Astros Prospect to Retire

[Buckcheeks]

4/01/2010 Houston- 24 year old Collin Delome grew up dreaming of playing in the big leagues. When the Houston Astros called Delome up to the majors on September 4th of last year, his dream had finally become a reality. But today, he says he's ready to give all of this up just for a taste of history.
"I've always been sort of a history buff. I've loved the game since I was a little boy growing up in Cincinatti. I've read up on a lot of facts about the past over the years, and I'm certain that I am the first player to ever do this."
The thing Delome referred to as "this" was the fact that he will be the first player in major league history to retire after 1 game in the major leagues in which he hit for the cycle. On the day of his call-up, Delome got an emergency start for an injured Hunter Pence. He capitalized. Delome went 4 for 4 with a single, double, triple and a home run. He also knocked in 4 runs. As empressive as this was, Hunter Pence's injury wasn't as severe as the team once thought, and they quickly sent Delome back down to the minors.
"Honestly, I did kinda feel like it was a slap in the face, in a way," Delome said, "but I understand it's a business, and it's things like this that happen. But you know, I'm glad they sent me down, because now I can capitalize on my feat."
Delome is playing on a minor league salary of $300,000 a year, but he's quick to tell the world that he's willing to throw away a future multi-million dollar contract in order to etch his name in the history books.
At the end of the press conference, Delome let out a little surprise.
"Guys, look at the date. This was an April Fool's joke. Well, sort of. I'm not retiring, but I AM signing a contract with special stipulations. The Astros have agreed to never give me another at-bat again. I will strictly be a late-inning pinch runner or defensive replacement."
With Delome's average baserunning and defensive skills, it's hard to tell what part of this press conference was the joke. Pretty good joke for a young guy like Delome.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

Hahaha gotta love a guy with a good sense of humor

[ljshorty89]

Haha, that's great. +Rep!