Story of a Two Sport Star

[rudel.dietrich]

James Rose had always been a natural athlete. Growing up he spent countless hours in the streets and fields of his Oakland, California neighbourhood playing every game imaginable.
Stickball, touch (and tackle when no adults were around) football, soccer, footraces and of course street basketball.
Afterall, what else was there to do? You did not have many options. It was either playing sports with friends or joining a streetgang and meeting a quick end.
James was a good athlete, and had a good head on his shoulders. He had (mostly) kept himself out of trouble. He did well in school and gave his mother very little worry. Like most of his friends, he lived in a single parents household. Unlike alot of his other friends however, his father had left the family not of his own choice. He had died of cancer when James was only four.
So it was just James and his mother. She dated now and then, but never anything seriously and never any serious attempts at remarrying.
James did well enough in school, one might say above average. He was never near the top of his class. But he had no academic weakness and was liked by his teachers and his fellow classmates.
But sports was another matter. There was always sports. Organized sports were far and inbetween. Football was always there, his mother somehow always scraped together the money to get him into local leagues.
He always played for his school as well.
He liked baseball, but little leagues were out of the question. They did not exsist. He played the game in the streets and in the few rundown sandlots that exsisted. It was a bastardized version of the game. But it taught him the basics and emphasized some of the skills that would be of great use later.
He of course played basketball. Everyone played basketball. From the kids who kept their noses in books and did not play anything else. To the crack heads and gangbangers and everyone else inbetween.
James played it too, but he did not excell at it. He had some skills, but for whatever reason never had the footwork and ball skills nessacary.
For him it was football and baseball when he could find a game.
It was this way all the way until middle school.

Until this time James had attended local public schools in his neighbourhoods. He switched schools once in the 4th grade when his mom finished her technical school work and became a paralegal.
In the summer between the 8th grade and highschool was filled with tepidation for James and his mother. The highschool while barely adequete was a place where many young men got lost in the culture of ganglife and drugs.
The schools sports was centered around hoops. They had a football team of average quality. A baseball team was unheard of and out of the question.
James knew his mother always wished he could attend a private school and have a fighting chance of getting out of the streets. To make something of himself and have a better life than she had and she could give him.
But while the family was certainly better off than many of the others around them (meals were rarely missed and clothing while never even middle class was avaliable) the money to send James to a private highschool remained a pipe dream.
As was the money to relocate to a nicer neighbourhood with a public school of higher quality.
But money did exist for one thing, and that was a graduation present.
And for a present James had but one wish. Attend a 10 day football camp at the nearby University of California.
His mother saved and saved and when the time came in late June. The money was there.
And it was at this camp that James met coach D and his life was forever changed.

[rudel.dietrich]

This is a dynasty I have been wanting to do for a very long time now.
Needless to say, this is a fictional story about James Rose. He will go on to (hopefully) have a carrer in two professional sports.
Pro Football and Pro Baseball

I will be using four different video games to sim out the sports side of his life

NCAA Football 2006 by EA sports
Madden NFL football 2006 by EA sports
for the baseball side of things
NCAA MVP Baseball 2006 by EA sports
and OOTP 2006 by SI games (the game should be well out by the time I reach a pro baseball career)


This is my first serious dynasty attempt in a while. And one I am very very excited about.
I have not had good success with dynasties in the past due to varying factors.
The first of which is my poor writing skills. I still struggle writing in English and it shows.
Hopefully the strength of my idea will shine through my writing and overcome any weakness.
Secondly it comes down to you guys. I will only write as long as interest remians high.
Of course im not expecting dozens of readers right off the bat. But hopefully I can get a core following that will help me overcome boredom, writers block and not wanting to update this when life presses in and work hours are long and tiring.
So I implore you, if you read this and become a fan please let me know and offers ideas and thoughts on what you see.
This is afterall for my many friends here to read and enjoy.
And if you don't like it, then please tell me why.

I will try and make this as interactive as possible. If any ideas pop up I will try and incorporate them.
There will be polls upcoming that YOU can decide how some of the major events in James life will turn out.
I am also tossing about the idea of letting forum goers sign up players to join in this dynasty. I am not sure if I will allow that or not. More of that to come.

