One of the blogs bay area sports blogs I read (http://sayhey.wordpress.com/) posted this Will Clark video yesterday.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRL6EB5e3NA&rel=1]

Will was my hero growing up. I played 1st base in little league. I modeled my batting stance after his iconic pre-swing rituals. I even had a life size Will “The Thrill” cutout in my room when I was 13. With the steroid scandals tearing baseball apart from its red stitching, this video reminded of a time when the sport was popular because of the competition, not because of the WWE like Goliaths that play today. Will was the best of the best when the sport was at its best. Here are some interesting stats and great moments related to Will Clark:

Wikipedia Summary:
William Nuschler Clark, Jr. (born March 13, 1964 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball best known for his play with the San Francisco Giants from 1986 to 1993. He was recognized by his peers as being one of the best clutch players of his time, and possessed a fiery intensity. He earned the nicknames of “Will the Thrill” (a name given to him by his classmates at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, where he played both varsity baseball and varsity basketball) as well as simply “The Thrill”[1] and “The Natural” because of his natural gifts as a player. Clark was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.[2](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Clark)

Fun Stats:
Middle Name: Nuschler
High School: Jesuit (In New Orleans, where my fraternity brother Steve Johnson went)
Drafted: 1982- Kansas City Royals in the 4th round (did not sound); 1985- San Francisco Giants in the 2nd pick overall.
First Minor League AB: Home Run of Fernando Valenzuela
Games Played in 1988: 162/162
Life Time Batting Ave: .303
Post Season Batting Average: .333
Times in The Top-5 MVP Balloting: 4 timed (2nd- 1989)
First Major League AB: Home Run of Nolan Ryan (All time strike out leader)
Career Earnings: $54,221,863 ($60,000 in 1986)
Accomplishments: College Hall of Fame Inductee, Member of the 1984 gold medal winning Olympic team, 6-time All Star, 2-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, 1989 NL-ALCS MVP

I would say Will’s career highlight was leading the Giants from being a 100 loss team in 1985 to a World Series team in 1989. Check out the iconic series clinching play/celebration in 1989. This might be my new dance move…Both arms up into a full force whole body fist pump:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qxb2Mv3MlE&rel=1]

Will was the total package. Not only was he a perennial all star with the Giants in the late 80’s but check out how good he was great with the media. Notice here in the 1989 NL-MVP post game award ceremony. He stops the interview to thank Chevrolet for being a sponsor. He noted the great play of the other team, specifically his peer at 1st base (Mark Grace). Shit, he even knew what charity he was donating the “Astrovan” he was awarded for his great play.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOGIaP3aptE&rel=1]

Here is a video where Will is is featured as part of the renaissance of the Giants:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANaLJ0IWeDA&rel=1]

First of all, if you want to know something about Will Clark collectibles http://www.thrill22.com/ is the place to go. I did some research on the price if “Thrill” collectibles on eBay. Here are some cool things I found:

Will Clark Bobble Head Doll:

Average Selling Price: $85.37

Game Used Bat

Average Selling Price: $239.86

1987 Topps Rookie Card:

Average Selling Price: $10.50
I have a signed copy of this card on my desk at work.

While I don’t remember the details, I believe Will retired from baseball because he has a child with some sort of physical or mental disability. He sited the need to be a family man as his largest priority. While I doubt he is much of a blog reader, Will, if you ever stumble on this page you should know that even if you’ve gained a little weight and do some part time work for the Giant’s division rival (Arizona Diamondbacks), you’ll always be a hero in the bay area…

Thanks Will!

-b