HS Kid skipping final 2 years for Baseball
Phantom Pain
Posts: 9,876
Interesting read and decision by him and his family
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_le ... mlb,170270
Why I mostly support Bryce Harper's decision to skip high school
By 'Duk
When big Bryce Harper made the cover of Sports Illustrated two weeks ago, I knew we'd soon again be hearing from the 16-year-old 'chosen one.'
But not quite this soon.
On Sunday, the sophomore from Las Vegas found his way into national headlines again when his father told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Bryce will forgo his final two years of high school and use a GED to enroll in a community college this August. Though it more or less makes a mockery of our education system, the Harpers' plan would make Bryce eligible for the 2010 draft, where he could conceivably be the Nationals' No. 1 pick and eventually join forces with Stephen Strasburg to save Washington baseball from itself.
It's a controversial decision, to be sure, but Ron Harper says he and his son are prepared to hear from the inevitable haters:
"There are going to be critics. I can't worry about what people think," Ron Harper said. "People are going to see what they want to see and say what they want to say. I think this prepares him for life, playing the game of baseball.
"People question your parenting and what you're doing. Honestly, we don't think it's that big a deal. He's not leaving school to go work in a fast-food restaurant. Bryce is a good kid. He's smart, and he's going to get his education."
From my viewpoint, I'm not going to act like a truant officer on Harper's decision when viewed in a vacuum. It's quite clear that Harper has loads of talent, lives to play baseball and has been groomed to play professional baseball ever since he and his family realized that he was much better than everyone else. It's obvious he has that physical attributes to succeed and he'd be drafted in two years anyway, so why delay the inevitable? Is an 18-year-old really that much better equipped to handle the pressures of grand expectations than a 16-year-old? As much as people will want to say that Harper should stay in school like a normal kid, the truth is that whatever normal life he had disappeared the minute he showed up on the cover of a magazine at homes across the country.
Plus, in an age when tennis and golf prodigies leave their families for top-flight academies before the age of 10 and future basketball studs are identified in the sixth grade, what's the problem with Harper setting out on a very defined career path? Being the top pick in the draft could net him $20 million or more, so making a play while the chips are on his side is just simply a smart move — especially in the volatile world of baseball talent.
The problem I do have with it, though, is that there are no doubt thousands of delusional parents who will see this news and think that maybe it's a viable path for their nowhere-near-as-talented sons and daughters. While the Harpers can't make their decision based on what other lemmings might do, I hope the door closes behind them.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_le ... mlb,170270
Why I mostly support Bryce Harper's decision to skip high school
By 'Duk
When big Bryce Harper made the cover of Sports Illustrated two weeks ago, I knew we'd soon again be hearing from the 16-year-old 'chosen one.'
But not quite this soon.
On Sunday, the sophomore from Las Vegas found his way into national headlines again when his father told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Bryce will forgo his final two years of high school and use a GED to enroll in a community college this August. Though it more or less makes a mockery of our education system, the Harpers' plan would make Bryce eligible for the 2010 draft, where he could conceivably be the Nationals' No. 1 pick and eventually join forces with Stephen Strasburg to save Washington baseball from itself.
It's a controversial decision, to be sure, but Ron Harper says he and his son are prepared to hear from the inevitable haters:
"There are going to be critics. I can't worry about what people think," Ron Harper said. "People are going to see what they want to see and say what they want to say. I think this prepares him for life, playing the game of baseball.
"People question your parenting and what you're doing. Honestly, we don't think it's that big a deal. He's not leaving school to go work in a fast-food restaurant. Bryce is a good kid. He's smart, and he's going to get his education."
From my viewpoint, I'm not going to act like a truant officer on Harper's decision when viewed in a vacuum. It's quite clear that Harper has loads of talent, lives to play baseball and has been groomed to play professional baseball ever since he and his family realized that he was much better than everyone else. It's obvious he has that physical attributes to succeed and he'd be drafted in two years anyway, so why delay the inevitable? Is an 18-year-old really that much better equipped to handle the pressures of grand expectations than a 16-year-old? As much as people will want to say that Harper should stay in school like a normal kid, the truth is that whatever normal life he had disappeared the minute he showed up on the cover of a magazine at homes across the country.
Plus, in an age when tennis and golf prodigies leave their families for top-flight academies before the age of 10 and future basketball studs are identified in the sixth grade, what's the problem with Harper setting out on a very defined career path? Being the top pick in the draft could net him $20 million or more, so making a play while the chips are on his side is just simply a smart move — especially in the volatile world of baseball talent.
The problem I do have with it, though, is that there are no doubt thousands of delusional parents who will see this news and think that maybe it's a viable path for their nowhere-near-as-talented sons and daughters. While the Harpers can't make their decision based on what other lemmings might do, I hope the door closes behind them.
My drinking team has a hockey problem
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
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Wow- he must be good!!
I agree with alot of the comments on that page supporting it.
But I REALLY like the OJ Line in your sig!!
cracks me up everytime. So I'll just lie down and wait for the dream
Where I'm not ugly and you're lookin' at me0 -
Wtf are wrong with parents these days. Kid should go to college and grow as a ballplayer. Let's see how good this kid is in 2 years when he faces someone like ryan howard or anyother major leaguer. He's gonna be just another flash in the pan talent.Ron: I just don't feel like going out tonight
Sammi: Wanna just break up?0 -
This kid and his father has obviously not heard of the SI curse. Best of luck.We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.--Bill Hicks0
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Ryan Howard, he could handle.......Pujols, maybe not.metsfan wrote:Wtf are wrong with parents these days. Kid should go to college and grow as a ballplayer. Let's see how good this kid is in 2 years when he faces someone like ryan howard or anyother major leaguer. He's gonna be just another flash in the pan talent. If I had known then what I know now...
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14Philly I & II, 16Denver 22
Missoula 240 -
You have the coolest avatar Phantom, i love it.Happiness is only real when shared0
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get a room. :shock: :shock:gobrowns19 wrote:You have the coolest avatar Phantom, i love it.If I had known then what I know now...
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14Philly I & II, 16Denver 22
Missoula 240 -
Lizard wrote:Wow- he must be good!!
I agree with alot of the comments on that page supporting it.
But I REALLY like the OJ Line in your sig!! cracks me up everytime.
Its actually a T-shirt you can buy..all the cool kids have one
:P :ugeek:My drinking team has a hockey problem
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers0 -
gobrowns19 wrote:You have the coolest avatar Phantom, i love it.
Thanks !
This thread has turned into a love fest for me
You can steal it if you want
My drinking team has a hockey problem
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers0 -
imalive wrote:
get a room. :shock: :shock:gobrowns19 wrote:You have the coolest avatar Phantom, i love it.
HaHa !
Don't be jealous of my avatar
My drinking team has a hockey problem
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers0 -
Didn't Bobby Carpenter make the cover of SI as a 16 year old?All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.0
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