Nebraska baseball - Jamestown's own - Darin Erstad

[bruinbison]

Nice article in the StarTrib on Darin Erstad recruiting Minnesota for high school talent (Northern Bat Speed?)

http://www.startribune.com/cornhuskers-pursuing-and-catching-some-of-minnesota-s-best-prep-talent/304660881/

[td577]

Nice article in the StarTrib on Darin Erstad recruiting Minnesota for high school talent (Northern Speed?)

http://www.startribune.com/cornhuskers-pursuing-and-catching-some-of-minnesota-s-best-prep-talent/304660881/

It is interesting he is scouring Legion ball because Erstad, of anyone, knows the value of Legion ball. When Erstad was in high school, there wasn't high school baseball in class A, so it was all about Legion ball. In fact, I don't think there was any North Dakota baseball player who made it to the major leagues who played high school baseball. There are a lot of high school track records held by or were once held by guys who played pro baseball because they didn't have high school baseball during their school years. They were also great displays of youngsters at the time who weren't worried about specializing in any one sport. I do think you see too much of that these days.

[Bison bison]

You should see my boy on the monkey bars!

[THEsocalledfan]

In fact, I don't think there was any North Dakota baseball player who made it to the major leagues who played high school baseball.

Wrong, Rick Helling. Played in Rolette against my brother in a high school regional playoff game. I think he lived in Lakota at the time or something.

[Mr Meaty]

Wrong, Rick Helling. Played in Rolette against my brother in a high school regional playoff game. I think he lived in Lakota at the time or something.

Helling was from around the Lakota area.

[bruinbison]

Yes, and then Helling transferred to Fargo Shanley for his senior season. (probably before Class A baseball)
IIRC he wanted a football scholarship and thought his chances at one were better at a Class A School.
Fortunately for Helling he got to Grand Forks U as a LB (?), thought better of it and transferred to a JC for baseball that winter. Then on to Stanford, and the rest is history.
On a footnote, got a chance to visit my Sis in LA years ago, wanted to see a baseball game,
she says "great, Dodgers Stadium is only 10 minutes away.....
So I said "sorry Sis, we're going an hour away to Anahem to see Darin Erstad play for the Angels as he is a
North Dakota native. And as luck would have it, the opposing starting pitcher was.....Rick Helling (Rangers).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Helling

[OrygunBison]

They were also great displays of youngsters at the time who weren't worried about specializing in any one sport. I do think you see too much of that these days.

I could not agree more with this statement. I have a very athletic son. He's good at soccer, football, track, and basketball. Right now, it is difficult to see which sport he'll be awesome at because he's not even 11 years old yet. His sports teams are demanding more and more, to the point that he's already had to make a decision. Soccer lost out...even though he was really good on one of the best teams in the state's elite category. In spite of previous years being able to play both soccer and football in the same primary seasons, too many practices and games started overlapping. Now, he'll be football in the fall, track in the spring, and basketball year round with the heaviest activity in winter. Since track is so laid back, he's considering trying lacrosse next spring..which has been a sport that teams have been recruiting him for awhile.

[pucknut9]

Coached Erstad 2 years in bantam hockey. The most intense kid I have ever coached and I've done it for 30 some years. Had he pursued hockey he would of been playing D1 hockey. I think he still holds the record for 100 hurdles at JHS and holds the longest field goal record as well. Just one hell of an athlete and still comes back for our annual JHS alumni hockey game. Still has one wicked snap shot.

[IzzyFlexion]

October 11, 2005........White Sox - Angels in Chicago: Game 1 of the ALCS. I got a call from Ned Bergert (Angels trainer) that Darin needed parts for his ACL brace. I was the rep for the manufacturer at the time. Drove to their hotel and completely stripped all of the old parts and made it nice and purdy.

He comped us some sweet tix and it was the ONLY game that the Sox lost that post-season.

[pucknut9]

20 years ago today Erstad was picked number one by the Angels in the MLB draft. Ben Davis was no. 2 followed by Jose Cruz Jr. and Kerry Wood.

[BisonAccountant44]

20 years ago today Erstad was picked number one by the Angels in the MLB draft. Ben Davis was no. 2 followed by Jose Cruz Jr. and Kerry Wood.

Somewhere at my parents I bet I still have the full copy of the Jamestown Sun from that day.