Braden LaVerne Looper (born October 28, 1974) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for several teams between 1998 and 2009. High school Looper was a scholar athlete while a student at Mangum High School in Mangum, Oklahoma. He graduated in 1993 with four letters each in baseball and basketball, and two in football, while also a member of the National Honor Society. College and Olympics Looper focused on baseball while attending Wichita State, and was inducted into their sports Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1994, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 1996, he competed in the College World Series, and was a first-team All-American as a junior. Looper was also a member of the bronze medal-winning Team USA in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Major leagues St. Louis Cardinals Looper was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as the third pick in the first round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his major league debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 31, 1998, striking out the side in a relief appearance. After the 1998 season, he was traded to the Florida Marlins for shortstop Édgar Rentería. Florida Marlins Looper was inconsistent with the Marlins, working his way into the closer role. However, he had a penchant for blowing easy saves. Toward the end of the 2003 season, as the Marlins were in a pennant race that culminated in a World Series win, Looper faltered and was replaced as closer by Ugueth Urbina. Looper appeared in relief in the fourth game of the World Series, which went 12 innings. His performance gained him a win, as the Marlins won the game in the bottom of the 12th. New York Mets In January 2004, Looper signed with the New York Mets as a free agent and had his best season to date going 2-5 with 29 saves and a 2.70 ERA. However, Looper had many crucial blown saves during the 2005 season, including blown saves on Opening Day, in a game that would have clinched a Met sweep at Yankee Stadium and as part of an eight-run collapse by the Mets pen against the Nationals. These performances still fresh in fans' minds, he was greeted with loud boos and "Looper sucks!" chants upon his returns to Shea with the Cardinals, most prominently during