One final word.
I am trying to make this a 'realistic' dynasty and trying to make this character seem as real as possible.
I know little about the life of a college and pro athlete but my version will have some things which might very well offend some readers.
Loose moral decision, LOTS of cursing and some detailed account of some things which are tabbo subjects.
I am in no way trying to shock people into reading my dynasty. I am simply trying to present the people in is as humans in situations that play out as they are real and at the same time fun to read.
I will also be trying to protray James and some of those around him as someone from a low income part of society.
This is something I know very little about and some of my attempts at protraying the 'street' or 'ghetto' life will be hamfisted.
This is in NO POSSIBLE way trying to say anything about certain groups or races.
If I write something that in any way offends anyone, please send me a PM telling me why it offended you and how I may correct it.
This is for fun, I am not trying to hurt feelings get myself banned.


So there you have it. My latest attempt at a dynasty.
Hopefully everyone who reads it will enjoy it and overlook the flaws.


Thank for reading,
Rudel

[PBL Commish]

looks good so far

ill be watching

[Xenimus0]

I'll be reading this, good luck with it. This seems like a unique idea that could be a lot of fun.

[Big Willis 16]

I'll be reading. Good luck.

[blgoblue2]

Same

[rudel.dietrich]

About 80 kids, ages 10-17 stood in small knots on the University of California football field.
It was the first time James had been on the campus. He was awestruck by its size and beauty. He would not mind going to school here someday. It would make his mother happy too.
He did not know another soul at the camp. He stood a few feet apart from a group of kids his age. James had hardly ever felt intimidated in his life. But he was now. He had always been big for his age, and had a personality that made him likeable and easy to get along with. But the kids here were different. All of them were as big or bigger than him and looked like pure athletes, lean and muscler and quick.
He thought to himself '****..not many black faces here either'. None of the other boys approached him, he got a few glances now and then but nothing friendly or threatening, he was just another face at this point.
Finally a loud shrill voice from a bullhorn snapped him out of his trance.
'Alright, listen up, I am only going to say this once'
Everyone turned toward the voice of the speaker
'Split into groups by age group"
The man holding the bullhorn was in his early 40s. Tall and dressed in a full length gray adidas jump suit. You could see from his arms and legs that this man was ripped, definitly a football player.
Middle schoolers over there by coach Johnson. Johnson raised his hand to let the group know who he was. James began to make his way towards him.
The voice continued
'Highschool Freshmen and Sophmores, you will be with coach Douglas.'
'Juniors and Seniors, you will be with me'
The voice boomed out one last time
'Lets get to work gentlemen'

James made his way over to coach Johnson who had begun to go around to each boy and ask him a few questions. Finally he got to James, his stomach felt knotted and he was afraid he would not be able to open his mouth to speak.
'How old are you son?'
'13...just turned 13....sir'
'13, arnt you a little old to be in middle school?'
James looked puzzled 'Graduated a few weeks ago sir'
Coach Johnson shook his head and said in a low voice. 'Then you need to be over there with the high schoolers, your a freshmen now'
James face turned red and he shuffled his way away from the group. He heard a few snickers behind him. But a few of the otherboys joined him in his lonley march to where the Freshmen and Sophmores were grouped.
He though to himself 'Great first impression James, now they think your poor AND ******ed'

As he made his way over to the high school group he heard coach Douglas adressing the group.
Willard Douglas was a man in his early 50s, born in south Georgia but raised near San Diego by his father who was in the Navy.
He had a crew cut haircut that was mostly blakc but brilliant streaks of white shone through. He was somewhat short, around 5'9. But was built like a human block of rectangular granite. His muscle tone barely affected by age.
He had a calm yet commanding voice that spoke in an even volume and hard a warm tone to it.
This man was a coach and a damn good one, James and everyone else who first laid eyes on him could see that.

Coach Douglas turned his head to address the latecomers. He spoke briefly on what was expected of each player and what he and the other coaches hoped to teach.
More importantly he hoped to make more boy into more of a man.
Right as James eyes began to glaze over the speech ended.
Coach Douglas then began to come around to each boy in turn.
He reached James near the end

'What is your name?'
'James, James Rose
Coach Douglas had his aide fumble through his folders detailing each camp sign up.
'Your going into high school in the fall arn't you?'
'Yes sir'
'Central?'
'Yes sir'
Coach Douglas nodded his head
'What posistions do you play?'
James thought how to answer.
'Mostly wideout, with some running back. Defense some too, wherever I am needed'
With this James lied a little, he had always held preferences on where to play. But that was when we was one of the elite players on the field, this was a different animal altogether.
Coach Douglas did not change his expression
'Alright, I am going to stick you with the receivers for now, probably going to run some tailback drills with you too'
He pointed to where those posistions were assembling.
James jogged off to this group and there began the drills in the warm California late morning sun.

[DWrightMVPin09]

I'm reading, looks great so far.

