That's according to Keith Mills, who talked to K.J. Hockaday, whom the Orioles drafted in the 14th Round.
Hockaday (and Mills):
Day two of the draft began at 12 p.m. Two hours later, the Hockadays' phone rang. It was Everett Tull, the Mid-Atlantic area scout for the Houston Astros, who told Hockaday the Astros wanted to pick him in the sixth round.
"But we couldn't agree on the money," Hockaday said.
So back to the computer screen he went.
Finally, as 3 p.m. turned into 4, the phone rang again. This time it was his Dean Albany, the Orioles' regional cross checker and Brooklyn Park High grad, who first began scouting Hockaday when he was a sophomore at John Carroll three years ago.
"Dean called and said the Orioles were going to pick me in the 14th round," Hockaday said. "I couldn't believe it. The Orioles! I dreamed about playing baseball since I was 3 years old. Baseball's been my main priority and I've tried always make good decisions."
The Astros took Brandon Meredith instead.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
