Life's dreams coming true for Young '02

Life is good for Chris Young these days.

It's Saturday night and the 2002 graduate is hanging out like a normal 25-year-old. He's at a sports bar in Boston watching some college football, the crowd erupting with every big play. By his side are his fiancée and some of his closest college friends.

He enjoyed his afternoon too, a beautiful summer day spent at historic Fenway Park. He'd visited Fenway once before, but this time was a bit different.

He was the winning pitcher.

In his third major league start, Young threw a gem. He was aggressive with his fastball, hitting the corners with 94-mile-per hour bullets. His breaking stuff was working, his change-up too.

After throwing 116 pitches, he hit the showers with two outs in the sixth inning, and his Texas Rangers leading the streaking Boston Red Sox, 8-1. The bullpen nearly coughed it up, but held on for an 8-6 win — the first of Young's major league career.

So, all in all, Chris had a pretty good day. And he knows it.

"Right now, everything's going well for me," he says, straining to be heard over the background din of the noisy bar. "I try not to get caught up in everything, but when I step back, I realize it's unbelievable."

For all the excitement in Young's voice, he doesn't sound all that surprised. After all, to give up as much as he did, you have to be pretty confident that days like these are in your future.

See, back in the summer of 2000, Young had a difficult career choice to make. He'd just finished his sophomore year at Princeton, where he'd been dominating Ivy League opponents in two sports.

On the mound, Young was nearly unhittable, earning the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award his freshman season and All-America status his sophomore year.

On the basketball court, the six-foot, 10-inch Young had been just as good. A talented outside shooter and passer, Young won Rookie of the Year honors for basketball as well, making him the only Ivy athlete to win the award in two sports.

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So when the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the third round in June of 2000 — he would have been a first round pick if not for his uncertain signability — Young was faced with giving up his basketball career for a chunk of cash and the shot at a pro career in baseball. For a kid who had always "loved playing both sports equally," it was quite a dilemma.

The basketball team coming back would have been good — top-10 in the country good, Young believes, saying he's sure Spencer Gloger '05 would never have left for UCLA if he had stayed. And besides his Princeton career, scouts thought Young had NBA potential too.

In the end, the decision came down to another factor: completing his education. The Pirates thought he would develop faster if he dropped out of school, but Young wouldn't budge.

"When I was negotiating, I made it clear that if I couldn't finish my degree, I wouldn't sign," he says.

Eventually, the Pirates gave in, offering him 1.75 million dollars and tuition for his final two years. Young signed and split the next two years between Princeton and single-A ball in Hickory, North Carolina.

Looking back, he fondly recalls his final two years as a "normal student" at Princeton in the politics department. He says he met some of his closest friends at his eating club, Cap & Gown, during those years. And he began dating his eventual fiancée, Elizabeth Patrick '02, a Tiger soccer player.

After graduating, he turned his full attention to baseball and began moving up the minor league ladder. In 2003, he was traded to the Montreal Expos and spent most of the season at AA Harrisonburg.

But his true breakthrough came only this season. He was traded to the Rangers at the beginning of April, a dream come true for the Dallas native who grew up idolizing Nolan Ryan.

After going 6-5 at AA Frisco, he was promoted to AAA Oklahoma on July 28. There, he went 3-0 with a 1.48 ERA, earning a call-up to the majors. With his start on Aug. 24, Young became the first Princetonian in the majors since Bob Tufts '77 finished his career in 1983.

In Young's mind, his success this year comes thanks to mechanical changes that brought him improved consistency, especially in throwing off-speed pitches for strikes. His first two major league starts were solid, but he was left with a no-decision and a loss.

In Boston on Saturday, it all came together. Facing a loaded lineup in front of a frenzied crowd, Young refused to back down, displaying the mental toughness he prides himself on and frequently discusses with his Texas pitching coach, the legendary Orel "The Bulldog" Hershiser.

With the Rangers in the midst of the pennant race, Young says life in the majors has been "everything I dreamed of and more." It's the little things that count — his favorite perk is the extra legroom on the team jet.

Of course, being the new guy is not without its challenges. Young reports that he's "staying on his toes" for pranks, knowing the classic pie in the face trick is inevitable. He's already been duped once, when his teammates sent him the $5,000 check for a team dinner. After letting him panic about his credit limit for a few minutes, they cracked up and took the bill back.

Still, the hazards of rookie life are small obstacles. Besides, he's got a network of Tigers he relies on for support. Baseball-wise, he still seeks advice from Princeton head coach Scott Bradley, who called to offer congratulations immediately after the big win. Thanks to DirecTV, Bradley says he's watched every major league pitch Young has thrown.

"He's a great kid, and he deserves everything he gets," Bradley said. "It doesn't surprise me a bit."

Young keeps in touch with the Princeton basketball family, too, talking with coaches Pete Carril, John Thompson '88, and Joe Scott '87. And, fittingly, at his side in the Boston sports bar is his old point guard, Ahmed El-Nokali '02.

The crowd in that bar has quieted down now, the football game over. Young will stick around a bit longer, though, savoring the moment with family and friends. It's been a long day, but tonight is only the beginning of the road.

"I'm by no means satisfied," he says. See, Chris wants to keep on having days like this for the next decade — and who can blame him?

Yeah, life is good.