Another “Chosen One” Chooses

We’ve heard of athletes skipping college (ahem, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal), but this is a new one …

Sixteen-year-old high school baseball phenom Bryce Harper, who as Deadspin.com notes is one of several hundred athletes to be christened as the “Chosen One” in recent years, has “chosen” to skip his final two years of high school and attend Junior College next year.

Why?

Well, in addition to the fact that some of this might be going to the Las Vegas teen’s head, we have the skinny from DeadSpin:

Chosen Person Bryce Harper, a rising high school junior, has elected to skip his last two years of high school, get his GED and matriculate at the College of Southern Nevada. Cue the Doogie Howser song.

Harper, who hit .62freaking6 with 14 home runs and 36 stolen bases in high school ball last season, will play for the CSN Coyotes and — most importantly — should be eligible for the amateur draft next June, as a 17-year-old.

Ahh … so it is all about the Benjamins.

Incidentally, in a bit of “oh, that explains it” after-the-factness courtesy of the Las Vegas Review Journal, the decision was ostensibly made by Bryce and not “family advisor” and sports superagent Scott Boras.

Boras, incidentally, is also reportedly expressing interest in the child currently residing in Mrs. Sic’s womb after the ultrasound tech remarked a few months ago that she had “long legs.”

Apparently, somebody told Boras our founding editor’s wife was 100% Prussian and that Sic had always had a thing for Katerina Witt … guessing he just put two and two together.

Anyway, ongoing props to Deadspin for keeping tabs on this kid’s alleged legend (allegened?) – including the 570-foot home run that Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci claims he hit last year.

Such a blast would be five feet shy of the one Babe Ruth hit in July 1921 – at the peak of his career – out of Detroit’s Navin Field.

Pics: Las Vegas Review Journal

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