I fell in love with the game instantly. Anyway, I played till I was 16. I started out playing recreational league when I was young. I could really hit, played a decent catcher and played in right field. I once got hit 4 times in a game and rushed the mound. It was awesome.

Come high school I figured I had the make up of a good player so I tried out. And I was cut after the first round. It kinda hit me hard and I never really played baseball again. I mean I play catch and softball, but really it isn’t the same. A true player who never followed through on their dream will tell you that. Softball isn’t as intense as the real deal and playing catch, to me, as a pipe dream of what I could have had.

Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

until 8th grade. I was a good defensive catcher but couldn’t ever hit the moving ball, so I switched to a sport where the ball stayed still in Golf. I have always loved watching baseball and my roommate in college played for 4 years at a University here. I never missed a game. I work with High School kids now and I have just been asked to be the chaplain for the Abilene High baseball team. We have some really good players that are fun to watch. Two kids who just signed to play baseball at University of Arizona.
Living through the kids with no shame.

would that be?

I sucked.

2 years of tee-ball and a year of Pony League baseball as a kid. I was usually the fourth outfielder. I was a pretty bad hitter, probably due to the fact I couldn’t see well- I wound up getting glasses the summer after my last year of playing.

I did play slow-pitch softball throughout my teens, and did a couple years of company softball and intramural softball at UT-Arlington. My usual position was catcher, though I did play a bit of second, third, and left field. Never had much power, but I was a fairly good singles and doubles hitter.

2 years of varsity was all I got before I was lured by the sweetness of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.

Our team sucked. I was a good hitter and led with three (!) dingers and a bunch of doubles. I couldn’t field to save my life, though, and that went for any position. For some reason I was best at two of the harder positions…SS and 2B. I could handle ground balls and make strong, short throws. Had trouble tracking and catching flies. First base probably would’ve been ideal for me but a fat kid who could also hit played there. At third I couldn’t throw the ball to first accurately. At all. So I spent most of my time as a clown-like fielder at second.

And I also pitched and caught a little. I could throw fairly hard and do it all day, but had no command at all and only a fastball.

Occasionally I would be asked to go to the OF, and was terrified every time. Once in Jr. Varsity a pop fly was hit to left, where I was. It was overcast and I could see the ball very easily. Didn’t have to move except for a few steps to get under it. The ball came down and I raised my hands. Somehow it missed my glove completely and hit me squarely on the head. Runners were on first and second…the ball was hit shallow. I was a bit stunned and it took a second to find the ball…when I did I fired it home but very, very wildly. Both runners scored and the hitter wound up at third. He could’ve scored, too, but they were way ahead and held him. Everybody, and I mean everbody who was playing or watching that game laughed their asses off. And so did I and I had to run bases for that.

But I could hit. That’s really all I could do; as hard as I tried I just could not field a fly ball or throw accurately. I was a total clown out there like I said. I’d make Kevin Reimer look like Willie Mays.

in a small middle American town (small talent pool) until I was 14.

I pulled a Kelly Leak…skipping practice to go chase girls with friends.

The coach told my Dad I missed practice…we got into a huge argument…I got my ass waffle-stomped, quit that day, and I never played competively again.

I played from 6 years old until I was 21. The last three years were with a semi-pro team (Connie Mack league I think) in Denison. It was a cheaper version of the wooden bat league being played around the metroplex these days. We played twice in the Texas Olympics in San Antonio in the mid to late ’80s. I had pretty good eye-hand coordination, but only weighed 120 lbs soaking wet. Not much need for those type players in college.

I batted left-handed. So I either batted 2nd…if the coach was a small ball guy…or last if he was a HR guy. So I usually batted last.

In those 15 years, I only hit two home runs, but one was against an old AAA pitcher. So I got that going for me.

And, our very own TR Sullivan covered our baseball team as the “beat writer” for the Denison Herald my senior year (’83).

and High School. I sucked. I hit well, gapper stuff, lot of doubles, good speed. But when I got glasses in jr. high I just stopped hitting. I played mostly outfield and catcher. The pitchers liked me, I was a good target but I couldn’t throw for shit. By the time I got to high school all the other guys were just bigger and better than me, so I switched to track and sprinted. I was much better at that, but by then I was way serious about music so I didn’t really try to max out my ability there.

