Power Pros Forum

I am pumped.

I'm here at Crazy Lanes again, bowling, drinking beer. Danny, Cook and Jordan are all here with me, they're my teammates and the conversation has shifted to baseball. I just made an excuse to get out of there and go for a smoke because baseball is the last thing I want on my mind. I hate to say it, but I figure that just having a desk job and just being a fan of the game wouldn't be bad at all. My parents always told me to get a college education and I've lost contact with them 'cause if they tell me to get a degree one more time it wouldn't be pretty. Baseball season starts again in a week. I'm no where near in shape and I have the feeling you get when you're a kid and school's about to start up. Baseball's on my mind now and there's no getting it out so I might as well reflect back to when baseball was something else entirely


2002

"Damn, Matt, there's another scout!" Jack excitedly pointed this out to me

"Oh, that's cool, man." I really didn't care anymore. Scouts were like your mom jokes, they get old after a while (just kidding your mom jokes never get old)

"Dude, come on, you're the belle of the ball here. Number 1 for sure!"

"You mean first round? Sure, but the Pirates haven't looked at me yet." But as fate would have it,

"Matthew, I'm from the Pirates. We've been looking at you a lot lately." Said the voice coming from a typical mid to late fifties scout."I'd like to have a chat with your parents."

And so he met my dad, who had been at the game as always. We went back to our house. Mom offered refreshments in the kitchen and Bob (the scout, can't remember his last name) accepted. Ryan was in there, but not for long. He huffed and left in a hurry. Those were the times when I got incredibly angry at Ryan for being selfish and he would get angry at me for what felt like no reason and we wouldn't talk, but the whole problem was lack of communication and it still is and... I'm getting carried away and thinking about things I don't want to again. Anyway, the conversation went like this,

Bob: We'd like to draft your son number one overall.
Dad: Uhmm.. Thank you for the offer, but our boy's going to college.
Mom: Oh, yeah. Studying at LSU
Me: And playing ball...
Mom: Yes, of course.
Bob: Look, you folks do know how much money we can guarantee your son.
Dad: I'm sure you can do that in four years.
Bob: Don't be too sure. Injuries, not playing well. Those things can land you knocking at baseball's door begging for a job in independent ball. Remember this, number one pick.
Dad: Yeah, I get that, but can you name the number one pick in 1993?
Bob: Yup, it was-
Dad: See, I don't care because whoever it is is probably stuck riding the bus in the minors. I don't want that life for my son. (I remember this part like it was a minute ago...)
Matt: Dad, you said you think I'll be in the majors!
Dad: I do. And I'm under the assumption that you'll be going to college first.
Bob: We're talking millions of dollars here. Matt, have you had a million of anything in life?
Mom: Look, I think we can have this conversation some other time-
Me: No, not another time. Let's do this now. I mean, look at all the all-time greats, how many of them went to college?
Dad: What about the countless other prospects who didn't make it?
Me: Gee, wait to have confidence in me dad...
Dad: I do, but you shouldn't be overconfident.
Bob: Matt's 18. You've raised him to make decisions on his own.
Mom: So what is you decision, Matty?


"Mattay!!! Let's go back to your place!!!" Screamed Danny.

"I don't know guys..."

"Look man," said Cook "We're piss drunk, you gotta get us home safely."

Decision time
A.) Go home and party
B.) Let them spend the night at your house
C.) Leave them behind
D.) Hit the town with the boys

whoahoahoa

I like it a lot.

I guess I'll go B.

Cool. I'll throw in dashes of humor now and again just cause that's my thang, but it'll be like this most of the time.