SURPRISE, ARIZ.
On a September day six years ago, Matt Strahm slipped his baseball equipment into bag, joined his parents in a family car and prepared for a 10-hour drive through the quiet of the heartland. The family was headed to a baseball showcase event at the University of Kansas. Linda Strahm had paid the money, filled out a form and registered her son for the event. Matt Strahm figured he had little to lose.
Strahm was just beginning his senior year at West Fargo High School in North Dakota. He stood 6-feet-1 and 153 pounds.