Someday you’ll be sitting in front of the television set watching a baseball game. Some colorful commentator will be talking about a young prospect in the organization and mention that this incredibly talented player was drafted out of NIU.

It could happen.

Yesterday afternoon the NIU baseball team worked out under the scrutiny of several professional scouts from the Major League Baseball Association.

The pro teams represented were the Brewers, Reds, Athletics, Rockies, Padres, Tigers and Dodgers.

All had their eyes on the up-and-coming talent that head coach Joe “Spanky” McFarland has brought to this campus.

The visit had a get-to-know-the-team type of atmosphere to it while the scouts were trying to size up the talent on the team before making any decisions later in the season.

“Right now I’m not looking at anyone in particular,” said A’s scout Marty Miller. “I’m just trying to get familiar with everybody. Hopefully I can get back and see the team scrimmage before the fall’s over and see if (NIU) has a couple guys to follow next spring.”

It is true that the scouts were here to evaluate the players’ abilities, but they also came to see about the “intangibles” that separate a baseball player with great abilities from a great baseball player.

“There is a lot of strength out there, some pretty good-sized kids,” said Brewer representative Frank White. “But we’ve got to find kids who like to play.”

Unfortunately, the wind was howling in from right field yesterday. Hopefully that will have little, if any, effect on the evaluations.

Someday, you’ll sit strait up in your chair, couch, bed, whatever, and say: “I saw him play!” “I went to school with him!” “He was in my math class!” or something like that.

It could happen.

“I’m just trying to get familiar with everybody. Hopefully I can get back and see the team scrimmage before the fall’s over and see if (NIU) has a couple guys to follow next spring.”

Marty Miller

Athletics’ scout