definitely on the downhill side of baseball now. Somewhat sad, but we do love to fish together.
Eric played 4 years of College Ball, finishing up at University of Tampa and was drafted in the 24th round by the White Sox. He had a great Rookie Year hitting .356 and earning Post Season All-Star Honors and Team MVP. Spring training the following year he received an injury that he was not able to recover from quickly enough and was released after his second season.
He then played in the CanAm league for three seasons winning a Championship for Trois Rivieres. In the winter he played in Australia. The following year he was a Manage/Coach/Player for the Grasshoppers outside of Vienna Austria. We were able to see him there and catch a few games. It was a wonderful trip for his mom and I and we were able to catch one game against the defending league champions where he struck out 18 and hit a 3 run HR to get the win. That was very memorable and one of the last games I have seen him play. While in Austria he was also asked to coach a 16u team for an International Tournament where he faced Russia, France and Germany.
He is back in Australia where he played last season, and this year he was offered to play on the Perth Heat. He is unsure if he will accept the position, they want him to Pitch and Hit as well as Field.
He has been asked to take an 18U Team to Melbourne to play in a Tournament in January and was also asked if he wanted to take a team to Japan, but was unable to do so.
The time is winding down. I have great disappointment with how he was treated by the White Sox, and I can barely watch a game on TV. Actually I cant watch a game on TV yet. Still healing. But there is no doubt that Baseball has taken my son far and he has had a ride denied most.
So, Do Enjoy The Ride. It is a wonderful time! But for most of us it will come to a screeching halt long before we want to get off.