And too long ago. But quickly: 5 years youth ball at mix of 1B, SS, 2B (before Little League or Babe Ruth League were organized, at least not yet in out town). Outfielder in unpaid town team and pitcher only paid indy during HS and part of college, but only in two summer months (basketball was year round, mandatory except July/Aug). Nothing really during college (school daytime, radio station sports/news at night). A few games for the base team in the military, and some fast pitch softball. Defensive whiz, awful bat. Had fence and warning track power, but not light tower power. Switch hitter with good arm, good glove, so got to play whenever I’d take the time. Boy are those days gone!

Umpired 14 years at all levels short of MiLB. That really went well, but didn’t go to FLA for pro placement since I had another cereer cooking I was truly enthused about. Worked everything from city leagues, ASA sponsored leagues, HS, Div II NAIA. Continued to play AAU and AAU Masters basketball until age 38, when my kids began competing heavily.

Took up the Rangers fandom in 1976, due to their AA team in Tulsa. Moved to TX a second time (for keeps) in 1986, got first orientation to paying attention to people’s statistical analysis in 2001 (thanks AJM and crew), although I had been “told” about sabrmentrics by Verne McMillan (Three Eye League) as far back as 1958.

Dad was a good town team first baseman in the 1930’s, missed a Reds tryout due to induction in the Navy. One uncle pitched for Indiana State in the 30’s. Another uncle caught and played 1B for a variety of amateur indy teams in the 40’s. Ex father in law a noted pitcher/catcher in Iowa in the 40’s and 50’s, umpired in the 50’s and 60’s, inducted into the ASA umpires hall of fame before he passed away.

But that was about it.

I’m not really athletic at all, and I didn’t really have much interest in playing sports until high school – at which time I made a halfhearted attempt to learn how to pitch because I couldn’t make the team at any other position, but that didn’t work out too well.

at that young age, i chose to devote most of my time towards soccer and long-distance running because i was better there.

Always was a baseball fan though…just never stuck with it.

Little league and such — played with trident actually

and then I made the team at my HS my freshman year but couldn’t play because of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgood-Schlatter%27s_disease

That pretty much kills your athletic career for a few years. You can’t run or anything like that. It would actually hurt to walk up stairs sometimes.

Anyway, since that killed my baseball career, I tried out for the golf team and on my 3rd round ever shot a 89 to make the team. So, I’ve got that going for me…which is nice

was good in HS (2x first team all district, 1x 2nd team all-district, district MVP sr year)

played 2b until i was 10 then got moved to OF and stuck there

played baseball from when i was 6 to freshman year in college
didnt play much select (but that was before select was a big thing – my bro has been playing basically straight through from feb until now and probably will through the end of his sr year – hes really good – D1 level-good)

ended up signing to play at AC – but the coach who scouted me a lot ended up leaving and the new coach didnt relaly know who i was…and ended up being on the joe madden-level of game decisions (seriously)…and being in the right place at the right time – AC won conf my soph year, but it was due to the fact they had multiple 3+ year starters at about 6 positions

anyway the baseball team and i decided to split ways and i went with school (but lived w/ baseball guys all the way through my jr year)

i loved it and reallyreallyreally miss it sometimes

T-Ball – My mom was the coach.
Coach Pitch – Poor vision = poor hitting
Mustang – Wore glasses and became a monster line drive hitter. City All-Stars
Bronco – Started catching. Developed a cannon to second. Only four guys stole second on me the entire season. I can’t remember how many I threw out, but it was a lot. City All-Stars.
Pony – Hitting began to decline. Still a bad-ass catcher. City All-Stars

Select League 1 – Hitting went from mediocre to average. Off-year defensively.
Select League 2 – Season cut short due to soccer injury.

High School – Tried out. Went to squat behind the plate. Ripped my pants.

I followed the team a lot and did a couple of broadcasts for our media tech class.

College – I went to a TCU game once.

Pro – I convince myself that I can’t be any shittier of a pitcher than Luis Mendoza. I decide to take up pitching. I practice sometimes at the park off Woodall Rogers… with an old tire as my strike zone. I think I can hurl. The next two years I will condition my arm into awesomeness. I will find a connection and talk him into telling his scout friend to come watch me. Scout will be impressed. Will give me a try-out with an independent league team. Will dominate as a closer. Big-League team takes notice. Gives me a try-out. I dominate minors in a fashion never before seen. Scouts scoff at my age (29-30) but say my stuff is legit.

The Pittsburg Pirates call me up on May 9th, 2012 against the Giants in San Francisco. I am wearing No. 77. The first batter I face is Angel Villalona. I strike him out and go on to be the best closer in baseball from 2013 – 2016. My career ends with shoulder surgery.

