READY TO TURN PAGE TO NEXT CHAPTER TWO-SPORT ATHLETE TO CHOOSE AFTER MLB DRAFT.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer UCLA's Jarrad Page Jarrad Page (born October 19, 1984) was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 7th round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played for UCLA in his collegiate career. Before attending UCLA, Page grew up in San Leandro, California, attending San Leandro High School, where Page was the top plans to make a decision about his football future after baseball's amateur draft in early June, but several major-league scouts said the Bruins should expect to have their highly rated strong safety back for his senior season. A fifth-round selection out of high school by Milwaukee in the 2002 baseball draft, Page is in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of a seasonlong slump in his second year with UCLA's baseball team. With a month remaining, he is batting .159 with 42 strikeouts in 88 at-bats. He recently lost his starting job in center field. Despite problems at the plate, the switch-hitting Page remains optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op he will be taken early in the baseball draft because of his athleticism and the understanding that he hasn't played year-round, like most of his teammates. Scouts paint a much different picture. ``We don't even have any plan of drafting him,'' one National League scout said. ``He's a good athlete, but he hasn't played that much, and you're not going to spend any kind of money when you draft a player like that.'' Page, an NFL-caliber player, said he will wait for the MLB MLB Major League Baseball MLB Minor League Baseball MLB Middle Linebacker (football) MLB Motor Life Boat MLB Matt Leblanc (actor) MLB Mother Love Bone (band) Draft to make a decision. Page is one of the UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX football team's hardest hitters, and he was one of its most reliable defenders last season. He is a three-year starter and the only member of the secondary with significant experience. He said it would take being selected in the first few rounds of the baseball draft for him to walk away from a potentially lucrative football career. ``If you're going to take a college kid, even with his talent, you want to see some production. Any production,'' another National League scout said. ``It's too much of a risk to take him in the first 30 rounds. I can see doing something after that, maybe in the 35th round or something like that. You want to take chances on kids that are good hitters first.'' Page isn't the only one struggling for UCLA. The team has dropped 24 of its past 25 games and is 8-28 entering tonight's game against UC Irvine. ``I feel like if I would have played (baseball) in the summer or the fall, I'd be a lot better right now,'' Page said. ``That will be a decision I have to make, if I'm going to play all the time or if I'm going to play football. I know teams still like me. They haven't gotten a chance to see me hit very well, but I've still got games left.'' Page said he has not spoken to Bruins football coach Karl Dorrell Karl Dorrell (born December 18, 1963 in Alameda, California) is the first black head coach in the history of the UCLA Bruins college football team, a position he took on December 18, 2002. since the end of spring practice more than a month ago. Page added he would not give up football if his baseball draft position was not strong. ``I couldn't do that,'' Page said. ``If things don't work out in baseball, I'm going to use my other option. Everything is a chance. You can always get hurt, but I'm not going to take a chance of giving up something in which I've already had feedback from the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga , from last season, that people do like me.'' According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. one scout, there is a caveat when it comes to Page and the baseball draft. A team could draft Page in the middle or late rounds and spend significant money to entice him to give up football and concentrate solely on baseball for the first time in his life. ``He's got tremendous upside Upside The potential dollar amount by which the market or a stock could rise. Notes: This is basically an educated guess on how high a stock could go in the near future. See also: Bull, Downside , tremendous ability, but I just think it comes down to repetition REPETITION, construction of wills. A repetition takes place when the same testator, by the same testamentary instrument, gives to the same legatee legacies of equal amount and of the same kind; in such case the latter is considered a repetition of the former, and the legatee is entitled ,'' first-year UCLA baseball coach John Savage John Savage may refer to:
Page said major-league scouts still talk to him regularly at games. ``They're telling me they like me and what picks they have and try to talk about money,'' Page said. ``They're saying they wish I was batting .370 right now because it would be a no-brainer to take me in the first round.'' Brian Dohn, (818) 713-3607 brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Although UCLA's Jarrad Page has struggled in baseball this season, he will decide whether he's going to give up football after the MLB Draft in June. Edna T. Simpson/Daily News |
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