Eli Whiteside, 2003 Bowman #323

It's been a while since I've posted a player's card just so I could make a lame wordplay on his name. But there's snow in the forecast for this evening and tomorrow morning, and I desperately want a snow day. Let's take a walk on the Whiteside.

Groan. Go ahead and toss your tomatoes.

Here in Baltimore, we've spent the entire winter being teased by Mother Nature. Nothing more than an inch of the good stuff this season, and that's just enough to wreak havoc on my morning commute. Last week, we had the worst of both worlds...rain AND temperatures in the 30s. Are you kidding me? It's time to straighten up and fly right, you mystical weather forces. I expect to wake up at 6:00 AM, see nothing but blinding white, and be able to turn over and go right back to sleep. Wednesday, March 6 shall be a day for flannels, snowmen, hot drinks, Netflix...and yes, organizing cards. Always with the organizing cards. Is that so much to ask?

Eli Whiteside, 2003 Topps Total #332

Baseball is a funny game. Friday night, Jonathan Sanchez made an emergency start for the Giants following a shoulder injury to the ancient Randy Johnson. Sanchez had previously been banished to the bullpen following a 2-8 start. With the youngster being tabbed for a home start against the lowly Padres, his father Sirgfredo came all the way from Puerto Rico to watch him pitch. So naturally Sanchez, winless since May 25 and without a single complete game in his career, no-hit San Diego. The only Padre baserunner came on a late error by third baseman Juan Uribe, and Sanchez whiffed eleven batters.

You might also consider the story of Eli Whiteside, a catcher drafted by the Orioles in 2001. He spent seven years in the Baltimore organization, becoming intimately acquainted with long bus rides and receiving only a dozen major league at-bats with the O's (all in 2005). Fast forward to 2009, which was shaping up as his fifth consecutive season at AAA before he was promoted to San Francisco on May 24. Eli had still played only sixteen games before Friday, when starter Bengie Molina's wife went into labor and he left the club to be with her. The 29-year-old backup not only called the pitches ("I was just putting down fingers", he said modestly), he contributed two hits and an RBI and scored a run.

Go figure.