Dizzy Dean was no ordinary hayseed from Arkansas. His million-dollar arm got him a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and eventually got him into the Hall of Fame. But when he turned pro, pitching for St. Joseph in the Western League, ol' Dizzy acted like a kid. Because he was a kid.
He got into fistfights with roommates. He ran up debt all over town at shirt shops. And he married a woman one day after meeting her. He settled down only when the Cardinals signed his brother, Paul, to look after him.
When the Rockies selected high school players with their first five picks in Major League Baseball's amateur draft last week, they were betting on future stars.