Almost A Ray
The folks of Boston may owe a ballclub in Bend, Oregon a huge debt of thanks for the presence of a certain fleet-of-foot outfielder rookie on the roster.
As Alex Speier pointed out, Jacoby Ellsbury could very well have been in the home whites of Tampa for this series– instead of the Boston greys. Jacoby was originally drafted by the (then Devil) Rays during the 23rd round of the 2002 draft (674th overall pick), when he was just freshly out of high school. Per Alex, “Tampa was aggressive in trying to convince Ellsbury to sign, offering him a well-above slot bonus that one N.L. scout recalled as being around $100,000.”
“I was really close to signing. I could have been a Ray. I was right on the fence, teeter-tottering about whether to sign or not,” Ellsbury recalled last week. “It wasn’t necessarily the money. It was pretty good money. It was just getting a college education then. I wanted the college experience at the right age. I wanted to be a freshman when everyone else was a freshman. I waited it out for over a month. Any of those days I could have signed.”
Instead, Jacoby went on to play ball for Oregon State University… and later to be drafted and signed by the Red Sox in 2005.
So what helped him make up his mind? According to Jacoby, his time spent playing for the Bend Elks baseball team (part of the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League, a summer collegiate wooden bat league) that summer of ‘02 before college may have helped him decide to head to OSU.
“If I didn’t play in Bend, who knows what would have happened?” Ellsbury said Sunday. “I think playing for the Elks definitely swayed my decision to go to Oregon State.”Several members of the 2002 Bend Elks also played for Oregon State, and they helped Ellsbury in his decision.
“I met a lot of guys on the team, and they convinced me of how great a program it was,” Ellsbury said of Oregon State.
All together now: THANK YOU, BEND ELKS!
I’ve never heard “teeter-tottering” used in this context before, but oh well.
Thanks Bend Elks!
What IS a Bend Elk?
PS Ells please stop getting caught stealing.
Thank you, Bend Elks!
YAY BEND ELKS!!!!!!!
Thank you, Bend Elks! Perhaps we can send an edible arrangement?
THANK YOU, BEND ELKS!