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| DAVID GOLDMAN/AP PHOTO |
First, a warning. Read the article by Alex Speier of
WEEI.com while you're sitting down. Otherwise, the notion that
Jackie Bradley, Jr. could easily have been a member of the Evil Empire might adversely
affect your health. In fact, the Yankees scouted Bradley at his Virgina
high school and gave him a glowing report. Said the Empire scout,
"Our
impression of him with the Yankees was confirmed one day after his
senior year when he showed up at our Northeast Area Code Tryout at his
high school field in Virginia...Matt Hyde, our scout who runs the team,
wanted to put him on the club until Jackie informed him that he had
already graduated from high school. If that had happened, incidentally,
he would have joined an outfield that already had a kid from New Jersey
named Mike Trout. The impressions that he made that day were
positive -- good energy and enthusiasm, a kid that you could tell really
loved the game." When the Yankees did not offer Bradley a king's
ransom to sign out of high school, he honored his commitment to the
University of South Carolina and won two College World Series
championships there. And the way he dropped down the draft board in 2011 and into the laps of the Red Sox (at sandwich pick #40) is just as amazing as his near-death experience with the Pinstriped Posers. Thankfully, he is ensconced at Fenway for many years to come.
