baseball, Lee chose the latter
by James Beltran
Staff Writer
It's a tough choice between signing a major league contract or putting it on hold to obtain an education. There is a decision to be made for possible fame and fortune with the Oakland Athletics organization, or mind-bending studying for academic tests at the University of Houston.
Which will it be?
The choice would be obvious for the average person, but not for Cougars freshman Eric Lee.
After being drafted in the 10th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft by Oakland, Lee was faced with this dilemma.
With much deliberation and headaches, Lee eventually opted to further his education at UH.
"That was the toughest decision of my life," Lee said. "I really had my mind set on going pro, but after talking to my parents I made the decision to come to college first and try and go higher in the draft afterwards."
He said it was a tough decision, but the right one.
Houston coach Rayner Noble said, "He most definitely wanted to play pro ball. I don't think he was ready to play though. Going to school here was the best thing he's done."
Being so highly touted out of high school should have made it close to impossible for Noble to recruit Lee. However, with Houston being his hometown, he decided staying close to home was the best option for him.
Lee also said the Athletic/Alumni facility that UH had to offer was a large deciding factor in his final decision.
So far it has worked out well for both Lee and the Cougars. Being the starting right fielder, he is getting the experience he needs to sharpen his skills for the major leagues. Houston, in return, gets a capable bat in the lineup and another friendly personality in the lockerroom.
"He's a nice guy," said Noble. "He's a quiet person who keeps to himself."
Ironically, though, Noble said he thinks Lee is too nice.
"I think if Eric gets a mean streak, it would help his aggressiveness on the field," he said. "He has a world of talent."
Lee attributes his talent to his father, who made him practice on the fundamentals of baseball to improve his skills.
"When I would be playing, he would always come get me and make me hit off the tee and work on my fundamentals," Lee said.
The hard work is paying off for Lee as he has made a splash in the Cougars' baseball program in only his first year. If improvement is constant for his remaining years at Houston, the UH record books will again have to be opened in order to add a twelfth name to the list of former Cougars that have played in the majors.
Lee said he has always attempted to model himself after Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. In tribute to him, Lee wore #42 on his jersey throughout his high school career at Clear Lake.
"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be playing right now," Lee said.
He would not be lucky enough to get #42 again, though, after coming to play for the Cougars. "It was very disappointing when I came here and Bruce (Rios) already had #42," he said.
Despite his disappointment, Lee can now play in tribute to another former baseball great, Bob Feller (who wore #19, Lee's UH jersey number).
With some seasoning in college baseball, maybe he can play well enough professionally that aspiring ballplayers in the future might wear Lee's jersey in tribute to how he played the game of baseball. But he has a long way to go. Lee still has three years left at Houston, plus a career in the major leagues before he will get a shot at his ultimate dream: the Baseball Hall of Fame.