This Saturday marks the kickoff of the 2010 College World Series, when for a short time Omaha, Neb. becomes the focal point of amateur baseball, with Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium its epicenter. This is the 61st consecutive season the tournament will be played at the Blatt and it will be the last, as beginning next year the contest will be moved to TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha (gag). This will be the end of an era in Omaha; following the conclusion of this year’s event Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium will be demolished and the land paved over for the Omaha Zoo’s new parking lot. The stadium, seemingly beloved by anyone ever having even stood in its shadow, is proof that change is inevitable even to the things we cherish most. Many on Omaha’s south side fought against it, arguing for renovation rather than demolition on behalf of their livelihoods. But in the end, progress, and the promise of a big payday for the rest of Omaha, won out, cringe-inducing naming rights and all (for the record, TD AMERITRADE paid $20 mil).
This is not surprising. Baseball today is a business after all, from the Major Leagues down to Little League, and I’m pretty sure the investors of TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha will say you can screw sentimentality if it means selling out their new luxury box suites next year. It would be easy to get all nostalgic here, wistfully harping on the countless great memories of Rosenblatt and cynically lamenting on the new stadium’s lack of history and character. But I’m not going to bore you with that. Plenty already have and we do still have one more tournament to look forward to at the ol’ Blatt.
As per the rules of the universe, this year’s field has seen changes; in 2010 the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs will be making their first CWS appearance. The Horned Frogs become the first team to represent the Mountain West Conference in the CWS after upsetting the heavily favored University of Texas Longhorns in the Austin Super Regional. TCU won’t be concerned with the impending implosion of Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium and its implications about American culture when they take the field on Saturday, they’ll be focused on winning a national championship. And one of those young men, freshman left-handed pitcher Matt Purke, stands out to me as a reminder that baseball doesn’t always have to be about the money if you just go out and play the game.
Houston native Matt Purke was drafted out of high school as the 14th overall selection by the Texas Rangers. But after a series of negotiations contractual terms could not be agreed upon by both parties and Purke declined to sign, instead enrolling at TCU for the fall 2010 semester. The exact details of the negotiations have never been made public, though it appears that essentially the Rangers offered a signing bonus of $4 million while Purke refused to go below six. But Brett, I thought you said it doesn’t always have to be about the money? What gives?
It is easy to call this kid out in making a huge mistake, and many people did just that last summer after the passing of the signing deadline assured the fans in Arlington that Matt Purke would not become a Ranger. What an idiot! They claimed. How dare some pompous teenager refuse $4 million to throw a little white ball? They asked, already assuming they knew the answer. Haters called him supercilious, self-important, and sick with greed at the worst, an idiotic little brat at best. That is more money than most people in the world will see in their entire life, much less at such a young age. Anyone in their right mind would jump at an offer like that without thinking twice, right? Then apparently Matt Purke is not in his right state of mind. But it seems to me the reasoning for his decision was about a lot more than an unbridgeable 2 million dollar gap.
Judging by appearances, Matt Purke is your everyday easygoing ballplayer. He runs full speed out to the mound every inning, smiling with the appreciation of someone doing what he loves. He jokes around with his teammates, keeping the older guys loose when he should be the nervous rookie. Never did he feel entitled by his status when arriving at TCU; Purke rightfully earned his spot as the Friday night starter and enjoys his teammates competing with him for the title. He fits the persona of the eccentric lefty pitcher to a T. His hat remains perpetually crooked to the side, its bill sporting almost starched-stiff straightness. Purke pitches in prescription glasses as well, a definite anomaly in a world overflowing with machismo. But his casual demeanor stops the second he takes the rubber. At that point, Purke is all focus. The kid relishes the pressure. He says that pitching for the U.S. Junior National team against Cuba while in Venezuela taught him a lot about throwing in front of a hostile crowd. By all accounts, Matt Purke simply loves playing the game of baseball. This, as illogical as it sounds, might be exactly the reason he declined to sign with the Rangers.