[rudel.dietrich]

The days at the camp were mostly the same. Wake up time was 7:30, breakfest by 8:15 and then out on the field by 9. An hour of stretching and warm up laps. Then two hours of general age groups drills. Finally at noon you were put into posistional drills and the coaches went over what was to be worked on for that day.
Then a one hour lunch. At two it was back out into the field for posistional drills until 7 and dinner time. At 8 it was out to the field one last time for two hours of night scrimage games. Finally at 10 you were allowed 90 minutes of free time before it was time to go back to the dorms for lights out by 12:00.
About one week in coach Douglas was inspecting the wideout drills.
There was 9 of them in that group including James. James had always been a good athlete but he lacked the formal training that was needed to play for organized teams. But to the delight of his coaches he showed himself to be a quick learner. He was learning how to read and run routes set up by the coaches and the quarterback. His movements were quick and sharp and on the money, but he was showing that he had a knack for knowing what to do and where to go if the play broke down or the defense was in a good posistion to foil the play.
As they broke for their 4 o'clock break coach Douglas pulled James aside.
'I have been watching you out there soon. Very impressive. Let me ask you something'
James was a pretty outgoing kid, but for some reason was always nervous when around this imposing man.
He continued in his slow drawl.
'Where are you planning on going to school next fall'
James answered him 'Central high school'
Coach Douglas narrowed his eyes and thought about that for a few seconds.
He then asked 'Are you looking forward to going there?'
James answered 'I don't really have much of a choice, it's just me and my mom and we have to take what we can get'
Coach Douglas nodded his head, he looked like he had gotten the answer he wanted.
'Your a hell of a talent, I would hate to see it wasted for a program who doesn't have the ability to fully teach you and train you.'
He then got to the point of his questions
'How would you like to come play for me next fall?'
James looked over at him and had a puzzled look on his face and then gave a nervous laugh.
St. Mary's would be a dream to play for and a dream to attend classes there. But it was a private school and way beyond the Rose families means to pay.
'We can't afford that. My mom does the best she can, but there is no way we could ever have the money for that.'
Coach Douglas smiled and asked
'If you had the money...would you want to attend St. Mary's?'
James shrugged 'Of course I would, still doesn't change the fact can't'
Coach Douglas put his hand on James shoulder and looked staright at him.
'You leave the money part up to me, if you are willing to come do the work needed in the classroom and on the field, then we will find a way for you to come next fall'
He continued 'About a week after camp breaks, I am going to come visit ya'll. Tell your mother I am going to come and I will call before I do. I will explain everything to her and if she approves then we you will be going to St. Mary's come September.'
Break time was over and coach Seymore was calling the wideouts back to the practice area.
Coach Douglas nodded and motioned for James to return to his group. James sprinted back out to area and for the rest of the day had the best drills he had since coming to the camp.

[rudel.dietrich]

After 16 days the camp came to an end. All the coaches came together to compare notes and write up reports on the players they had seen.
James was to have the first of hundreds of scouting reports written on him.

July 2nd, 2002

Full Name: James Marshall Rose
Current age: 13
DOB: May 1st, 1989
Height: 5'5
Weight: 120 lbs

Projectied posistion:
WR 80%
HB 65%
DB 40%

Summary of football skills and projected talent:
James had some pysical skills which cannot be learned. Amazing speed near the top of his age group. Quickness is also very high but not as high as one would expect given his age. Strength is average given his age and size but due to the lack of a formal strentgh training program is below what one would expect. If he was given access to equipment and training then his strength would rapidly imrpove.
His size is an issue, one can hope that he has alot of growing still to do.
Tall for his age but his body type suggests he will never have the size that is a luxery when playing football. Will have to rely on his speed to makeup for lack of size.
His hands are also very soft for his age. Practices good catching habits and can catch balls thrown hard or well away from him.
Jumping ability is slightly above average and could imppove some with training.
Lack for formal football training makes his route reading limited to simple plays and he is prone to make mistakes. But he has shown himself to be a very quick learner.
As with all kids of his type, he representes a risk but a high reward as well.
If everything goes right he could find himself an all conference player with a shot at playing Division one ball after he graduates.
More likely however he will be an above average highschool player with some sucess at a small college.

Current ability rating (out of five possible stars): **

Projected ability rating: ***1/2

[blgoblue2]

bump?

[rudel.dietrich]

I am letting OOTP 2006 near closer before I get into this. I will need to sim all the games at the same time to make sure the years match up while I write this thing out.
I guess I could go ahead and do his highschool years. I will do a little more later tonight.

Sorry for the delays and not letting everyone know what was going on.

[blgoblue2]

ok cool.