Mickey Callaway--2002
In our lives there are certain dates
that forever remain special for
whatever reason. For some it might
be the day their parent passed away,
for others it may be the day that one
may have taken on a new job. We all
have these dates.
Well, March 20, 1993 is one of those
dates for me. It was an awesome day!
As a second-year scout for the
Florida Marlins covering Tennessee,
the scouting world of the mid-south
converged on Germantown,
Tennesee on that date to see
Germantown High School right-hander
Mickey Callaway face-off against
Tupelo’s (MS) Kirk Presley.
Callaway was a good looking kid with
a fastball in the upper 80s that
reached into the low 90s. Presley, a
third cousin to Elvis, had a power arm
that would make him the overall eighth
pick in the first round by the New York
Mets.
Memories are sketchy, as there was a
very large group of scouting directors
that came out to the Saturday
afternoon game. Presley would allow
just one hit, while hitting a home run;
as Callaway held his own in the game.
The day had originally called for me to
leave Nashville early in the morning to
drive to Memphis to pick up Marlin’s
scouting director Gary Hughes to take
him to the Memphis suburb for the
game. I don’t remember the details of
the game, because I wasn’t there.
Instead, I would leave my boss an
early morning message that he was
on his own, as I was called home for
the birth of my first child.
Now, as my daughter turns 18 this
weekend, I remember Mickey
Callaway, who would go on to log a
4-11, 6.27 mark in parts of five big
league seasons for Tampa Bay,
Anaheim and Texas--- and how I
missed seeing him pitch in 1993.
Editor’s Note: Presley would never
pan out for the Mets, going 8-10 in 30
minor league outings as command
issues (74 BB/147 IP) were followed
by arm woes in a career that fizzled
out in A-ball. Callaway remains in
baseball as a pitching coach for the
Cleveland Indians and we shared a
laugh last fall on how I remember the
day.
(3/20/11)
that forever remain special for
whatever reason. For some it might
be the day their parent passed away,
for others it may be the day that one
may have taken on a new job. We all
have these dates.
Well, March 20, 1993 is one of those
dates for me. It was an awesome day!
As a second-year scout for the
Florida Marlins covering Tennessee,
the scouting world of the mid-south
converged on Germantown,
Tennesee on that date to see
Germantown High School right-hander
Mickey Callaway face-off against
Tupelo’s (MS) Kirk Presley.
Callaway was a good looking kid with
a fastball in the upper 80s that
reached into the low 90s. Presley, a
third cousin to Elvis, had a power arm
that would make him the overall eighth
pick in the first round by the New York
Mets.
Memories are sketchy, as there was a
very large group of scouting directors
that came out to the Saturday
afternoon game. Presley would allow
just one hit, while hitting a home run;
as Callaway held his own in the game.
The day had originally called for me to
leave Nashville early in the morning to
drive to Memphis to pick up Marlin’s
scouting director Gary Hughes to take
him to the Memphis suburb for the
game. I don’t remember the details of
the game, because I wasn’t there.
Instead, I would leave my boss an
early morning message that he was
on his own, as I was called home for
the birth of my first child.
Now, as my daughter turns 18 this
weekend, I remember Mickey
Callaway, who would go on to log a
4-11, 6.27 mark in parts of five big
league seasons for Tampa Bay,
Anaheim and Texas--- and how I
missed seeing him pitch in 1993.
Editor’s Note: Presley would never
pan out for the Mets, going 8-10 in 30
minor league outings as command
issues (74 BB/147 IP) were followed
by arm woes in a career that fizzled
out in A-ball. Callaway remains in
baseball as a pitching coach for the
Cleveland Indians and we shared a
laugh last fall on how I remember the
day.
(3/20/11)
