The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew rolled into the Wichita State Campus on Thursday. Everyone was invited to Eck Stadium for the big surprise. It was announced via Ty Pennington’s blow horn that former Shocker baseball player Carl Hall would be receiving a new home.
Angels center fielder Torii Hunter had a mic in his face at the wrong time this past week when he was quoted as saying that black latino players were “imposters” and inferred that Major League baseball signed black Latinos as an alternative to black Americans. Hunter’s comments, while remarkably misinformed, had a positive side effect of sparking up debate over an international draft. Hunter’s quote:
“People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they’re African American. They’re not us. They’re impostors… As African-American players, we have a theory that baseball can go get an imitator and pass them off as us. It’s like they had to get some kind of dark faces, so they go to the Dominican or Venezuela because you can get them cheaper. It’s like, ‘Why should I get this kid from the South Side of Chicago and have Scott Boras represent him and pay him $5 million when you can get a Dominican guy for a bag of chips?’
James Paxton, a senior left-handed pitcher from the University of Kentucky, was drafted 37th overall in the 2009 Major League Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, but chose not to sign by the August 17th, opting to return to Kentucky for his senior season. The only problem – mega-agent Scott Boras, who was “advising” Paxton prior to the draft, apparently stepped in to negotiate on an agent level as the deadline approached. Naturally, the NCAA wanted to ask Paxton a few questions. He refused. Judge and jury enter stage left.