For a tough Saint, it has been 200 games and the longest 12 years of his life.
Appropriately, St Kilda legend Stewart Loewe handed Steven Baker his jumper in front of his teammates before his 200th game last Saturday night.

The former champion forward represented the entire St Kilda family as he embraced the nuggety defender. It was as much a thank you for the battering he has given and taken since 1999 as it was a gesture aimed at extracting an extra effort for the looming showdown with Collingwood.

Baker is the third Saint to reach the 200-game milestone this season. He was beaten to the mark by the club’s two star Nicks - Riewoldt and Dal Santo - who started their AFL careers two-and-a-half and three years later respectively than the bullocking 31-year-old.

Maybe that’s why Baker contradicts the popular view of long-serving players that careers fly by. Perhaps it’s also why he doesn’t shy away from confronting the finish line when it greets him either this season or next.

“I was just talking about it with Lenny (Hayes) the other day,” Baker admitted.

“Everyone says when they retire or reach a milestone that it’s gone really quickly - I reckon it’s been the longest 12 years of my life!

“Looking back to 1999 and my first game, it seems like a different lifetime. I honestly didn’t think I’d get anywhere near 200 games. As it is, I couldn’t believe I’d got to 100 (in the middle of 2005).”

Baker’s observations on football are as blunt as his renowned uncompromising approach on the field, a strategy he acknowledges cheerfully with, “I think I probably belong to another era”.

Dealing with his own football mortality is one such subject. “I’m probably looking forward to retirement more than I ever have,” he said.

“I didn’t think when I got to the end that I’d be looking forward to retirement, but I’ve got the most I could out of my body.

“I’m still feeling all right for an old fella, so hopefully I can kick on for another year, but, if not, I won’t be too disappointed.

“I’ll gauge it on (the second half of) this season. If I still think I’m going to be of value to the team and if I’m playing good football around the end of the season, I’d want to play on. But if I think I’m going to be a liability, I’d hang the boots up.”

A knockabout from Colac in Victoria’s western district, the hard-nosed No. 10 - who will be remembered as one of St Kilda’s most ferocious competitors - has never forgotten his experience of elite-level football was almost doomed before it began.

Selected at No. 27 at the 1998 draft, Baker’s arrival at Moorabbin coincided with the start of Tim Watson’s two-year coaching reign.

“I missed the first training session under Tim. I had a big night out with Barry Hall. I was a bit in awe and a bit star-struck, so he took me out for a drink and I couldn’t keep up with him,” Baker said.

“I slept in the first day and Tim nearly sent me back to Colac after the first training session. I had to work my bum off to get back in his good books for the next couple of years.”

Baker played just two games in 1999 (rounds two and three) and wasn’t seen again at AFL level until round 16 the following year, the weekend before Watson announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season.

Although the Saints were on their way to the only wooden spoon they’ve ‘won’ in the past 23 years, Baker’s impact was significant. He played the last seven games and finished equal ninth in the best and fairest.

However, that didn’t mean a lot when Malcolm Blight took over: “Malcolm didn’t really like me too much. He said I couldn’t baulk, so he didn’t think I was a flashy player.”

Third in the best and fairest in 2002 and winner of the award in 2005 confirmed that inability to baulk didn’t hold Baker back. Perhaps ‘flashy’ has never been an appropriate portrayal of him; fanatical and resolute are better descriptors.

He has overcome long suspensions and debilitating knee problems, but still plays his footy with a raw passion and zeal, leaving him at the top of the list for the big jobs on the big names.

Not surprisingly, Baker has clarity on his role, and modesty regarding his success at it. “I don’t really like saying I’ve got a scalp because it’s a lot harder to get the ball than to stop someone getting it.”

Famous battles with the likes of Chris Judd and Gary Ablett are a thing of the past for the full-time backman, who was a solid midfielder when his engine was bigger and legs younger.

Now, in the twilight of his career, Baker is embarking on a new life outside football, and the irony wouldn’t be lost on the dozens of players who have spent an uncomfortable afternoon or evening being shadowed and harassed by him.
He is an ambassador and salesman for health product company Free Life.

Baker has an emotional attachment with the organisation after his mum recovered from illness and “changed her life” on one of its programs.

On the field on weekends, it’s still about making life miserable for opponents; off it on weekdays it’s about making people feel better about themselves. And ‘Bakes’ can certainly see the funny side of that.