TAMPA - This is not what draft day in Hillsborough County is supposed to be about.
There are supposed to be groups of people waiting at prospects' houses, jumping every time the phone rings then slumping in disappointment when it turns out to be a friend asking if the real call has come.
There are supposed to be parties and speculation and hype. There was no hype Tuesday when the amateur baseball draft kicked off. And, though there was plenty of speculation, it wasn't the kind baseball fans in this county are used to.
The usual question of "How high did he get drafted, first or second round?" degenerated into "How far did he fall?" For a day we knew what it felt like to be in Pasco County for a draft, or, worse yet, Hernando County.
The answer finally came after what seemed like 14 hours - but was really about four - when the Minnesota Twins selected Armwood shortstop Brandon McArthur in the fifth round with the 148th pick overall.
Durant's Ryan Raburn fell that far two years ago, but otherwise you have to go back to 1995 to find a draft in which Hillsborough County's first high school pick was taken that late. In between Raburn and Chris Manser (seventh round, 1995) are a third-round selection, a fourth-round selection, two first-round choices and a sandwich pick. Add in Denard Span's No.20 overall selection last year, and it's easy to see how we've become spoiled.
I, for one, don't mind being spoiled.
Not if it means actually having something to look forward to on draft day as opposed to being hooked up to a computer, listening to 30 voices drone on and on and on, spitting out names and preassigned draft numbers of players who don't play in this county, waiting for a name that is the least bit recognizable.
Thank God for Tommy Lasorda, who turned the Los Angeles Dodgers' selections into somewhat of an event. Too bad that only happened every 45 minutes or so when the draft rotated back to his team. Other than that - pure monotony.
Perhaps the best way to sum up how rotten a day it was draft-wise is to point out some of the things that happened while our local players' phones weren't ringing.
Fernando Valenzeula's son was drafted in the 10th round by San Diego. That was a highlight.
Gary Gaetti's son went too, as did Tony Gwynn's son and Tom Pagnozzi's nephew. Former major-leaguers hoping they've nurtured future major-leaguers.
Raul Rodriguez was drafted 603rd overall by San Francisco, though that's only interesting because he was here two weeks ago playing in the state baseball tournament.
Players from Rust College, Cowley County CC and the New York Institute of Technology - baseball hotbeds one and all - were picked while players from Jesuit and Hillsborough and Tampa Catholic were left out. Heck, there were even a couple of players with no school affiliation chosen Tuesday.
The only silver lining in this draft day rain cloud is the fact that it doesn't happen often.
Soon, Hillsborough County will be right back to the days when scouts lined the backstops, checking out a kid they hope will blossom with their jersey on his back. The parties will return and cousins will call too early, sending unnecessary oohs and ahs through prospects' houses.
Staring today's final 30 rounds in the face, that day can't come soon enough.
