PRIOR ENGAGEMENT CUBS PITCHER TO GET DIPLOMA, SPEAK AT USC GRADUATION.Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer Mark Prior returned to his parents' home in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. for the holidays and noticed an empty hook on Verb 1. hook on - adopt; "take up new ideas" fasten on, seize on, take up, latch on sweep up, embrace, espouse, adopt - take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; "She embraced Catholicism"; "They adopted the Jewish the wall next to his siblings' college diplomas. When he asked his father about it, Jerry Prior said the family reserved a place for Mark's college diploma, should he choose to go back to school. The next time Mark went home, the family dog's obedience training obedience training a standardized program of training for dogs calculated to give owners mastery of their dogs at all times. The grades of increasing excellence vary between countries. A popular grading is Companion Dog, Companion Dog Excellent, Utility Dog and Tracking Dog. diploma occupied the place where Mark's diploma was to be displayed. Jerry Prior was the mastermind behind the antics but knew his son, an All-Star pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, hardly needed a fun push to return to USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. and earn his degree. Mark Prior took classes the past three years in the offseason, and today he'll speak in front of hundreds of his peers at the graduation ceremony for USC's Marshall School of Business The Marshall School of Business (also known as USC Marshall School of Business) is the business school at the University of Southern California. It is the largest of USC's 17 professional schools. The current Dean is James G. Ellis. , along with fellow student and keynote speaker Dick Cook, Disney's studio chairman. Money was not the reason Prior, an All-American at USC, earned a bachelor's degree, not after signing a four-year, $10.5 million contract with the Cubs in 2001. He did it for himself, ensuring a marketing career - if he wants it - after baseball. He did it for his 80-year-old grandmother. And he did it so he would have credibility at future speaking engagements. ``Mark's statement to me was that he couldn't make appearances in front of children and ask them to get an education if he hadn't completed his,'' his grandmother, Marian Prior said. ``Thank God (he did), with all the nice things that have happened to him. He worked to achieve this ... Mark has to achieve. Mark would never just sit back on what he has.'' What he has is a lively fastball, 392 major-league strikeouts at age 23, two playoff victories, the adoration of Chicago fans and a brilliant career ahead. He certainly didn't need a degree. But Prior has yet to pitch this season. He's on the disabled list with Achilles tendinitis Achilles tendinitis Sports medicine A condition characterized by pain and swelling along the tendon sheath proximal to the calcaneus Clinical Stiffness with ankle movement, tenderness, crepitus Imaging Usually nada, rarely, soft tissue thickening Management and a sore elbow, perhaps serving to highlight the point that baseball won't last forever. USC made the road to a degree convenient, although not easy, Prior said. Prior's final two courses were completed through independent study, enabling him to help the Cubs to a run through the playoffs last year without having to be on campus. He was charged with analyzing baseball's marketing strategy. ``I'm not going to lie. It was tough to go back at first,'' he said. ``I wanted to do it. I wanted to complete my degree. It helps shape your life. If something ever happens to me as far as baseball is concerned, I have something to fall back on. ``I know I'm going to work after baseball, whether it's in baseball or something else. Fortunately, I don't have to work for money. The Cubs took care of that. I wanted to get my degree. I'm sure I'll get bored. I like to do things.'' One of which was not to make a big deal of today's commencement exercises. Prior said he wanted to ``sneak in Verb 1. sneak in - enter surreptitiously; "He sneaked in under cover of darkness"; "In this essay, the author's personal feelings creep in" creep in and sneak out'' of the festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. , but his appearance in a cap and gown surely won't go unnoticed. Jim Ellis Jim Ellis may be:
``He has respect from his fellow students for what he's achieved,'' Ellis said. ``He's an absolutely wonderful young man. He has a great work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work , and I understand he's a humble young man. He has a huge amount of talent, not only on the baseball field but intellectually as well. He's a real star.'' Jerry Prior, a financial adviser, secured Prior for a Wednesday speaking engagement at his business conference in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. at which he spoke to money managers. He also was there as Prior pitched a two-hitter for a playoff series victory over Greg Maddux Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is a pitcher for the San Diego Padres. He was the first pitcher in Major League history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years (1992-1995), during which he had a 75-29 record with a 1. , now Prior's teammate, and the Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Braves have played in Turner Field. . He saw him pitch in the National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins, who went on to win the World Series. But for Jerry and Mark's mom, Millie, baseball games don't compare to today's victory. ``It means more to us as a mother (Millie) and father than all of the strikeouts and all of the accolades,'' Jerry Prior said. ``It's an important accomplishment.'' Marian Prior said Mark - who has 18 major-league victories in less than two full seasons - hasn't changed since the eighth grade. He still calls her once a week. And she continued to remind him about an education. ``I told him the baseball is fabulous, but to me, this is your crowning achievement,'' she said. One that will displace the family dog's honors. And one to tell the kids about. Jill Painter, (818)713-3615 jill.painter(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Mark Prior will wear a cap and gown instead of his Chicago Cubs uniform today when he receives his diploma from USC. Matt York/Associated Press |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion