Go to college, play well, get drafted, shoot for the majors. That's the plan, or at least, the schedule that college baseball players and day-dreaming little-leaguers alike both hope to follow.
Two Duke infielders-Larry Broadway and Kevin Kelly-got their chances to chase their own field of dreams last summer when they became the 37th and 38th Duke baseball players selected in the MLB draft. Broadway, selected 77th overall, was selected by the Expos, while Kelly was taken by the Giants.
Both started careers in single-A.
The duo had contributed a lot during their years at Duke.
"Those two guys had a lot of experience and leadership," said head coach Bill Hillier. "Plus with a guy like Larry Broadway sitting in the middle of your order, it's a presence. But what we missed more than anything was their leadership, young guys looked up to them."
Their transition from Durham to the more competitive world of major league baseball faced early setbacks. Each suffered injuries early on; Kelly snapped a knee ligament and had to go under the knife, while Broadway missed 37 games due to back problems.
"It sucked," Kelly said. "I played every inning of every game at Duke as a senior, then two weeks later I was playing pro ball. I was trying all my life to get there, then as soon as I get there, I get hurt."
Hillier warned of the problems that come with injury.
"The biggest thing when going out to pro ball is that you've got to stay healthy," he said. "Organizations know that you are going to have slumps, that you will have good days and bad days, but the most important thing is to be able to go out and play every day."
Both players seem eager to resume their careers, however. Unlike some pro athletes, who at times seem to take a listless attitude when returning from injury, thinking that their jobs are probably secure, both Kelly and Broadway emerged from injury with a renewed sense of love for the game.
"After a while I just wanted to get in and play," Broadway said. "It didn't really matter if I was going to do well or not."
From there, it seems, the paths of the two former teammates part. After graduating from Duke, Kelly moved to Salem, Ore., where the Giants' triple-A affiliate is based.
"I don't miss the work or anything like that," he said. "But I miss my teammates, miss the coaching staff, miss the school."
Broadway, meanwhile, returned to Duke after summer play in time to enroll in the University's fall semester. For the fall, at least, life doesn't seem to have changed much for Broadway, who said he hangs around with former team-mates, living in an apartment with some of them. He plans to attend school again next fall, when he will graduate with a degree in sociology and a certificate in markets and management.
Like many of their classmates, both are adjusting to one over-arching change: That they are earning a living, playing a game.
"I still enjoy it, I love it, it's awesome, but it's definitely a job," Broadway sad. "It's run like a business."
Kelly agreed: "Once I graduated, all my buddies were getting professional jobs and I'm playing professional baseball. It's kind of weird. I loved it, I thought it was great."
Neither, however, seems to be considering giving up the dream of the majors.
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