Reality Has Set In

When I was in junior high school our high school baseball team earned a trip to the state tournament and were rewarded by having the privilege of facing Alvin High School and some pitcher named Nolan Ryan.

Our coach served under Patton in WW2 so you get an idea of what he was like. After seeing the first two batters strike out without ever swinging the bat, he was livid. He told the next batter to “swing the damn bat” loud enough for everyone to hear. He didn’t swing at the first or second pitch. Coach walked down the basepath to tell him again to “swing the damn bat”. He didn’t. Coach met him on his way to the dugout and ripped him a new asshole. Ended with, “I told you to swing the bat. Why didn’t you?” Guy said, “ Coach, it sounded high.”

Your buddy would have been like our guys were. Maybe your buddy is a legend in his own mind.
LOL, great story ... "sounded high."

I have a similar story from the other end ... when I was 14 I pitched in the Florida state semi-finals for Pony League or some league like that. It was the top league in Florida at the time. We were West Palm Beach East, the other team was Sanford up around Orlando. The other team had a kid on it that looked like he was 22. First 2 times at bat, he homers. We are talking way over the fence, don't even turn around and look, homers. The next time I tried to walk him and he reached out and poked a double against the wall. The fourth time, with no one on base I threw 4 pitches against the backstop. Everyone got a good laugh out of that.

I pitched a 7-inning complete game and we won 7-4, but lost in the finals 2-1.

That kid was future MLB HOFer Tim Rock Raines, a man amongst boys. I have the game ball sitting in my office amongst my other sports memorabilia.
 
It can be. Check out Jon Dorenbos. My youngest daughter was a cheerleader at UTEP when Jon played there. His story was tragic in his early years but ended with a good gig as you said. He played long snapper for 10-12 years with the Bills and Eagles.
JJ Jansen is the oldest active ND player in the league. Long snapper for Carolina pretty much his whole career. Probably earned about $12 million (including his current 1 year deal)
 
Happens to everyone. Had a drunken debate with a buddy over the weekend who thinks he could hit .200 in the majors right now, nevermind the fact the modern MLB pitchers have change ups faster than any fastball we were seeing when we last played rec league baseball 13 years ago
Have your friend go follow this guy on Twitter - @KingofJUCO. He will quickly realize how wrong he is. After he wets himself, he'd be lucky to touch a single ball.

He regularly addresses this claim by people who say they could hit so and so. He brings in MiLB and MLB pitchers and hits against them. He's a pretty good player ... I think he got to AAA. It's hilarious to watch him K against these guys.
 
Career earnings: $10,057,487 - 13 seasons.
I didn’t know he made that much. Real feel good ending for him.

He also made it to the finals in America’s got talent as a magician.

Not bad for a kid that was in the foster system because his dad killed him mom when he was about 11 or 12.

And he was a linebacker at heart. Made lots of tackles for a long snapper.
 
JJ Jansen is the oldest active ND player in the league. Long snapper for Carolina pretty much his whole career. Probably earned about $12 million (including his current 1 year deal)
$13,843,650, including current contract. 15 seasons.
 
What I enjoy is going to a professional baseball game and seeing at least one guy on the field who would play hell keeping up with me in the gym. Especially if he had to meet me there every morning for a solid week. He would be so sore he would be in agony. My day's coming but not today, thank you.
 
What I enjoy is going to a professional baseball game and seeing at least one guy on the field who would play hell keeping up with me in the gym. Especially if he had to meet me there every morning for a solid week. He would be so sore he would be in agony. My day's coming but not today, thank you.
You’re saying you are a personal trainer for pro atheletes?
 
I've pretty much given up hope of hearing my name called on draft day. It was always a dream of mine, but they have had 41 years to do it, so I'm moving on with my life.
 
Those who can't, coach.
 
For years after my playing days were over I would watch a football game and think "I could fill that hole" or "make that tackle" then as the years went by it graduated to "For just one play I've got one more good stop in me". I was watching some pre-season action last night and all I thought was "man that would hurt so bad and I would probably never walk again".

Without me even realizing it my dreams have died.
The older I get, the better I was.
 
Member when the first stringers on your high school team were basically the same 11 guys for both offense and defense, and every year in the state or regional playoffs you'd wind up playing against some team that had so much depth that nobody played both ways, and you hung in there for two quarters but then they wore you down because your 11 guys were playing the entire game?
 
I was a legend in my day!

Fail In The Face GIF
 
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