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Hochman: The eccentric guru who grew Cards' prospect in his backyard

Matthew Liberatore throws from the bullpen mound during the first official workout of Cardinals' spring training camp on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, in Jupiter, Fla. (Laurie Skrivan,

JUPITER, Fla. — In his backyard, the bearded guru grew kale and southpaws.

Jon Huizinga had an aerodynamic netting apparatus he called a “pitching tunnel” and an aeroponic growing apparatus called a “tower garden.”

Classic rock blared. A couple mutts roamed. There were numerous pieces of antiquated exercise equipment that Russian Ivan Drago might’ve used, and homemade setups of ropes and PVC pipes and old tires that Rocky Balboa might’ve used in Russia.