[BeanSobie]

After talking with Pap and celebrating with Scott and a few more guys on the team I got a call from one of the Mariners’ scouts who broke down what the next few days would look like. They would be flying me out to Phoenix where I would tour the facilities at Peoria. Rookie league in Arizona seemed to be my most likely bet, I was told that there was an off chance I could go to Everett but that would require the team’s 10th round pick Dallas Carroll, another 3B, to refuse his signing bonus. Dallas was a year older than me and a better contact hitter.

Pap drove up to Morgantown to help me pack and take me to the Pittsburgh airport. I offered to take him out to dinner but he refused to be treated by his grandson, regardless of how much money he had just earned. “That signing bonus might be the only solid bit of money you ever make playing ball, don’t waste it on steaks you won’t remember eating and cars you won’t still be driving ten years from now.” I couldn’t help but think, if nothing else I inherited some pragmatism from the old man, as I happily ate that McDonald’s dollar menu chicken sandwich.

The ride up to Pittsburgh included a lot of Pap gushing over Bobby’s progression as a ball player. When my dad died in a car accident a few years back it came out that he had never updated his life insurance beneficiaries after having kids. Pap took all of it and did his best to use it to our benefit, although I know most of it went to keeping the farm afloat. Bobby benefited the most though because he convinced Pap to get him a hitting coach and Pap just happened to stumble upon one of the greatest gems of the 21st century. No one knew hitting guru Mark Catts’ name when he first started working with Bobby all those years ago. Now he is a proven commodity and one of the most expensive coaches in Appalachia, if Bobby pans out in the bigs he could be Mark’s meal ticket to a professional coaching job.

“Did he tell you coach is going to put him at outfield? He watched tape of you playing there in college and since Bobby’s not the catcher you or Scotty was he wants to try him in the outfield.” I nodded to the question not really knowing how to break it to him that Bobby never called me after I got drafted. In honesty we haven’t talked since the last time I was home. There isn’t any animosity between us, I just don’t think either of us are the type to pick up a phone.