PREP BASEBALL: HARRINGTON NAMED BEST IN THE NATION PALMDALE PITCHER TOPS US PREP ALL-STAR TEAM.Byline: Scott Magoloff Staff Writer Matt Harrington Matt Harrington (born February 1, 1982) is a baseball player who holds the record for the most times being chosen in the Major League Baseball amateur draft. Between 2000 and 2004, Harrington, a top prospect coming out of high school, was chosen in all five drafts, but never signed receives typical small-town hero treatment in Palmdale, the desert community which fostered his growth. The pitcher, a recent graduate of Palmdale High, is frequently stopped around town for autographs. Harrington's growing popularity reached a new peak - at the national level - on Tuesday, when USA Today USA Today National U.S. daily general-interest newspaper, the first of its kind. Launched in 1982 by Allen Neuharth, head of the Gannett newspaper chain, it reached a circulation of one million within a year and surpassed two million in the 1990s. selected him as the 2000 All-USA Baseball Player of the Year. Harrington was one of four from California named to the 10-player team. Other area players selected honorable mention, California, were Conor Jackson Conor Sims Jackson (nicknamed Co-Jack or Action) was born May 7, 1982 in Austin, Texas. He is a first baseman in Major League Baseball who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He bats right handed and throws right handed. He is 6'2" and roughly 225 pounds. of El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
A full-length color photo of Harrington, who was taken in the first round of the major-league draft by the Colorado Rockies For the National Hockey League team (1976 – 1982), now known as the New Jersey Devils, see . The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. They are in the West Division of the National League. , graced nearly the entire upper half of a page in the newspaper. ``You don't think stuff like that can happen,'' Harrington said. ``With (the recent publicity from) Baseball America  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , I thought other people might start recognizing me. A lot of places have these outstanding players and you never heard of it until that player comes out of there. I think Palmdale's been getting some good recognition the last few years.'' Whatever recognition Harrington has received has been due. Coach Lance Pierson, who retired at the end of the season, said Harrington has devoted his life to the art of pitching. Harrington agreed, saying his hard work began to pay off during the offseason, when he gained confidence by playing travel ball, in the Area Code games and the Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. The 1979 invasion of Afghanistan caused the USA and other Western countries to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in . ``This is one of those years where I knew almost every game was going to go my way,'' said Harrington, who this season went 11-0 with a 0.54 ERA and struck out 126 batters in 65 1/3 innings. Fans exposed to Harrington for the first time after seeing Tuesday's USA Today will notice the gaudy statistics and assume how good he is. Fans in Palmdale already know what the rest of the nation is just realizing. ``Matt has taken Palmdale by storm - it's been awesome for the community,'' Pierson said. ``You always tell kids to work hard and you can be whatever you want to be and I guess he's that story. He's the best (prep) player in the U.S. and that's great.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Pitcher Matt Harrington of Palmdale heads the All-USA prep baseball team chosen by USA Today. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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