How the San Francisco Giants found their latest prospect is yet another example of it’s all about who you know in life. Even in sports. Yes, sports, where it’s a pure meritocracy, and all about talent. You get ahead only if you can play, and left behind if you cannot play.
Not true. Sometimes it is all about who you know. Like the case of Matt Chavez and the San Francisco Giants.
From Bob Wirz at IndyBaseballChatter.com. Wirz was the spokesman for two MLB Commissioners and worked for the Kansas City Royals PR for 16 years.
In the strange but true department, a trip to the family dentist appears to have done as much for the career of first baseman-catcher Matt Chavez as winning the Triple Crown in the second-year Freedom League.
The San Mateo (CA) Daily Journal enlightened us on the details of the San Francisco Giants inking the onetime University of San Francisco player after he had hit .430, struck 18 homers and shared the runs batted in title with 49 in only 39 games for the Montezuma Federals, one of four teams in the league that plays in the Phoenix area. It seems the 24-year-old’s mother had suggested he have his teeth cleaned and it turned out Dr. Ron Sarles was a friend of Giants Assistant General Manager Bobby Evans. The dentist called Evans, the newspaper reports, and after two tryouts in Arizona Chavez was offered a contract by his favorite team.
Chavez is making the most of the opportunity, hitting .400 (8-for-20) although a double has been his only extra base hit.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a regular analyst on news talk radio stations across the world; with weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS