Joe Martarano could feel the clock ticking.
The Fruitland High graduate tried to balance two sports the past three years, playing linebacker for the Boise State football team in the fall then moonlighting as a corner infielder in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system during the summer.
But as the Broncos’ spring practice approached this year, Martarano knew time was short.
The injuries began mounting — a knee injury in the season opener and a broken ankle Nov. 18 against UNLV — threatening his potential in both sports. And with his 23rd birthday on July 28, he would be one of the older players in the short-season A Northwest League.