TDA Bullpen - Our Writers' Blog

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Big Mac
Everybody remember Creatine? That's what Mark McGwire was popping a few years back. I've been (slowly) reading "Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle", here's what is had to say on the role of creatine:

Oddly enough, at no time does a muscle contain much ATP. Running at top speed on ATP alone, a human would run out, having converted it all to ADP, in two to four seconds. So we can't go far without reconstituting ATP from ADP. Another chemical, creatine phosphate, provides the immediate source of both energy and phosphate; splitting off a phosphate from creatine provides the wherewithal to make ATP from ADP. But we haven't much creatine phosphate either, not even enough for twenty seconds of hard running. For a longer run, we bring into use the fat and starchy stuff (glycogen, essentially a chain of sugars) in the muscle. That can keep a runner going for an hour or so. For still longer bouts of activity, fat and carbohydrates have to be moved to the muscles from the liver and the body's fatty tissue.

So in theory I can see how having creatine phosphate in your system helps you train/work out. I'm not sure just ingesting the stuff will do you any good though.

Here's a link to the book:

posted by David 11:33 AM

Monday, July 14, 2003

The Amazing Rickey
Rickey signed with the Dodgers.

I used to really dislike Rickey, but the older he's become the more I like him. You gotta respect him for his skills, and I really like the fact that he keeps playing minor league ball. People talk about playing "for the love of the game", and yet the guy who is supposed to be the most selfish dude in the game is the one out there playing for peanuts.

I remember watching him take a lead off from first a few years back, and realizing that every eye in the ballpark was on him. There were plenty of dudes like Sammy, Barry and McGwire who could do that at the plate, but Rickey is the only guy in the game who can do that at first base.

Crap, I think I have to pull for the Dodgers now...

posted by David 5:02 PM