Posted on 06/12/2008 9:32:41 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
A Naval Academy graduate drafted last week by the St. Louis Cardinals was denied a bid to play ball Thursday and ordered to report for duty.
Mitch Harris, a newly commissioned ensign and Naval Academy graduate, must serve a five-year active duty commitment, Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter ruled.
“He will report to his ship as ordered,” Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Navy spokesman, told The Associated Press.
Harris, a native of Ocala, Fla., who played high school ball in North Carolina, was selected in the 13th round with the 395th pick overall. The 22-year-old right-hander went 20-13 with a 2.51 ERA in four years at Navy, averaging 11.78 strikeouts per nine innings. He was the second-highest pick in program history.
Harris is scheduled to report Monday to the amphibious transport ship Ponce, which is homeported in Norfolk. He told The Gaston Gazette in Gastonia, N.C., on Thursday night that he hadn’t heard from Navy officials but was not surprised by the outcome.
“Of course we’re at war, no one can argue we’re not,” Harris said. “But what I’ve said from the beginning is that I’m not trying to get out of anything.
“If I don’t get that chance (to play baseball) right now, I’ll never get it again. And to fulfill a goal of getting to the pros, it’s sad that they would take it away from me.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcsports.msnbc.com ...
I don’t think the Naval Academy works the same way.
Part of me wants to toss Mr. Baseball out of the door and lock it behind him. I wouldn't want this self-absorbed SOB as a shipmate. But we paid for his degree. If all we get out of him is four years swabbing decks and cleaning heads, at least we'll have gotten something.
Maybe he'll make the pros. Maybe he'll be standing on the baseline, cap over his chest as he watches the color guard go by, and if he does he'd better be aware that they're better men and women than himself.
The Admiral had a great NBA career, but he did things the legal way. This guy is whining and avoiding his duty.
Agree in full, don't think he is going to be getting many xmas cards from his classmates. Bad move on his part, especially in time of on-going conflict. He won't last long or be very happy. Might be best if he went Army / Air Force (if they'd have him), less encountering classmates or people with memories.
Thousands of young men were competing for his spot in the Naval Academy and this he's worried about his pro-ball career?
Disgraceful.
Correction:
-and he’s worried about his pro-ball career?-
And I’ll add he’s a coward too.
I’m sure the Navy has an out of the way base or some floating lump of metal that he could do a bang up job of “learning” the ropes.
Diego Garcia!
Where men are men, and donkeys are nervous.
The Navy should charge him the 300,000 dollars it cost for him to receive the education and be done with him. I can imagine he will not give his whole heart and soul to the Navy.
OK putz.... resign you commission and buy out your contract.
Jeeze... I don’t think I want this guy in the service anyway.
Anybody know what kind of ship he is assigned to?
If you knew the lengths that both Robinson and McCallum went to get out of their commitments you'd understand how mistaken you are.
As noted by some here; Roger Staubach didn’t seem to complain and I believe he did spend some time in Vietnam.
Phil McConkey went on to win a Super Bowl. I’ve never heard him complain.
Revisionist history. Williams went so far as to hiring a lawyer to get out of serving in WWII, abandoning that effort when the press and fans in Boston started giving him a lot of heat, and he went to Korea grudgingly and was only too happy to be sent home early.
I’d say send him to a ship and put him in a deck division with some crusty salty old Master Chief. The MCPO will have him straightened out in about 6 months.
Personally however, as a retired enlisted sailor, I wouldn’t want him as my superior - I mean - higher ranking officer.
True. The Navy changed the rules for Robinson and McCallum, mainly for publicity.
Some here are being pretty hard on this young man. Someone even called him a coward. He says he’s not trying to get out of his committment. I’m guessing he already regrets the words he used.
I believe McCallum did serve his entire committment though.
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