James Beltran
Sports Editor
In a world where corruption and greed have infested almost all facets of life, man has found solace in the pureness of sports.
The carefree attitude and the escape it provides from life's daily worries have made professional sports the center of a working man's day after devoting countless hours to his boss.
At least that's the way it used to be.
The pureness is gone according to the thousands of fans who have expressed their concern through radio talk shows and other public forums. The consensus is that sports is no longer greed-free because it's riddled with contract renegotiation demands from players unwilling to honor their commitments.
As sports prepares for the 21st century, a trend has risen for teenagers to make the daunted jump straight from high school to the professional leagues for fame and for money.
Is it greed or common sense?
"If someone's going to give you $80 million to skip college, it's kind of a no-brainer," said Astros second baseman Craig Biggio, who himself was faced with the choice of going straight to the pros from high school.
Biggio was drafted in the eighth round by the Detroit Tigers but wasn't offered the "$80 million" that might have enticed him to forgo his college eligibility.
"The money they offered me wasn't great," he said. "Besides, I don't think I was physically or mentally ready to go to professional ball. I was too young. I think if I would have gone pro back then I wouldn't have lasted that long because I had a lot of growing up to do."
And moving up to do.
Biggio's choice to attend Seton Hall not only matured him as a player but significantly raised his value in the eyes of major league scouts. In 1987 the Houston Astros drafted him in the first round of June draft - a big improvement from his original eighth round value coming out of high school.
A perfect case of patience paying off.
Then there comes the occasion when someone does make the successful transition. On the Astros there are two such cases: Derek Bell and Ricky Gutierrez.
Bell, who was a 1987 second-round pick out of King High School in Tampa Bay, Fla., has had a successful major league career despite his lack of college experience.
Career highlights include a World Series championship with Toronto in 1992, 21 home runs with San Diego in 1993 and a .334 batting average with Houston in 1995.
Remarkable achievements considering the abundance of baseball players who have attempted and failed at advancing to the pros without college seasoning.
"Making that jump in baseball is a lot more difficult than other sports because baseball is the hardest sport to play," said Gutierrez, who also was successful in his gamble to skip college. "Pitching a baseball and hitting one are some of the hardest things to do.
"What makes it even harder in baseball is that there are a lot more levels to go through before actually making it to the majors."
Basketball, however, is another case.
The NBA has no A, AA and AAA ranks to tread through before enjoying the luxuries of the professional level.
"Baseball is the only sport right now that does it the right way," Biggio said. "You have to pay your dues in the minor leagues before you make any money at all.
"You go to play A ball and AA ball and you're only getting paid about $800 a month. But these guys coming out of high school in basketball are getting offered millions of dollars without even proving anything yet."
Some, however, have proven their worth.
Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant and Minnesota Timberwolf Kevin Garnett have both obtained NBA all-star status without the benefit of college.
Success stories like these have encouraged high school basketball players to make the jump, including Elsik High School's Rashard Lewis.
Touted as the best high school player in the country, Lewis pondered attending college for months before finally deciding to enter the NBA Draft.
Since his announcement, critics have voiced their concern that he would be a better player with college experience.
Lewis, however, said he doesn't allow such comments to bother him, claiming that if anyone doubts he can flourish on the NBA level that he "will shock the world."
Perhaps, but maybe in a way that he doesn't expect. Others besides Bryant and Garnett have turned pro out of high school but have not lived up to expectations.
Recent examples include Toronto's Tracy McGrady and Portland's Jermaine O'Neal, who averaged only seven and 4.5 points per game respectively this season.
"Are these kids mentally and physically ready?" asked Biggio. "Some guys are doing okay, but others are finding that it's tough. It's not easy going up and competing against experienced guys who are 30 years old and you're 18."
Future Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler said that even the most talented players should attend college for at least two years.
"Emotionally, I don't think a lot of guys are ready for the NBA," Drexler said. "You have to guard yourself from things that can potentially be danger zones.
"College helps you do that and some other things. It's necessary to help you learn how to discipline your time and use it effectively," he said.
"In high school, everything has always been scheduled for you.
"It's not something that just happens. It's a learned behavior.
"Besides, if you miss college, you can never recapture it."
Gutierrez said the trend of skipping college is not due to the increasing salaries in the professional ranks, but instead to the fact that modern athletes are maturing faster than they used to.
"There are more talented athletes today," he said.
"Parents are now putting basketballs and baseball bats in kids' hands, and they are starting to play them at a younger age. Since they've played more as kids, when they grow up they're already developed and ready to play."
Houston has some local college players that have been faced with the option of becoming professionals.
University of Houston baseball players Eric Lee and Kris Wilken were both drafted out of high school but declined the opportunity in order to attend UH.
Wilken was a sixth round pick in 1997 by the Boston Red Sox. He said he wanted to experience college baseball first because "it's pretty much impossible for a guy to make that jump right away."
Lee, drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 10th round of the 1996 June baseball draft, said he would have skipped college if it was solely his choice.
"It was the toughest decision of my life," Lee said. "My dad really forced me to come to college.
"Sometimes I feel like it was the right choice, and other times I don't. I've learned a lot hereand there's a lot of little things that still need to be learned in baseball."