It’s been quite some time since I’ve mentioned Edgar Martinez’s name in any context. I’ve always liked the man; he was a fantastic hitter, and really made you believe there was a science to it. Perhaps that’s why I take his word as being more credible than that of Shane Monahan, who if you remember, gave an interview a few months ago in which he said “he believed that steroids were rampant throughout the Mariners’ clubhouse and the game.” Monahan said all of his teammates used amphetamines, with the exception of Dan Wilson. Well maybe Edgar’s just trying to keep the boat from rocking even further, either way, he disagrees with what Monahan said.
“I was there for a long time, and I didn’t see what he saw. I don’t know why he made those comments.”
…
“There has been a lot of this going on around baseball. At times, you expect rumors and things like that. It’s been happening quite a bit. So you just take the information. But like I said, I was there for a long time and never saw any of that.”
It’s kind of easy to piece this all together. You take a few looks at cats like Jay Buhner and Bret Boone who displayed strange bursts of power and then were suddenly out of the game, and you can take a guess at what Monahan was talking about. Maybe Edgar’s just like Frank Thomas — a natural hitter who stayed away from that junk and really had no idea about what was going on. Or maybe he’s just trying to protect his name and his former teammates. I’d like to think the former is true, particularly because I think Edgar’s offensive prowess makes him a Hall of Famer.
