UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 24, Page 3
March 18, 1994
Big league dreams; 'Many called, few chosen,' says head coach
Every little leaguer who ever swung a bat, every high school star who
ever threw the winning pitch, every college athlete who ever made a clutch
base hit-along with the countless team members who warmed the benches-all
have shared the same impossible dream: To play professional baseball.
Since 1967, that dream approached reality for more than 40 University
of Delaware athletes, who were drafted by the pros or signed contracts as
free agents.
Bob Hannah, associate professor of physical education who recently
started his 30th season as the University's head baseball coach, has seen
it all--from an athlete's euphoria upon receiving the call to his mumbled
excuses when the cut releases him from the team and his dream.
Hannah is emphatic about the fact that preparing University of
Delaware baseball players to enter the world of professional sports is not
on his or the institution's list of objectives.
The coach's priorities are to develop the Delaware team to play at a
competitive level in its division, which currently is the North Atlantic
Conference (NAC), to improve each individual's particular athletic and
academic talent and to mesh the vast combination of personal and athletic
attributes into a working whole, more commonly referred to as a ball team.
"To be selected to have a tryout with the pros, an athlete must make
progress, get the necessary attention and be given an opportunity," Hannah
said.
Thinking back over his three decades directing his teams from the
Delaware Diamond dugout, Hannah recalled some outstanding athletes who have
worn the blue and gold. Many had the skills at the college level to attract
the eye of scouts. But, he added, "Many are called, and few are chosen."
Usually those players drafted--and who are able to survive the minor
league's rough schedules, low pay, unusual living conditions and endless
hours of travel-will spend several years and many frustrating seasons
paying their dues. An apprenticeship program is how Hannah describes the
life, but one where very few make it to the top of the profession.
Hannah said he considers recognition of an athlete by professional
scouts a real plus. But, Hannah explained, scouts are torn two ways. They
must be very selective about those they invite to enter the lowest level in
the pros, for drafting a young athlete with little or questionable talent
will reflect poorly on the scout's decision-making capabilities. However,
the lookers cannot afford to allow any young man who has some potential to
slip by.
But, as the length of the annual draft continues into the 40th round,
there is little realistic hope for those athletes at the end of the list to
make the professional grade.
The unspoken theory, said Hannah, is to take as many potential
athletes as possible, toss them in the blender by giving them a chance and
wait for the cream to rise to the top.
Scouts from all the professional clubs attend college games, talk to
coaches and trade information with each other on prospective players.
Hannah emphasized that there are literally thousands of college and
high school players to choose from. He estimated that only about 3 percent
of those drafted or signed ever make the big leagues.
Players are graded on such skills as quickness, glove action, throwing
strength, batting and knowledge of the game. Different positions may
emphasize strengths and talent specific to a particular area. If a player
excels in several skill areas and is only average in others, this situation
will affect a scout's final decision as to whether the athlete is selected
for a tryout.
Since scouts are able to find hundreds of players who have exceptional
talent in all or most of the needed areas, Hannah said, they will hesitate
to take a chance on someone who obviously needs improvement or is lacking
basic and important attributes.
Still the students arrive with the dream.
Hannah said he's heard it a thousand times. "They tell me, 'I'd love
to play professional ball,' " he said. "It's the American dream. They see
the huge salaries, the publicity, the star status. They all identify with
it and they all say, 'If I just got a shot.' "
Some have.
When the call comes, the coach admitted his reaction is often
two-sided.
Professional baseball is able to draft four-year college players after
their junior year and two-year college athletes after their second year.
While the invitation to try out in the big leagues can rocket a young
man's imagination into the upper decks, the effects following the loss of
several starting players can sent a college ball club's preseason hopes
into Mudville.
In the June 1992 draft, five of Hannah's starting players--who had
helped capture first place in the North Atlantic Conference, played in the
NCAA tournament and posted a school-record 39 wins--were tapped by the
pros.
The loss of those players decimated the team that had been built
during the previous years and dashed any hopes of an even greater season in
1993.
"I have mixed feelings," Hannah said. "From a coaching standpoint, I
was looking at the possibility of an even better year and maybe
participating in a national tournament. On the other hand, here's a chance
for kids to live a lifelong dream, to get a chance at the brass ring.
Anybody who plays amateur ball dreams of being a professional ball player,
and when they get that call, they're gone. Professional baseball will turn
the head of a young guy quicker than anything."
There is one particular advantage of being drafted by a professional
baseball club that makes it seem to be a no-lose situation, Hannah said.
Students who sign a contract before completing a degree are promised free
financial assistance if they ever decide to return to college.
To many students and their families, this feature makes a difference
and is a further enticement. They believe they can return to complete their
education if they don't make the grade.
"I always tell them," Hannah said, "remember one thing: it's a fling.
I say 'take that fling,' but also to get as close as they can to that
degree before they leave, to get within striking distance. Because, in the
end, the degree is what's going to count."
To get to the top in the pros--which is a tough, cut-throat
business-Hannah said, young players have to be very good, stay healthy and
get lucky. For those who return, they will always have a wealth of
enjoyable and exciting memories, something they will remember for a
lifetime.
According to Hannah, he has noticed that as each year passes, each
former minor leaguer's statistics and performances tend to get a little
better.
"I've never had a former minor leaguer player say they were short on
talent," Hannah said. "They were always a whisker away from making it to
the majors, and they would have been there it if wasn't for that injury
that came at the worst time and kept them making it to the top."
-Ed Okonowicz
Editor's note: The men's baseball team's next home game at Delaware Diamond
is a doubleheader at noon, Saturday, March 19, against Wilmington College.