Joe Brodeur was the SJL MVP of 1973 and is one of the most talented players in the game but he is also gaining a reputation as one of the more troubled players in the WPK and a real clubhouse disruption. Today that perception was enhanced when the league issued an 80-game suspension to him for violating the league's drug policies.
This is yet another obstacle for the San Antonio Keys as they attempt to rise up the ladder in the SJL with several very talented young stars. Their young shortstop, Bud Lindsay, who does not have the temperamental issues of Brodeur and is in fact considered the team's captain, struggles to stay healthy. And the team has still not been able to build a stable pitching staff, even with the tremendous season that staff ace Mike Girard (18-3, 2.70) gave them last season. The gifted 24-year old Brodeur is the kind of player who can carry a team on his back, but it increasingly becomes clear that he is also the type of player who could drag this team back into mediocrity.