Bart,
In a recent live stream, George Senda revealed that he was a catcher in little league. After hitting a grand slam, two scouts from the Washington Senators approached him and offered to sign him when he was a bit older. All he had to do was look them up when he was of age. However, he moved and never could be bothered to follow up. Bart, since he he mentioned this it has haunted me.......
Pitched for four years in high school. Ran a million miles to keep my legs strong. Hours of fiddling with different grips and deliveries. Throwing through the shoulder and elbow pain. Suffering through the ice packs and painting your arm with that atomic heat stuff and dealing with agony of the liquid fire. Taking a line drive in the guts when some lefty bastard, held back on me and ripped a laser up the middle. All of that and what did it amount to? A little nibble from some small, smelly, liberal arts school in Ohio where I could have got a degree in sticking my thumb up my butt. That was it. Whereas Senda has a standing offer to play pro ball and couldn't be bothered to follow up.
Fast forward 30+ years to a few years ago and I'm playing catch with boys in the alley out back. Some of the young gym rats think they are all that but they don't really know what they are doing with a baseball. Sure, I'm a tubby old guy but I can still hurl. I let fly with a beautiful little slider and I fracture some 20 something Mo Fo' s hand. Inspired, I look up the local 50+ league as I figure it is just a bunch of dudes messing around, playing ball and having fun. It is not. Not at all. These boys are serious. Most of them played college ball at a high level and some spent time in the minors. Hell - they even had a Cuban. I throw on the side for about 15 minutes when their leader guy tells me that while I have good movement, I need better location and velocity and that I should take a hike. Dejected I drop my spikes in goodwill donation bin and put it aside forever.
Or so I thought. Now I am haunted by Senda's story. Tryouts are in February. Should I try and hurriedly get in shape and try again knowing that there is no chance or just swallow bitterness and be haunted by Senda's revelation?
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