Random Thoughts on Friday: Low level Athletes.

The player walked on the field like he owned the place...  and he looked like he did.  He looked more like a pro wrestler than anything else.  I would assume some steroids were involved at some point.  He was probably a good 6 and a half feet tall too.

This was his second year playing pro sports, and he was playing at...  well a low level.  A very low level.

I have always enjoyed lower level pro sports.  There is something more scrappy about it.  More errors are made.  There is more hunger.  I'll take a single A baseball game any day of the week over an MLB one.

I've been pretty close to managers and coaches on some teams too over the years.  We have had season and partial season tickets for multiple teams.  A few coaches have talked very openly about some of the players.

This guy had the look though.  You instantly asked, "why is he playing at this level?"

The program magazine revealed that this player had played for a MAJOR college program.  

Now, he was playing for a couple hundred people, in a very small town.  The local paper probably wouldn't even mention the game tomorrow.

His college games were watched by tens of thousands of fans.  Sports Illustrated would mention his team often.  In college, his team was often on national TV.

So what happened?

The guy was a total jerk.

The guy was always complaining.  If management didn't give him what he wanted, he would give them a cussing that wouldn't believe.  No four-letter word was off limits.  I had heard about a particular verbal assault on a female staff member that was pure evil.

And, we all know that, if you are a superstar player, teams will still sign you.  I think this guy was just talented enough for him to be on some scouts' radars, but his general mediocrity plus his attitude kept him down.