Prospect Ryan Garvey to Begin Ruing This Day in Three Years

"“Ryan Garvey announced this week that he will become a Trojan and play baseball for USC, rather than accepting an offer from the Philadelphia Phillies, who drafted him in the 15th round.”–Bill Byron, The Desert Sun"

So this is it, then.

Well, Ryan, I can’t say I’m surprised.  Because I honestly don’t know who you are or that any of this was going on.  But if the Phillies were willing to sign you and you said no, that makes you no better than J.D. Drew.  I don’t care how many Palm Desert High School baseball teams you led in home runs.

“But I want to experience college and have a life!”

I’ve been to college, Ryan.  It was great.  All that stuff your dad says in the car on the way there about “being here for an education first” and all that?  Yeah, that doesn’t happen.  Nonstop parties.  All the time.  You usually have to sleep through them to get any rest.  But who has time to rest?  The next party’s in 7 minutes.  And there could be girls there.

Girls.

The difference being, though, that I was never offered any money by the Phillies, or any baseball team, to play for them.  I was never offered the welcoming embrace of Ruben Amaro as he escorted me behind the scenes of a franchise perpetually in contention for the title of “World’s Greatest.”  Or maybe I was, but I didn’t hear my phone ring because I was partying too loud.

The point is, any rejection of an offer from me was directly related to my inability to cease partying.  I never had the option.

So I hope when you’re running around, meeting new people, having the time of your life, showing up in Facebook albums, and waking up with pictures of dicks on your face drawn with a permanent marker, you don’t stop and think “Hey, I could be with Jonathan Knight and Roman Quinn and Larry Greene taking in the illustrious night life of Clearwater, Florida!”

Because it will be a moment of immeasurable regret.