White's really hitting up a storm in rookie ball: .366/.427/.493. Too bad this'll basically end his career... he won't be able to come back until he's 25.

Clothier's pitching pretty well, too. Hill's season looks disappointing until you remember that he's pitching in High Desert, then it's not so bad.

can Seattle call either of these guys up before September?

If you're good at something, don't join the services.

"can Seattle call either of these guys up before September?"

Seattle could call Hill up if they wanted (it's a train wreck there, so why the hell not?), but it won't matter. He'd still have to report at the end of the season.

"If you're good at something, don't join the services."

That is, in my mind, the real problem here. The DOD gets what, maybe five or six extra soldiers a year by calling these guys back? How many kids are going to read this article (or one about one of the other guys in the same boat, like Lions safety Caleb Campbell) and then decide to put off their decision about the Army until after college? Penny wise, pound foolish.

Or, since these kids knew that going to West Point entailed military service, the entire Army policy, which conflicted with DoD policy was fatally flawed. There is two wars on and the Army has a dire need for junior officers.

Or, since these kids knew that going to West Point entailed military service, the entire Army policy, which conflicted with DoD policy was fatally flawed. There is two wars on and the Army has a dire need for junior officers.

And because of this decision, will have fewer people going to West Point, so it makes complete sense. Also, from what I read, Campbell is being put into active service...as a football coach at West Point, yeah that is definitely a "dire need".

Yeah, the Army absolutely has the right to do what they're doing... just like you have the right to hit yourself in the leg with a hammer and break your knee, if you want. Doesn't make it a good idea.

Forcing these guys to serve right now, at the cost of future recruiting, is like eating your seed corn.

The DOD gets what, maybe five or six extra soldiers a year by calling these guys back?

That's a slippery slope. If Cadet A can get out of his obligated service because he wants to play baseball, then why can't Cadet B, if some company recruits him for some other line of work?

These guys are getting a free education. In return, they are required to fulfill service time. That's the deal. If they don't like it, they can go to school somewhere else.

The O's drafted a pitcher out of the Naval Academy and were able to sign him with no issues.

I guess they have a different policy.

I highly doubt this will affect recruiting at the service academies-they rarely attract pro-caliber athletes. If Roger Staubach could serve in Vietnam and delay the start of his career, so can these kids.

That's a slippery slope. If Cadet A can get out of his obligated service because he wants to play baseball, then why can't Cadet B, if some company recruits him for some other line of work?

The problem with sports is that an athlete has only a small window of opportunity to pursue it as a livelihood. Engineers and accountants aren't generally 20+% through their potential work lives, and haven't missed their key development years, at age 25. The armed services, and especially the Army, recruit heavily based on the notion that they prepare people for lucrative careers after their service is over (although I guess maybe this applies less to officers). Cole White probably losing his shot at a baseball career won't make a good recruiting story.

Of course, letting people out of commitments doesn't send an ideal message, either. I don't blame the Army for finding this a tough call.

"If Cadet A can get out of his obligated service because he wants to play baseball, then why can't Cadet B, if some company recruits him for some other line of work?"

Because the potential recruiting impact from a future bank CEO is much smaller than the potential recruiting impact from a high-profile professional athlete?

"I guess they have a different policy."

They do: Draftees have to serve five years before playing ball, rather than two-and-a-buyout like the Army. The Cards just lost their 13th-round pick in the '08 draft that way. I wouldn't count on hanging onto Drake; he might just be a pro until he's given his assignment.

Because the potential recruiting impact from a future bank CEO is much smaller than the potential recruiting impact from a high-profile professional athlete?

That's irrelevant to the issue, with regard to the recruits themselves. If you're going to have a policy, it has to be made across-the-board, without prejudice. The example you give is prejudicial.

"I highly doubt this will affect recruiting at the service academies-they rarely attract pro-caliber athletes."

The one that has been most successful at doing so, of course, is the Army. Which is part of the reason that the Navy and Air Force complained about this in the first place:

The buzz might have also made the Navy and Air Force bitter because their graduates were playing under different rules under the same Department of Defense directive, which was implemented in 1994, reiterated in 2007 and again just a few days after the NFL draft.
[...]
"Army has redefined the Alternative Service Option to include playing professional sports," Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk has said. "Our coaches are now operating under a significant handicap when recruiting head-to-head with Army. It may not be reflected on the playing field today, but I can guarantee you that it will result in a competitive disadvantage down the road." -AP

So, the Army will end up with fewer good athletes, and therefore a lower-quality fighting force, but that's OK because they'll have to stop beating up on the other service academies in the Patriot League.

The O's drafted a pitcher out of the Naval Academy and were able to sign him with no issues.
[...]
Draftees have to serve five years before playing ball, rather than two-and-a-buyout like the Army. The Cards just lost their 13th-round pick in the '08 draft that way. I wouldn't count on hanging onto Drake; he might just be a pro until he's given his assignment.

