The Tragic Tale of Steve Bechler

I completed a trade with Schuyler recently for the above 2002 Donruss Studio Steve Bechler Autograph.

Bechler was an Oriole prospect who will forever be a cautionary tale concerning the use of Ephedra and Ephedrine as well as the dangers of heat stroke.

Bechler was only 23 when he died of heat stroke during Spring Training in 2003.  He had been taking a dietary supplement containing Ephedra and possibly had not eaten in approximately 2 days.  He got into 3 games during the 2002 season, pitching for 4.2 innings.

Who knows how the 1998 3rd round draft pick's career would have turned out had he heeded the advice of his trainer and not taken the Ephedra, or his symptoms of heat stroke were identified sooner.

Since his death, and others linked to the drug, ephedra dietary supplements have been banned and removed from store shelves.

Thanks for the trade, Schuyler.  I wish the card had a more positive significance.  I'll post a couple more pieces from the trade later.

Check out Schuyler's blog, he does a really good job over there at Schuyler's Stuff.

A Very Brady Mail Day

See what I did there?

I got a nice package in the mail today from 'the brooklyn met' who has a blog over at: http://clearcutcards.blogspot.com/ who got a decent Met haul in return. I love Brady Anderson. He was a huge star for the Orioles when I was a teenager. He was a big part of the 1996 AL Wild Card team who ousted the Indians in the first round of the playoffs (only to lose to a 12-year old with a glove...). Effing lame. A very sharp looking 1989 Score. This is not Brady's RC though, he had a RC in the 1988 Score set. Still a really sweet card. I like how it pops via scan.

Here is Brady hitting a homer (hopefully) and probably saying BITCHES afterward. Like I said, Brady is the man.

This card came with an assortment of other Orioles. Of course, the card is very nice looking, but one who follows the Orioles can't help but remember Steve Bechler and the cautionary tale he has become.

Bechler came to spring training in 2003 hoping to win a spot in the Orioles bullpen. He had desperately tried to shed pounds in order to get into a better playing shape. Bechler died of heat stroke at the very beginning of spring training that year. The coroner discovered that high levels of Ephedra contributed to his death. It was because of this that the supplement ephedra was pulled from shelves.