General A Top Athlete ....

2010.01.23 01:26

이한중*65 Views:5348

Top Athletics prospect retires to enter priesthood

AP – In this undated handout photo released by the Oakland Athletics, baseball player Grant Desme is shown. …

By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker, – Fri Jan 22, 11:49 pm ET
As a top prospect for the Oakland Athletics, outfielder Grant Desme might've gotten the call every minor leaguer wants this spring. Instead, he believed he had another, higher calling.
Desme announced Friday that he was leaving baseball to enter the priesthood, walking away after a breakout season in which he became MVP of the Arizona Fall League. "I was doing well at ball. But I really had to get down to the bottom of things," the 23-year-old Desme said. "I wasn't at peace with where I was at."
A lifelong Catholic, Desme thought about becoming a priest for about a year and a half. He kept his path quiet within the sports world, and his plan to enter a seminary this summer startled the A's when he told them Thursday night.
General manager Billy Beane "was understanding and supportive," Desme said, but the decision "sort of knocked him off his horse." After the talk, Desme felt "a great amount of peace." "I love the game, but I aspire to higher things," he said. "I know I have no regrets."
Athletes and the priesthood have overlapped, albeit rarely. Al Travers, who gave up 24 runs during a one-game career for a makeshift Detroit Tigers team in 1912, became a Catholic priest. More recently, Chase Hilgenbrinck of the New England Revolution left Major League Soccer in 2008 to enter a seminary.
Desme spoke on a conference call for about 10 minutes in a quiet, even tone, hardly sounding like many gung-ho, on-the-rise ballplayers. As for his success in the minors, he said "all of it is very undeserving."
The Athletics picked Desme in the second round of the 2007 amateur draft and he was starting to blossom. He was the only player in the entire minors with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases last season.
Desme batted .288 with 31 homers, 89 RBIs and 40 steals in 131 games at Class-A Kane County and high Class-A Stockton last year. He hit .315 with a league-leading 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 27 games this fall in Arizona, a league filled with young talent. Desme went into the AFL championship game well aware it might be the last time he ever played. "There was no sad feeling," he said. He homered and struck out twice, which "defines my career a bit." The Big West Player of the Year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Desme was ranked as Oakland's No. 8 prospect by Baseball America. There was speculation the Athletics might invite Desme to big league spring training next month. Rather, Desme intends to enter a seminary in Silverado, Calif., in August. He said abbey members didn't seem surprised someone who would "define myself as a baseball player" was changing his life so dramatically.
Desme said he didn't consider pursuing his spiritual studies while also trying to play ball. His family backed his decision and he said the positive reaction to his future goal — the surprising news spread quickly over the Internet — was "inspiring."
"It's about a 10-year process," he said. "I desire and hope I become a priest." In a way, he added, it's like "re-entering the minor leagues."
Desme's first two years in the minors were beset by shoulder and wrist problems. He said his days off the field gave him time to think about what was most important to him, to read and study the Bible and to talk to teammates about his faith.
In retrospect, he said, those injuries were "the biggest blessings God ever gave me."

I want to

Update Delete List

Comment 2

이한중*65

2010.01.23 01:32

He already looks like a priest.
I join his parents in their taking a pride of their son
who has made such an important decision in spite of all the worldly lures.

Comment Update Delete
방준재*70

2010.01.23 10:44

I am still waiting for Higher Calling,
hoping it's not too late, later days.

Comment Update Delete

List

No.	Subject	Date	Author	Last Update	Views
Notice	How to write your comments onto a webpage [2]	2016.07.06	운영자	2016.11.20	18173
Notice	How to Upload Pictures in webpages	2016.07.06	운영자	2018.10.19	32321
Notice	How to use Rich Text Editor [3]	2016.06.28	운영자	2018.10.19	5901
Notice	How to Write a Webpage	2016.06.28	운영자	2020.12.23	43816
642	[하얼빈(哈爾濱,Harbin) 투어](2) [1]	2010.01.30	심영보*61	2010.01.30	7444
641	[하얼빈(哈爾濱,Harbin) 투어](1) [4]	2010.01.30	심영보*61	2010.01.30	6482
640	북한노래(길동무) [2]	2010.01.30	계기식*72	2010.01.30	8961
639	[re] Thais Meditation, Massenet [7]	2010.01.30	김명순*70음대	2010.01.30	7181
638	Thais Meditation, Massenet [9]	2010.01.30	황규정*65	2010.01.30	9322
637	I Can Only Sing [8]	2010.01.28	이한중*65	2010.01.28	7192
636	Opera in the Market/from youtube [4]	2010.01.27	SungjaCho#65	2010.01.27	9533
635	[Essay] 막걸리 - 제 2장 [7]	2010.01.27	오세윤*65	2010.01.27	7033
634	[Essay] 막걸리 - 제 1장	2010.01.27	오세윤*65	2010.01.27	7651
633	♥ 협심증의 진단과 치료	2010.01.27	이종구*57	2010.01.27	7131
632	옛날 그때.... Where was "학림" 다방? [7]	2010.01.26	운영자	2010.01.26	7726
631	學林을 회상하며. [4]	2010.01.26	유석희*72	2010.01.26	9779
630	千鏡子畵伯의 作品 [2]	2010.01.25	Rover	2010.01.25	8833
629	♥ 만성협심증환자에서 최적의 약물치료는 무엇인가? [2]	2010.01.25	이종구*57	2010.01.25	7087
628	Grandma, Grandpa and Me [7]	2010.01.25	Sukjoo#65	2010.01.25	8564
627	아버지의 바이올린 [7]	2010.01.25	김명순*70음대	2010.01.25	6822
626	베네수엘라 여행기(짤린 부분을 보충) [4]	2010.01.24	유석희*72	2010.01.24	8498
625	이해인 수녀님 특강 [7]	2010.01.24	황규정*65	2010.01.24	8367
624	Interview with North Korea Border Crosser, Robert Park [7]	2010.01.23	운영자	2010.01.23	7274
623	한 소년, 한 소녀의 꿈 (2) / 이한중 [6]	2010.01.23	이한중*65	2010.01.23	7374

First Page 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 Last Page

Write

Tag

General A Top Athlete ....

Comment 2

**이한중*65**

**방준재*70**