I was under the impression that the O's were able to sign Drake because he was a draft-eligible sophomore. Middies (and, I assume, cadets at West Point and Colorado Springs) can resign from the academy up until the start of their junior year with no service or financial obligation. The Cards draftee was an upperclassman.

"If you're going to have a policy, it has to be made across-the-board, without prejudice. The example you give is prejudicial."

Yeah, how dare the Army assign guys who are likely to be better-than-average at recruiting to jobs that involve recruiting! Not only that, they're also discriminating against the stupid in officer training, the impulsive in sniper school, and the twitchy in demolitions training! Shocking!

Maybe we can give everybody a sack of lead weights and a pair of wavy glasses like in "Harrison Bergeron", so that all the recruits will be exactly equal! I only hope that the other armies of the world are willing to cooperate...

"I was under the impression that the O's were able to sign Drake because he was a draft-eligible sophomore. Middies (and, I assume, cadets at West Point and Colorado Springs) can resign from the academy up until the start of their junior year with no service or financial obligation."

Ah, that'd make sense.

West Point, aside from being a military academy, is also one of the most selective and prestigious colleges in the country. I'm not sure that this scenario is really likely to affect their applicant pool significantly. I also kinda think that someone who goes to a military college on the public dime really ought to go into the military if they're at all able. If you're a great jock, take a scholarship to a public university, is all I'm saying.

"If Cadet A can get out of his obligated service because he wants to play baseball, then why can't Cadet B, if some company recruits him for some other line of work?"

Cadet A was not getting out of his obligated service. He still had to serve. He was being allowed to utilize his skills in athletics while serving because the Army thought it had value to them.

Yeah, how dare the Army assign guys who are likely to be better-than-average at recruiting to jobs that involve recruiting! Not only that, they're also discriminating against the stupid in officer training, the impulsive in sniper school, and the twitchy in demolitions training! Shocking!

Second thought. That's a great idea, Vlad. Instead of having them work for you in the manner their enrollment intended them to, use them to recruit more jocks who don't intend to pursue careers in the military either.

With any luck, and if the recruitment campaign is successful enough, the army will no longer be training any cadets who genuinely are interested in a military career.

So, the Army will end up with fewer good athletes, and therefore a lower-quality fighting force, but that's OK because they'll have to stop beating up on the other service academies in the Patriot League.

RDF.

More likely, there will be a lower quality fighting force because too many West Point enrollees have no intention of ever pursuing a career in the military and too many graduates are leaving to pursue their athletic careers.

Napoleon McCallum missed a significant amount of football career time because of his Navy commitment.

David Robinson was given a significant break on his commitment mostly because ships just aren't designed for seven footers.

"Second thought. That's a great idea, Vlad. Instead of having them work for you in the manner their enrollment intended them to, use them to recruit more jocks who don't intend to pursue careers in the military either."

Even under the old system where you could opt out, you still had to spend two years working as a recruiter during the offseason, and then repay the entire cost of your tuition (currently about $120,000). Plus, if you get bumped from the roster before your two years are complete, you go right back into the general population in active duty. You're never going to see someone who sees school as a stepping stone for professional athletics take that deal over a five-year scholarship ride at Free Shoes U.

The only ones this will affect are the kids who aren't sure what they want, and have maybe a 1-in-1000 chance at the pros. They now have less incentive to make a commitment, since it'll be final and binding, forever Amen, regardless of what happens to them or their bodies in school.

"More likely, there will be a lower quality fighting force because too many West Point enrollees have no intention of ever pursuing a career in the military and too many graduates are leaving to pursue their athletic careers."

Yes, six in the last two years is quite the flood. Two more, and they can form a bridge club.

So, the Army will end up with fewer good athletes, and therefore a lower-quality fighting force, but that's OK because they'll have to stop beating up on the other service academies in the Patriot League.

In football it is Navy and Air Force that have beaten up on them. Heck, I think the Citadel could have slapped Armys FB team around this year

Napoleon McCallum missed a significant amount of football career time because of his Navy commitment.

Didn't the Navy assign McCallum to recruiting duty and let him play while on active duty? I realize that he might have been more than a special teams player if he'd been able to, you know, practice. Still, that was a compromise of sorts, wasn't it?

David Robinson was given a significant break on his commitment mostly because ships just aren't designed for seven footers.

Robinson was 6'8" when he was recruited. Ships aren't really designed for 6'8" guys either.

He was 6:4. I think the cutoff is 6:6. He grew like a weed his freshman year, but they had to keep him because he had already been admitted.

That he was a 6:4 senior with little skill goes a long way towards explaining why he wasn't recruited more heavily by the majors.

Didn't the Navy assign McCallum to recruiting duty and let him play while on active duty?

For one season, then he went to sea. And that was in peacetime.