From NOTL to Gateway: The Journey was All it was Cracked Up to Be

Growing up, my dream, much like most young kids, was to play professional baseball. Although in my home town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, most kids wanted to play in the NHL, my problem was I could not skate and was not too fond of the cold. Go figure!

When I did reach my goals of attaining a baseball scholarship and the chance to play professionally, it could not get any better. The road to that first appearance was another story.

My four years at York College in Nebraska gave me the experience of the playing against the top NAIA competition in the Midwest, develop leadership skills I never knew I had, hone my abilities as a player, and prepare me for the next level. 

Heart and drive is something I have always prided myself on. 

Standing at 5'10" and 175 lbs, although presently, I may be pushing 185, I had to stand out from the rest. I had to impress the baseball fraternity with a fastball that topped out at 88mph and a changeup that needed to be thrown on 3-0, 3-1, and 3-2 counts to compensate for an underwhelming fastball.

Upon completion of my senior season, I took my chances and headed to O'Fallon, Missouri for open tryouts for the River City Rascals with four of my York teammates.

Tryouts can be a tasking chore to say the least.  It seems pitchers always get to be the last performers on stage, but as  Bud Fox said in Wall Street, "Life comes down to a few moments. This is one of them." When the opportunity presented itself, I would like to say I did my best.

I spent two weeks in Spring Training and can say without hesitation that it was an eye-opening experience, and being the only pitcher under six feet, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

Unfortunately, I can't quite remember if I was let go during second or third cuts; either way, all good things come to an end. Unaware that my life was about to take another twist, I made that collect phone call back to Canada, informing my parents that the dream was in fact over.

My housing family picked me up from the stadium and headed directly to the beer store!  Friendly and helpful as always, they picked up the tab and helped me prepare for the long ride home.

Leaving the next day, that night was full of emails, phone calls and packing, yet for me the baseball gods must have had my IP address because that next morning, Danny Cox and Champ Summers, coaches for the Gateway Grizzlies, wanted to look at this undersized lefty.

Again, my housing family helped me pack my stuff, and off we went to the next opportunity.

I arrived at the field, one of, I would say 45 pitchers all out for the same thing. As I mentioned previously, pitchers tryout last, and I was literally the last pitcher to throw after four hours of waiting, while attempting to stay dry through the fantastic rain that was drenching all of us. 

For the second time, one of Bud Fox's moments appeared, and this time I would grab it and not let it go. Seven batters faced six strikeouts, and the lone base runner, who, might I add, got a questionable base hit, was picked off second!

I took off my spikes, packed up my glove, and changed my uniform from baseball pants to a 311 T-shirt and my favorite North Carolina basketball shorts that I still have to this day.

Danny Cox approached me and asked, "Can you pitch two days in a row?" Of course, I responded, "Yes, and more if that's what you need." My days as a starter were over; I was now a relief pitcher. 

A short and entertaining spring training was over, and the life of a professional had begun. 

My first unofficial appearance came against the River City Rascals, the same team that released me weeks earlier. I entered the game in the seventh inning, making what seemed like a never-ending jog to the mound. With approximately 4,500 people in the stands, I was a part of something that was now bigger than me.

You get your customary eight to 11 warm-up pitches, yet, at that time, that does not matter. You want to start, get this over with, fast-forward, and rewind all at the same time. 

In the independent baseball, every appearance and every game is a tryout, and what better way to impress my teammates and my team than to give up an inside-the-park home run on my first pitch...I was literally ready to take my spikes off on the mound and find my way back to Canada! Fortunately, the rest of the inning went as smooth as possible; two strikeouts and a pop out. 

Bad start, good finish! Apparently, I did enough to earn that spot on the club, and what an honor it was. 

In 2001, the Gateway Grizzlies were in their inaugural season, and I was blessed enough to be a part of it. I was lucky enough to identify with the fans who were thrilled to have a team to call their own, fortunate enough to be one of the few to play a kid's game and get paid for it, and privileged to be in the same company of players who were fulfilling their own destiny.

David Beck "The Creature," a left-handed pitcher from Cumberland University, went on to success in the Oakland Athletics minor league system and get a nice write up in Moneyball (pg. 19-21). Brian Sellier climbed the ladder all the way to Oakland's triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, collecting over 700 hits in seven minor league seasons.

Surely, this is a time in my life that I will never forget, and when looking back I can smile and know that I did the best that I could.

Reaching your goals is always an accomplishment, but sometimes the journey is the most fulfilling part.

This article can also be found on The GM's Perspective.