I use the money from baseball to buy some land in Argentina and ultimately become a pot farmer.

Played through middle school, and was usually one of the worst kids on the team. I’m not an athletic person.

Just got started in an adult-league here, and I can hit, but I can’t field for shit.

Our team was called the Little Angels and we wore Atlanta Braves caps, because that’s what they sold at Walmart with an A on it.

I was the catcher. No big surprise there…

I’m on varsity as a LHP/1B

I don’t throw hard at all, low 80’s on a good day.
The only thing going for me is the sick tail on my fastball and my sometimes effective deuce.

started at Catcher. I was your standard D1 catcher, hit about 260-280 but took my defense and game calling very seriously….Know a lot about the game due to that….I played for some great, knowledgeable coaches: Dave Van Horn (now at Arkansas) and Rob Childress (now at A&M), also played for Skip Johnson (pitching coach at UT) and John Cohen (Mississippi State)…Played with and against a bunch of big leaguers (caught Brian Lawrence, against Ben Sheets, Berkman, Broussard, Brandon Larson, bunch of others…)

Don’t post here much bc still learning the saber stuff, but I do learn quite a bit from yall. I’m sure to jump in before too long….

Anyways…yeah, that’s me….

Yall have a good day.

I got really scared whenever the dad’s stopped pitching to us and my friends took over. I also couldn’t catch a flyball whenever they would stick me put me in right field. I didn’t have a dad around to help teach me these things either, so I quit at the ripe old age of seven and started memorizing stats, haha.

other than that I didn’t really play much. I developed an appreciation for the game growing up watching it on TV and whenever we took a trip to DFW during the summer going to Rangers games getting to see in person Nolan Ryan pitch, Kenny Rogers’ perfect game, not to mention years of Pudge (still my favorite Ranger).

I grew up playing soccer all the way up instead. I was better at that, and in fact still play it in adult rec leagues. I’ve been meaning to get into softball, but don’t really know of a team locally needing people in Fort Worth.

I played around 5th, 6th grade. Totally incompetant.

Following the Rangers is my connection to growing up in Texas, that’s all it is. I didn’t care until I left for college. I like the LSB community, too.

I like the other Dallas teams but can’t get as enthusiastic — stats don’t provide as much insight. Numbers tell the story of the baseball season and the player’s career, just like reading a novel. I love baseball.

Played catcher mostly, sometimes in CF. I was actually really good…

But, one day…was batting against one of my friends in his backyard, he was pitching…for some dumb reason i wasn’t wearing a helmet. Sun got in my eyes during one of his pitches, hit me smack in the left temple. Ever since then I couldn’t really shake that off…

I miss playing it, my favorite sport to play…definitely the best sport ever invented.

Played a couple years when I was 10 and 11 but I sucked. Couldn’t field, couldn’t throw, could hit a little, and I was small (didn’t break 5 foot until I was 15). But I liked baseball and was pretty smart, so I became an umpire when I was 15 (some of the kids I umped were as tall as me) and did that until I was 21 or so. I coached little league while in college.

My first year of college I was 5-10 but only 130 lbs so I started lifting weights and filled out to 170 or so. That’s when I actually became decent athletically and played softball. I still couldn’t field but I was fast and could hit so I was a catcher (only softball catcher I knew that properly backed up first). I’d play for teams constructed for tournaments. No power but I always got on and went 1st to 3rd well.

t-ball when I was 6 and played all the way up through HS. Pitched mostly and played a little 1st and left field. I developed my own “thing” pitch when I was 12 and used it one time in a game my Sr. year in HS. After 2 straight heaters high and tight, I threw the “thing.” It was sort of like a slurve but with more velocity. The ball was going straight at the guys head, he hits the dirt and the ball goes right over the plate for a called strike 3. That was probably my best baseball moment of my playing career. I had a few offers to go play JuCo ball, but ended up going to Texas State because I was burnt out on baseball, which was a dumb mistake. Couldn’t ever hit worth a shit, just singles and doubles, no power.

when I’d walk 2 miles to a really great little ballpark that had fences. A group of us would get together and play several days a week after school.
I hated playing infield, something about a ball coming at you on the ground at a high rate of speed I found disconcerting.
Amazing outfielder blessed with a cannon arm and track star speed if it was hit in the air I was all over it.
Pretty good power for a 140 lb guy at the time, hit a lot of homers..the fence was only 250 feet though.