Thursday August 12, 2010

Another Deadline Approaches

Another Deadline Approaches
Sunday afternoon I headed over to the Walker Course in Clemson to try to get in a late afternoon round of golf. There was only one person on the practice green but it was one of the last people I would have expected to be there that day.

Kyle Parker had worked on his long ball all summer in baseball and the day before he was working on his long passes in the Tigers’ first scrimmage of fall camp. But on this Sunday Parker was working on his short game.

Maybe Parker was getting away from everything and everyone more than just working on his golf game though.

I asked if his summer had been as interesting as it seemed from the outside and I saw a different side than I have ever witnessed from Parker. He actually looked more like a regular person than this ultra laid back Florida native.

Parker said he was actually a little stressed over the negotiations with the Colorado Rockies. I replied that I have never seen him stressed, at least on the outside. He also said it was a little stressful to see his mom and dad have to go through those taxing days as well.

I asked Parker if he was more tired mentally or physically from his long summer and eventful negotiations and his answer was another surprise. He said he thought he would have been more tired than he actually was. He said he was going to try to take a nap on this afternoon but could not sleep, so he decided to come hit a few golf balls and putt a little.

Parker said he learned a lot during the negotiations and was interested to see how the next round of negotiations with the Rockies will go. The club has until Monday, August 16th to sign their first round draft pick.

He made it clear that there was nothing Colorado could do to have him back out of his football commitment this season.

I always thought it was a forgone conclusion that Parker would sign before the upcoming deadline and report to the Rockies in the spring. However, I am not totally convinced of that now. It is still a long shot but I got the feeling that Parker and his family have not completely closed the door on returning to school in the spring.

“I still have leverage because of football,” he said. “I knew the entire time that I could not make a bad decision and that is still the case.”

Parker said he was excited about this season and his offensive teammates. He said it was good to be back in Clemson.

I guess the thing I got out of the 10 minutes I spent with him Sunday was that Parker is cool as a cucumber on the outside but he is still human. I told him I have never seen him stressed before but he admitted that this summer was different than any he has experienced.

Dabo and Napier tell this story about Parker from his freshman season where his attitude was just different. After he fumbled in the Miami game and the fumble was returned for a touchdown, Parker came back to the sideline and told Dabo, “My bad.”

Dabo said it drove him crazy. The head coach is this high strung personality that treats every drive like it is live or death and his freshman quarterback was this laid back Florida beach kid that treats each drive like an at-bat in a mid-week baseball game.

“My bad” in baseball is different than “My bad” in football but Parker never flinches. Or at least I never thought he did until millions of dollars and the Rockies came into the picture.

I am interested to see how things go for Parker in year two. How will he respond to being a little bigger part of the offense? How will he perform without C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford? Will he show any rust from playing baseball so long into the summer? Will he be hesitant because of his baseball future?

Parker’s cannon arm in football sets him apart from others. His mind is different as well as seen by his confidence in his ability to fit the ball into windows many quarterbacks would never think of. But it was his composure that always caught my eye. Will that composure exist again this season?

But before we see those things we will see another round of negotiations. This Monday we will see another deadline come and go. At one point we were all convinced that Parker’s football days were over at Clemson. Could we also be wrong in assuming his baseball days at Clemson are also over?

LeCroy
Speaking of Clemson baseball, I have been following the Clemson assistant baseball coaching search over the past week. Two former Clemson players have been at the forefront. Bradley LeCroy who is currently an assistant at Tennessee is the leading candidate. Mike Hampton who is currently at St. John’s was the other confirmed candidate. The athletic department is finalizing their paper work and background checks but barring anything unforeseen, I think Bradley LeCroy could be named the new assistant at Clemson as early as today and I would be surprised if he is not named by the weekend.

LeCroy was an infielder at Clemson from 1997-2000 and a volunteer assistant at Clemson from 2003-2005. He has also coached at Anderson College (2001-2002), Western Carolina (2006-07) and Tennessee (2008-present).

This should be a homecoming for LeCroy, a Walhalla native, and his wife a former Clemson tennis player who is from Greenville.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, Steve Cato, the Nicolopulos family, Cason Palmer, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle familty, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Richard Crawford, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, Steve Williams Jr, Steve Williams III, Kim Thomas, Reid Thomas, Sam Thomas, Linda Wiggs, Emily Claire Young, Dr. Wallace Honeycutt, Stacy Fowler, Kitty Bowers,
Nick Corontzes.