Posted on 05/27/2018 7:50:03 AM PDT by Hojczyk
At least two professional baseball teams wooed Donald Trump when he was a young first baseman at the New York Military Academy, according to a new book.
In the new “The Presidents and the Pastime,” noted sports author Curt Smith writes that both the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox tried to grab Trump before going to college. Each time he said no, or as Smith wrote, “He chose ‘real money’ over baseball money.”
Turns out that Trump was the epitome of a baller in the old sense of the word — a scrappy fighter who honed his skill. “Trump resembled Pete Rose via Dustin Pedroia by way of Enos Slaughter — the most never-say-die kid in town,” Smith wrote in a chapter shared with the Washington Examiner.
His book, to be released next week by publisher University of Nebraska, charts the connections between presidents and baseball and noted that Trump hasn’t followed tradition by throwing out an Opening Day first pitch.
Smith didn’t say why. But he perceptively suggested a possibility: As baseball has fallen in popularity, why would Trump waste his time on the pitcher's mound?
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Fascinating! And the weiter Tom Wolfe, who died just recently, was invited to try out for the NY Giants. He had lots of nifty breaking pitches, but no fastball to speak of, and the Giants sent him packing.
Is this really true, or is it another ‘metaphor’?
Fascinating, if the real deal. Most men are never even considered for top level sports. Every boy’s dream at one time or another.
If only. George Will, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ken Burns.
Trump has game, a good crafty player is probably what they wrote down on those scouting reports, yeah......
It’s really true, but it is also true that he later failed his draft physical. Heart mumer perhaps? Whatever it was that scuttled his athletic aspirations didn’t quench his desire for celebrity and he became a wealthy business mogul instead.
And don’t forget Fidel Castro.
I'm surprised we never heard about this before. This is going to explode more liberal brains. On the other hand, you have Democrat Bill Richardson, who lied for years about his being drafted as a pitcher in 1966 by the Kansas City Athletics.
In 1952 my brother, then 18 was scouted as a left handed pitcher and offered a minor league contract by the NY Giants.
At the time he was working for my father as a bricklayer and turned them down because he was making more at the time (about $3000)than the NYG offered him.
I believe the draft physical found a bone spur in his foot or feet.
I’m a fan of the Nationals Yankees and Indians and baseball generally. I’m disappointed that President Trump did not throw out a first pitch at Nationals Park.
In a city that went 90% for Mrs. Clinton I suppose it would be a hostile crowd. The other side never has to worry about crap like that.
I play senior softball with a couple of guys who signed contracts out of college. Chuck was signed by Baltimore out of a community college here in Michigan as a pitcher and spent two years in the minors before being released.
Al was signed by Kansas City after starring with the University of Michigan and played two years in their farm system before being released..........
Even today, most drafted players will not make the majors unless they are first round picks. And for half of those who do make an MLB roster, it will be for a proverbial ‘cup of coffee’.
It was far more difficult to make the majors in the early ‘60s, when wealthy teams could lock up good players in the minors and sign players who weren’t really prospects to fill out minor league rosters.
A lot of older Hollywood actors were scouted by one or more leagues - back before metrosexual androgeny became the male chic.
The Nationals moved from Montreal to Washington while George W. Bush was President. Dick Cheney went to throw out the first pitch and was booed by the crowd. No doubt Trump would get even more hostile reactions from the crowd.
My bother-in-law was being scouted as a pitcher - until he lost parts of a thumb and forefinger in a machinery accident...only person I personally knew who was being recruited for pro sports - and out of HS no less. Was in the early ‘70s and Joe is no longer with us but he was a hell of a scrapper.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.