Really cool article in the LJS this morning ...

[Norm Peterson]

Paper version of the paper so, sorry, but no link.

 

So, this guy grows up in Elwood, NE.  School too small to field a high school baseball team (16 in his graduating class) but he plays legion ball in the summers with a farmer for a coach who doesn't know much about baseball other than this kid is winging his fast ball at about 98 mph.  

 

So, the Rockies invite him for a tryout, place him in a juco for a couple years.  He gets drafted, spends some time in the minors, eventually works his way all the way to Triple A, reaches the bigs for a time but eventually career ends before he's quite ready (imagine the scene from Bull Durham with the manager calling the Kevin Costner character into his office ...)

 

There is a Husker hoops angle to the story as well but I don't want to spoil it.

 

Can someone link, please?

 

And, Jimmy, it would have special significance for you in a couple of respects.

[cipsucks]

Consider yourself linked in.

[jimmykc]

Read it and enjoyed it this morning , Cip. And it was on the front page, no less. And yes, I do have a personally autographed book from Bill Buckner and too bad the guy didn't pitch for just one inning and get his World Championship ring. But sometimes things still work out for the best. Just ask Moonlight Graham.

[TheKamdyMan]

It sounds good in theory but he wouldn't have gotten the ring for an inning. The players vote on who gets one in MLB. 99% of the time the players only give them to contributors or guys that made an impact. Heck they even do that in the minor leagues. We had a team vote for which guys played there that season that deserved one that wasn't there for the playoffs.