Jim Morris, The Rookie, Paying Dues, Chapter 3, Click2Flicks

<body link="0000ff" alink="ff0000" vlink="000000" bgcolor=000033> <table width="100%" bgcolor=000033> <tr> <td align=center valign=top> <table width=90% bgcolor=ffffff> <tr> <td align=center valign=top> <tr> <td> <div align=center><p><b><font face="arial, helvetica" size=5 color=000000><b>THE ROOKIE</p> <p><font size="4">CHAPTER 3 - PAYING DUES</b></font></p> </div>  <center> <table width="90%"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <div align="justify"> <p><font face="arial, helvetica" color="000000" size="3">Jimmy Morris knew he wanted to be a major league baseball star when he was a child. But sometimes knowing exactly what you want to accomplish in life is harder than not having a clue.</p> <p>For twenty years Morris thought of little else. He wanted to play ball in <a href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0060956348.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" target="_blank"><b>the majors</b></a>. He could pitch. He could even hit - a rare talent for a pitcher. But self-doubts can plague even the most optimistic, dedicated person when it seems like achieving the objective is an unrealistic goal.</p> <p>It’s a rare person who gets to play professional baseball. It’s an even rarer person who goes straight to the big league without spending time in the "<a href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/jrhtml/jr1940.html" target="_blank"><b>farm club</b></a>," a <a href="http://www.pubdim.net/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/R/Rickey_Branch.stm" target="_blank"><b>system</b></a> created by <a href="http://rs6.loc.gov/pnp/ppmsc/00000/00040r.jpg" target="_blank"><b>Branch Rickey</b></a> in the 1920s. Even <a href="http://qurlyjoe.bu.edu/allstar/mcguire.JPG" target="_blank"><b>Mark McGuire</b></a> started in the farm club.</p> <p>Since he graduated from a high school that didn’t have a baseball program, Jimmy was behind - despite his innate talent. He possessed far less experience than he needed. A major league season has 70 games. Morris had played in a 12-game summer league. What realistic chance did he have to play pro ball?</p> <p>Turns out, Coach Jack Allen from <a href="http://www.ranger.cc.tx.us/Baseball/baseballhome.htm" target="_blank"><b>Ranger Junior College</b></a> provided a way for Morris to get both experience and exposure. He offered Jimmy a full-ride scholarship. But those junior college days were short-lived. After a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers saw him pitch, Morris was that team’s fourth pick in the supplemental draft. With a $35,000 signing bonus, he <i>thought</i> his dream was finally coming true.</p> <p>It was just the start of his professional dues-paying days.</p> </div> <p align="center"><font face="arial, helvetica" size="2"><a href="the_rookie_ch2.htm">GO TO LAST CHAPTER</a>   <a href="the_rookie_ch1.htm">BACK TO FIRST CHAPTER</a>   <a href="the_rookie_ch4.htm">GO TO NEXT CHAPTER</a></p><br> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> </table> </body>