Twenty years in the minor leagues. Yeesh.

Did Clemens get black and yellow shoes just for a few starts? What a dweeb.

Twenty years in the minor leagues.

Twenty years catching in the minor leagues.

Twenty years catching in the minor leagues.

Ouch.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1084975/index.htm

This guy didn't catch for 20 years. But his story is one of the reasons I grew up liking SI so much. This type of feature was what SI did so well in its day.

That was a fun story to read and one of the reasons why baseball is my favorite sport.

That was a fun story to read and one of the reasons why baseball is my favorite sport.

Except the part where his wife told him to pick his family, or baseball, and he picked baseball.

Except the part where his wife told him to pick his family, or baseball, and he picked baseball.

Depends on what his wife looked like.

I posted this article not simply because I enjoyed the hell out of the anecdotes - because I did - but because I was impressed by how much he loves his job. He's clearly one of those athletes who feels that playing a game he loves is a privilege, and wants to keep doing it as long as possible. Plus, he seems not at all bitter about never having had a chance for a MLB at bat.

I liked the Clemens anecdote, too.

He smiled when he recalls catching Pedro Martinez at his peak: "He says to me that first day: 'I'm working on fastballs in and fastballs away. My curveball is my best pitch. My changeup is my other best pitch.'"

We miss you Pedro!

This guy didn't catch for 20 years. But his story is one of the reasons I grew up liking SI so much. This type of feature was what SI did so well in its day.

It doesn't still do it well?