High School Was Different For Me

The Yanks just won their 7th straight game and swept the Padres, winning a tight finale thanks to some smart hitting and stellar pitching performances from Joba Chamberlain (5 2/3 IP, 9 K’s), Jose Veras (W), Kyle Farnsworth, and Mariano Rivera (S, 1 IP, 3 K’s). Right now, it appears as though the team can do no wrong, even when the bottom half of their lineup barely hits and with Hideki Matsui out. The only problem with winning 7 straight is that the AL East isn’t a cakewalk anymore and the Sox and Rays are still winning so we haven’t really caught up in the standings (the Rays play the Cubs later today).

Anyways, another great win for the club. Now, switching gears, here are some draft updates:

1) PA has a list of recent draft signings and you can see that list, here.

2) Kyle Higashioka, a high school catcher, was drafted in the 7th round by the Yanks and he recently visited the stadium as the team tries to woo him into signing (he has a commitment to the University of California). Here’s a bit of text about his draft experience:

When Kyle Higashioka found out he was drafted by the Yankees, he was in an AP Calculus class at Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Calif.His friend looked over his shoulder as he opened his cell phone to read the text message from Yankees scout Dave Keith.

“My whole class kind of went crazy,” Higashioka said.

How cool is that? In high school, kids go nuts over MySpace photos and Facebook conversations. Getting a text message saying that you’ve just been drafted by the NY Yankees must be an “event” in any high school setting. Then again, when you’re sitting in AP Calculus, I’m sure anything can get the class excited (unless you were drafted by the Red Sox, because we all know that’s not nearly as cool).