Anyone notice that he's on a tear as of late?

Since the all-star break, he's at .306/.382/.571, after dominating the minors in his brief demotion. Is this the break out that KC Royals fans have been waiting for all season? And don't look now, but KC is making a belated push for .500. Red Sox fans can't be too pleased that Butler is on fire going into their series next week.

I read this story, and immediately pictured a dozen scouts shaking their heads. White could have been the next Carl Crawford, but will probably end up as a WR in the NFL because of the actions of one coach.

http://www.zagsblog.net/2008/07/29/pat-white-rips-west-virginia-baseball-coach

The most interesting and controversial comments from Big East Football Media Day came from West Virginia senior QB Pat White, who said he did not play for the school’s baseball team this spring because there haven’t been many African-American players on the team.

“In my knoweldge of West Virginia baseball, there’s not been many players of my race on his (head coach Greg Van Zant’s) team,” said White, who is African-American. “He’s not too high on it.”

Van Zant did not immediately return a phone message left at his office.

A Heisman Trophy candidate, White is also a talented outfielder. He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Anaheim Angels in the 2004 MLB Draft and was selected in the 50th round of the 2008 MLB June Draft despite not playing baseball since his senior year of high school.

White said he discussed playing baseball this year with new head football coach Bill Stewart, a big baseball fan.

“A couple months ago he told me if I wanted to play, I could,” White said of Stewart. “He knows the game and (he knows) there’s few athletes on the team that can play more than one sport and he just wanted to give (me) the opportunity.”

Stewart praised White as the “second coming of Major Harris” and said “people in West Virginia are blessed” that White is the school’s quarterback.

He joked that White told him he wasn’t going to play baseball because he couldn’t hit the curveball.

“Coach, I don’t know if I can hit the curve,” Stewart quoted White as saying.

White, however, said he would have considered playing, but not for Van Zant.

“I definitely thought it over, I still think about it sometimes,” White said. “I’m loyal to my (football) team. I have another year left. I want us to be successful and I want to be part of that success.”

The West Virginia football team was picked by the Big East coaches to finish first in the eight-team league following last year’s victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Asked if he had spoken directly with Van Zant about playing for him, White said: “(No), he wasn’t (excited). He wasn’t interested.”

Then he paused and added:

“In my knoweldge of West Virginia baseball, there’s not been many players of my race on his team. He’s not too high on it.

“Every player I’ve talked to doesn’t like him. He’s not a well-liked coach but I guess he has tenure so they never got rid of him. They’re not successful at all.”

Asked if he might have played if there were a different baseball coach at West Virginia, White said, “Maybe.”

Tabata, Ohlendorf, Phil Coke, and one other player to the Pirates for Nady and Marte.

Not very happy about this as a Yankee fan...

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