"The manager [Bobby Valentine] told the student [Carlos Suarez] he had the physical tools to be a major leaguer. The trick, he added, was to conquer the game in the mind." ~ The New York Times, Corey Kilgannon.

Carlos stopped going to his Queens College classes last semester. We didn't know - yes, if you've read What Else But Home, it's deja vu all over again [that's a baseball term!].

This is Carlos in our kitchen, on his birthday. He's holding a bat. It's hard to see.

He stopped class because he was lost and confused without baseball - he'd used up his eligibility. There's a story there. It doesn't matter here. Enough to say Bobby Valentine told Carlos he had to do well in school, he had to do well in baseball, and that the Mets and Yankees would be watching him. Let's say that some issues got in the way. Let's say that Carlos has learned.

This is Carlos, with his cake and candles...

Bobby Valentine gave Carlos another chance. Another route. A hope. He wrote to Todd Marlin, then general manager of the Bridgeport Bluefish. Todd Marlin arranged for Carlos to try out. He told us before hand that 13 of his players were former Major Leaguers, not to expect much more than an evaluation and if he were up to it, recommendations to other teams in another Independent League. That's exactly what happened. Except it was late July or August, Independent League teams don't play late into autumn - Carlos and I both assumed that Todd Marlin meant to try out this Spring, 2010. But he didn't. He meant then.

It was too late by the time we realized.

Todd Marlin is now managing director of the Washington Wildthings, in Washington, PA. He's an extraordinary man. He's recommended Carlos to try out for Frontier League teams. And we'll figure at least one other league to try out for. We'll write to Todd Marlin again. I know he'll answer.

So Carlos and I took a long LONG sheet of paper. We made a plan, from winter through spring. Tryouts are in early May. Carlos has been running, going to the gym, losing weight, getting stronger, batting and practicing the infield. We figured out how much it was going to cost to pay for the batting cage, to buy bats, batting gloves, comfortable sneakers, gasoline to get to tryouts, tolls, everything we could think of, we made a budget. It is a lot of money. More than we thought. Carlos wrote to three of our friends, asking for help, dividing costs into quarters. Everyone agreed to help Carlos go after this dream. I wont embarrass my friends by mentioning their names, but they are good friends. Mary Spink, from LESPMHA, agreed to be a fiscal sponsor supporting Carlos.

This is a letter from one of our friends. "Dear Carlos, We really believe in you!..." it says. That's friendship.

The Frontier League tryout is early in May.

Follow Carlos here. He's decided he doesn't want to be middle aged, to look back and never have tried for this. He's okay with what happens, as long as he walks through a brick wall to get there - that's John Howard's saying. Apropos. But I'm not saying anything. Much.

It's on the line.

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