The weather might try to tell us otherwise, but baseball season is right around the corner.  In just about 20 days, pitchers and catchers will report to spring training and begin the 2008 season and I for one, can’t wait.  For a baseball fan, the off-season seems like an eternity and opening day can’t come too soon.

For Paige Dumont, February 28th is that day.

We wandered into the University of Sports Batting Cages early this afternoon for my oldest’s lesson with his hitting instructor Michael Paul.  Mike’s worked with him since he was 12 so over the years we’ve clocked a lot of time at “the cages”.  Spending so much time there, I’ve gotten to know the staff pretty well and spent more than my fair share of time talking “ball”.

Today, a new face greeted us when we walked in the door.

“Who’s the guy behind the counter?” I asked Coach Paul.

“That’s Paige,” he replied.  “He plays for the Phillies.”

“How do you like playing in the big leagues?” I asked him, trying to sound nonchalant.

“It’s incredible,” he replied with a smile that lit up his whole face.

Paige is a local talent.  He pitched at Santa Rosa Junior College and then for Coach John Goelz at Sonoma State so, as he says, he was an “old guy” by the time he reached the big leagues a year ago.  While the other guys were out partying and having fun, he was working out, trying to get better.

“I did all that stuff already,” he would tell the other guys.  “ I went to college.  I’m here to play ball."  And play ball he did, rising up through the first three levels of rookie ball in his first season.  This year he will report to the Single A team, probably in Florida.

“I played much of the year last year in New Jersey.  Those East Coast fans really love their baseball.”

No kidding.

“It didn’t matter if you were on their team or not,” he recalled.  “If you were having a bad game, you heard about it.”

Yup.

“Tell me about steroids,” I asked him.  “What’s it like?  Is there really pressure to do them, even in the minors?”

Sadly, the answer was yes.  He recalled talking to Damon Bruce, the night host on KNBR and telling him what his experience was as a player.

“Have you every used steroids?” the host asked him.

“I can’t lie,” he answered.  “There was a point when I thought about it, but I talked to my parents and they let me know under no uncertain terms to stay away from it or there would be serious consequences.” 

He’s glad he listened.

“If you knew that you could make it up to the big club, would you use them?” the host shot back.

“No.”  Dumont replied.  “I’ve worked too hard to get this far.  I’d rather know that I’d made it on my own through hard work and if I didn’t make it, well then, at least I knew I gave it my all.”

Paige Dumont reports for the beginning of his season on February 28th. Let’s hope that someday, with a little luck and continued hard work, we’ll see him on the roster when the Phillies come to town.

Guaranteed, there will be more than a few Giants fans cheering for him.