JERRY REUSS
CONTINUED
. I would say, generally speaking, if your desire is to be a Major League player, play as much as you can, but at the same time have a back-up plan. Whether it’s school or another option.
School is a pretty good bet, because if you go on to college, you can continue to play. Many High School players didn’t develop early but they blossomed in college. They were better players with four years of college experience than what they would have been had they signed out of High School and played through the minor leagues.
There are different routes for different people, so a back-up plan that includes college or junior college is something to consider. If you get into the professional game and you find out that you don’t have what it takes, you still have college and you can move on a whole lot easier than to invest all of your childhood, your early teenage years, High School years, just planning your life as a baseball player. The important thing is, play as much as you can. If you really love it, stay with it. If you’re good, they are going to find you!
BTS: Can you tell us about your career, post Major League?
JR: Well, I knew what I wanted to do after I played baseball, while I was still playing……I wanted to broadcast games. Upon my retirement from baseball, I signed on with ESPN and worked with them for three years. Then did some games for MLB on Baseball Night in America in 1994-95. At the same time, I worked as an analyst and did the play on radio in Las Vegas. I then worked three years 1996-98 on television for the Angels before I coached for five years. Then I got a job, doing radio from 2006-08 for the Dodger’s and since then, I’ve been doing games here locally in Las Vegas!
BTS: What prompted you to write your book?
JR: It was time! I’d thought about it for years and had different sports writers ask me, is it time for us to sit down and do something? I said no, not yet! It came upon me in a couple of convergences, I suppose, would be the best way to say it. . Stories were being told about me and people were altering the facts.
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