsujin said...

Ohtani is Japanese. He has been a guess on nearly all the athlete BIs involving a young athlete not yet a name, and has fit none of them. He hasn't pitched in the US so probably not him going from chasing records to breaking them. Given the way the US game is played, he is not likely to be breaking any hitting records even if he's in the national league.

Sunnykm said...

Ohtani is playing for the Angels (an American League team). He is clean and humble and is my guess for #1. We saw him play this weekend in Arizona

Babsbunny said...

I actually think #1 is a woman. I'd wager an Olympic contender and probably a swimmer or gymnast, by sheer popularity of those sports at the Summer games and that line about kids wanting to be them. I might go Katie Ledecky on this one... won a bunch of gold medals and a silver. Holds a bunch of world records that no one can surpass... and they're putting back her main event into the programming for 2020.

I'm on board with Pete Rose for #2. Looks like a truck driver. Not genetically gifted.

Original Unknown skeptic said...

#1 is Antonio Brown, well known but not a household name and definitely not as popular as he should be seeing as how he is the best in the game right now. He already holds a ton of records and is only getting better. People like Odell Beckham have more name recognition at this point but shouldn’t. FB is a dirty sport so my guess is AB.

Suzy Sparkles said...

#1- Sydney Mclaughlin, track&field/400m hurdles. Enty said "Real sport. Big sport. World stage level sport" and one of dirtiest sports out there, so t&f fits.

Enty says "...one of the most genetically gifted athletes walking the Earth today. Our athlete was not expected to get this far in their sport." Mclaughlin went to her first Olympic trial as a 16 yr old high schooler and b/c of her young age and relative lack inexperience, she was not expected to go far. She even said herself that qualifying wasn't on her radar b/c she had very rough start to her season with injuries and personal issues, on top of a history of nervousness/insecurity before competing. The day of the trial, she had a self-confessed "mental breakdown" right before the race. She told her coaches she wanted to wait four more years until she was ready. Her coaches would not allow her to back out. She ended up surprising the absolute heck out of everyone by beating out so many highly esteemed, well known athletes (both professional and collegiate) to earn herself the third spot on the Olympic roster. There was a general consensus in some circles that Kori Carter, another hurdler, would likely be on Olympic team (as long as she did as well as normal). What came between kori carter and her Olympic dream? A tenth of a second. Mclaughlin beat her by a hair, and Kori came in 4th. I was stunned, i never had heard of mclaughlin. NO ONE expected her to get a team spot.

Other Enty clues: Athlete is approaching their prime and they are just getting better. SM is only 18 years old! She will be 20 in 2020 and t&f athletes don't see age-related performance decline until 26(or later). So SM definitely fits this.

Enty says athlete is "approaching the phase of going from chasing records, to setting records." In high school, SM chased high school 400m hurdle records of 55.20 set by Leslie Maxie in 1984 and 54.7 set by Lashina Demus (olympic silver medalist) in 2002. Mclaughlin broke both of those records with her record of 54.46. She nearly broke an NCAA record in her very first college race last month, with a time of 50.52 seconds, which ranks first in Southeastern Conference history and second all-time collegiately. McLaughlin’s time is also a junior record. She continues to get faster and better in every regard.

Enty says athlete "incredibly charming, yet humble personality, and has great looks". This describes her to a tee. I like how feminine she looks, especially for a female athlete of her caliber. She often has her nails done and wears jewelry, has very naturally pretty face IMO, and even her physique is more feminine that other athletes (although she is still muscular obviously. but not bulky or roidy looking). It's also in the way she carried herself. Strong but still feminine. She is a sweet girl too.

Enty says "their" instead of gender pronoun, which some on here tend to think is common when he describes a woman.

Enty says not a household name- did you know her before I posted this?

One more thing- Enty posted this blind on March 12. The NCAA Indoor T&F Championships were March 8th, where she ran a 50.36. Had considerable coverage. Maybe Enty saw her face in the news.

get ready for 2020! i also think rappers will start to notice her. STAY AWAY FROM HER DRAKE!. We dont need her to be distracted.





