Years ago, one of my favorite ballplayers was a slight
and skinny outfielder for the New York Mets named
Lenny Dykstra. If he turned sideways, you could
barely see him. He'd disappear.

After a few seasons with the Mets, he got traded to the
Phillies and I lost track of him. But then, one day in Spring
training, I saw him again, up close and in person, and
remember being startled at how much his entire body
had changed. Somehow, he had bulked up, put on weight,
and put on muscle. There was a distinctively different
visual presence about him as compared to before.

WHERE DID THOSE POPEYE ARMS COME FROM?
Was it merely from hard work in the gym and Mother Nature?

After having heard baseball star Jose Canseco's recent
revelations on 60 Minutes about steroid and growth
hormone intake by players in the 1990's, I've come to
a personal conclusion about Dykstra that others may
or may not share. [Just as I've come to a dubious
conclusion about many of our most accomplished
race horses.]

Dykstra went on to play very well for the Phillies and
had career tops in several power categories in 1993,
when he finished second in the voting for league MVP.

JohnTChance