As soon as a draftee signs with his respective team, baseball becomes his job. He is now contractually obligated to play, and play well. For a 19-year-old fresh out high school, this is a lot of pressure. For such a highly touted prospect, the strain of expectations would surely be heavy. A player in the minor leagues is not just going out and trying to win a game, he is trying to impress the organization enough to be promoted to the next level. It’s a long, grinding season in farm ball and life on the road is often rough, especially so on someone who has never lived away from his parents. And while most people would say hitting a ball with a stick for a living is just about the best job out there, it is still just that, a job. Purke’s father has been his primary negotiator thus far, so if the $6 mil thing is true one can speculate he has grand aspirations regarding his son’s financial gains. If all Purke wants to do is focus on winning rather than fulfilling the expectations of an entire organization along with those of his family, maybe college is the right move. I’m not saying the guy doesn’t want to be a big leaguer, but I can fully understand the desire to delay some of those off the field baseball pressures for a couple years.
One thing intrinsically linked to beginning a career is the ending of being a kid, growing up and taking things seriously. By skipping college, Purke would be forgoing the opportunity to live within a community entirely composed of his peers, and all the shenanigans that go along with living away from parents but still without any major responsibility. And let us not forget what a damn good time college can be. It’s also a time to learn about who you are as a person, and caught up in the hustle of trying to make it to the big show Purke might not have been able to do this. Even just two years at a higher learning institution would surely make someone who has done nothing but play baseball his entire life a much more rounded individual, and none of these personal benefits will ever come from a signing bonus. An oddball lefty making these types of things a priority would not surprise me in the least.
The bottom line is that Matt Purke can pitch, no matter the level. He has won 14 games this season and lost none for TCU. His 11 strike out, one run outing in the Super Regional was enough to beat the Texas Longhorns on their home field and help his Horned Frogs earn their trip to Omaha. He loves playing baseball and is about to play on the biggest stage offered for amateur ballplayers. Yes, he is naïve if he believes that he will in some way improve upon his draft status by attending college; it is a near certainty that he will not match his original signing bonus offer of $4 million and he definitely is leaving himself open to the possibility of a career ending injury before he ever gets the chance to find out. I hope this is not the case. Either way, it is an injustice to knock the kid for having the confidence to take that risk. He is still pursuing his passion, albeit not in the way most would expect.
It is easy to look at a 19-year-old kid who turns down that kind of money and label him an egomaniac, idiot, or both. I personally believe that the kid’s dad wanted him in the majors a lot sooner than he himself actually did. The guy has logged every pitch his son has thrown since he was six years old. Every pitch since he was six! His reason is “if he’s going to have a long career… we should keep close eye on this.” Now making sure your kid doesn’t throw too many curve balls is one thing, but to log every individual pitch for over a decade is downright vicarious compulsion. It’s possible that I am completely off base here, but with that kind of parental pressure it would almost make sense that Purke would want to put his professional baseball career on hold momentarily while getting to enjoy everything good about the college life, including pitching in the College World Series.
And to this point, Matt Purke has nothing to regret. When asked in an interview with the Forth Worth Star-Telegram in May if he had any regrets about his decision, Purke responded, “Not at all. I’m really enjoying myself here at TCU. I love the group of guys we’ve got here, the coaching staff and the whole family we have in Fort Worth. I’m having the time of my life.” I wish Matt Purke and the rest of the TCU Horned Frogs the best of luck in the coming week, and strongly hope that Matt Purke made his decision for the right reasons and that they pay off for him. Maybe, if we’re lucky, an unconventional path to stardom for Matt Purke will even begin to change our perspective that is always, has to without a doubt be about the money. So get out there and rock it lefty, I’ll be rooting for you, kid.
— Brett Phelps
Brett Phelps is a regular writer for The Golden Sombrero who splits most of his time between the Land of Enchantment and the Biggest Little City in the World and contributes weekly to You Been Blinded. Known in other circles as Slo-Mo and Captain Buck Nasty, he is a wandering gypsy and amateur conspiracy theorist. He likes skiing, getting thrown out of sporting events, and long walks on the beach. He hates being in handcuffs, as this is usually a sign he will spend the night in jail. Any questions, comments, concerns, love or hate mail can be sent to him at brettsta04@yahoo.com
