My novel in the SDSU game thread about Tony Gwynn got me thinking about how much I love unconventional sports stories and how different everything could be. 

In the thread I replied to someone who had learned Gwynn is the all-time assists leader for the SDSU basketball team. He's also the single game and single season record holder. The most interesting fact about Gwynn's eventual HOF baseball career is that he wasn't even on the baseball team as a freshmen, he was overweight. He was only allowed on the team his second year at SDSU after two outfielders were seriously injured. 

If those guys are never hurt, how different is the history of baseball? 

What other stories like this are there in sports. 

Kurt Warner comes to mind. Heck of an NFL career, but only after he caught a break while literally bagging groceries for $5.50 in a local supermarket. 

Kenny Rogers (not THAT Kenny Rogers) threw a perfect game in the MLB. He only started playing baseball during his senior year in high school by a friend who was impressed with his throwing arm. He was drafted by the Rangers in the 39th round that summer after only one season of organized baseball. 

Here is one with a little bit of similarity to the Tony Gwynn story. 

Covington Latin grad David Justice was a great high school basketball player and led Northern Kentucky in scoring a couple years in a row if I remember correctly. He received a scholarship to play basketball at Thomas More. He hated off season conditioning and running. To get out of the off season conditioning and running he started playing baseball at Thomas More. The rest is history. He won Rookie of the Year with the Braves, played for two world series winners, hit over 300 HR's and 1,000 RBI...all because he wanted to get out of running for basketball conditioning.

Well a little personal story of mine. Joe Beimel is a few years older than I am but I did face him in little league at an out of town tournament in Portsmith, Ohio. The first three AB's he struck me out on about 11 pitches. The 4th time I grounded one up the middle for a single. 

For his career, Barry Bonds is 1-16 against Joe Beimel for an average of .063. Clearly I am the better hitter.

Also, in 2014 I was playing golf at Avon Fields over in Cincinnati and I found myself playing in the group behind Frank Robinson. MY drive went farther than his, so clearly I am the better hitter.

Antonio Gates never played football until the NFL. Not even in college, where he was a stud basketball player for Kent State. When he was told his pro prospects looked very poor, he decided to try out for NFL teams....

This is a cool thread but I don't have anything to add. ?‍♀️

On 3/27/2023 at 2:19 PM, Voice of Reason said:

Here is one with a little bit of similarity to the Tony Gwynn story. 

Covington Latin grad David Justice was a great high school basketball player and led Northern Kentucky in scoring a couple years in a row if I remember correctly. He received a scholarship to play basketball at Thomas More. He hated off season conditioning and running. To get out of the off season conditioning and running he started playing baseball at Thomas More. The rest is history. He won Rookie of the Year with the Braves, played for two world series winners, hit over 300 HR's and 1,000 RBI...all because he wanted to get out of running for basketball conditioning.

I played softball against Justice a few times in Germantown, KY (his grandmother lived there). He hit a few that I'm not certain have landed yet. 

Best one that I've heard... A sixth grade girl is a very good basketball player (right handed). Has a freak accident at home with a lawnmower and ends up losing her right picky finger.  After many surgeries, her doctor tells her that she will never play basketball again.  Girl loves the game so much she starts playing left handed.  She develops her left so well that she gets a D1 scholarship to play college basketball. 

Feel like this needs to be a movie or a book. 

On 3/27/2023 at 2:19 PM, Voice of Reason said:

Here is one with a little bit of similarity to the Tony Gwynn story. 

Covington Latin grad David Justice was a great high school basketball player and led Northern Kentucky in scoring a couple years in a row if I remember correctly. He received a scholarship to play basketball at Thomas More. He hated off season conditioning and running. To get out of the off season conditioning and running he started playing baseball at Thomas More. The rest is history. He won Rookie of the Year with the Braves, played for two world series winners, hit over 300 HR's and 1,000 RBI...all because he wanted to get out of running for basketball conditioning.

 

On 3/28/2023 at 3:43 PM, LCDAWGS19 said:

I played softball against Justice a few times in Germantown, KY (his grandmother lived there). He hit a few that I'm not certain have landed yet. 

Justice will be at a Thomas More game on April 15. Sounds like a cool event with the "chalk talk" session.

https://www.nkytribune.com/2023/03/david-justice-to-throw-out-first-pitch-to-kick-off-tmu-baseball-april-15-vs-university-of-cumberlands/ 

On 4/11/2023 at 9:58 AM, ChuckT said:

Best one that I've heard... A sixth grade girl is a very good basketball player (right handed). Has a freak accident at home with a lawnmower and ends up losing her right picky finger.  After many surgeries, her doctor tells her that she will never play basketball again.  Girl loves the game so much she starts playing left handed.  She develops her left so well that she gets a D1 scholarship to play college basketball. 

Feel like this needs to be a movie or a book. 

She also hit a jumper to knock off WV in the district tournament. That was one of the biggest upsets of the year.

Back in 1997 I was playing slow pitch church softball and struck out twice in the same inning.

While playing tennis for Thomas More, I once beat a member of the Irish Junior Davis Cup team.  He had a bum knee so I'm kept him running with lobs and dinks all day.