Leanne Norman said...

wade van niekerkr the South African 200m, 400m Runner for#1 he's incredibly gifted, a lot of people are hoping he'll be the next big star in athletics he broke Michael Johnson's world record for the 400m and he always comes across as humble in interviews.

KathyP said...

The Chicago Black Sox scandal happened in 1919. So it can't be the #2 scandal.

GoodAshBadAsh said...

Or Peter Sagan.

Tim said...

@KathyP Why not?

Count Jerkula said...

I'm with ya on Maddux, but i dont think Garapolo has been chasing records or will be setting any significant ones in 2 yrs.

Humor Me said...

#1 - I'm going with Lewis Hamilton / F1 auto racing. He is chasing records set by Arton Senna and Michael Schmacher.

#2 - Tom Brady - remember he was a low score on the original combine and has slowly peeked to the level of greatness achieved. The team cheats. De-flategate caught Brady as the game balls are determined by the quarterback within specifications. It makes sense.

Humor Me said...

Well oops - Scratch Tom Brady as #2. He is still going.
I like the Pete Rose guess.

plot said...

@ Original Unknown skeptic

Wasn't Antonio Brown severely injured this year (by the Patriot team who were obviously out to hurt him which is one of the reasons my NFL addiction must be kicked?)

I read/watched a video essay about Brown and what a physically talented guy he is. I started watching Steelers games just for him...and then NE had to hurt him to win.

If he hadn't been injured, I'd agree with you there.

alicecorrine said...

#1 Jimmy Garoppolo?

Anony said...

I agree with the Sydney McLaughlin guess. She's beautiful, comes from a talented family, and all the wonderful stuff Suzy Sparkles said... Great job Miss Suzy Sparkles!!!

pkelly491 said...

I really hope these Guess the Athletes get revealed.

That being said, i agree that Sydney McLaughlin absolutely works for #1.

plot said...

Welp, I had to look up this Sydney McLaughlin after so many mentions.

Sold! I'm convinced. Can't wait to see her at the Olympics in 2 years. Barring injury or any other impediment, this girl is going to take the world by storm. Photogenic, talented, smart...

Anonymous said...

I'd like to submit Gable Steveson, the amateur wrestler. https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2018/3/5/17081962/gable-steveson-back-flipping-heavyweight-wrestler-video

He's already getting looked at by entertainment types like WWE who recently hosted him at a live event as the guest of ex-UFC and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar https://twitter.com/GSteveson/status/972313544610938885

He's going to his first Olympics next time and is a 260-lb tank who has the moves of a gymnast. He just won the Minnesota high school championship for the fourth year in a row, with him scoring a 17 second pin in the finals, and then did a double backflip in celebration. His last four high school matches in the state tournament went a combined 2:03, and ended his high school career with 173 wins in a row and had a 212-3 record overall. All three losses were as an eighth-grader wrestling against mostly juniors and seniors. His four-year record is the greatest of any Minnesota high school wrestler in history. He’s a probable winner of the Junior Hodge trophy this year and even in eighth grade he placed second in the state meet at 195 pounds. He also has won three straight world championships, in 2015, 2016 and 2017, in his age group. He was 46-0 with 44 pins this season.

He could easily be a big name as he's already talking the talk that a media superstar has https://twitter.com/GSteveson/status/971819035271876614

Unknown said...

@KGB, you beat me to it. Maddux was great at throwing "strikes" about 6 inches off the plate. All the Atlanta pitchers got some extra outside corner back then when they were dominant, but his was ridiculous.

The way I read #2, it's commonly known among other players that he was cheating, since they've been asking how he got away with it. That fits with a pitcher doctoring the ball. They would be able to tell when batting against him that he had too much movement, but be unable to tell how he pulled it. It doesn't fit with some other things that have been suggested, like corking the bat. (How do you get away with a corked bat? Don't ever break one in play. Not really something you can just decide to do.)

Bpadge01 said...

+1 T.W. Scandal was HUGE in it's time....

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