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Former Pro Ball Player Says Air Guard is His Winning Team
(August 27, 2010) | 
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TUSCON, Ariz. - When Air Force Staff Sgt. Trevor Harvey lights the candles on
the altar before Mass on drill weekends, he favors the hand that once pitched to
Ken Griffey Jr. |
Staff Sgt. Trevor Harvey, a chaplain's
assistant at the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing, prepares
for Catholic Mass on a drill weekend (April 10, 2010). |
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"During one game I pitched, he hit a ball over 500 feet," said Harvey, who now
serves as the chaplain's assistant with the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd
Fighter Wing here.
Originally from Imlay City, Mich., Harvey started playing baseball at age 7 and
he excelled in the sport. Throughout high school, he played varsity baseball.
Just before graduation, word spread quickly to local scouts about the
6-foot-5-inch southpaw.
During games, Harvey noticed scouts in the stands with radar guns.
"Every time I threw a fast ball, the radar guns would come up," he said. "As the
games went on and through the end of the |
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season, it wasn't unusual to see more than 30 guys with radar guns in
the stands. I knew then something neat was going to happen." |
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Shortly thereafter he received more than 200 letters from colleges from all over
the country asking him to play. Harvey was drafted by the Seattle Mariners right
out of high school, but he chose to go to Michigan State University to play with
the Spartans.
"One of the stipulations for signing a professional contract was a clause
stating that injury would void the contract," he said. "That meant my education
would not be paid for. My parents did not think it was a good idea, given that I
already had a scholarship waiting in Michigan."
Harvey played for Michigan State from 1990-95. "I got my education paid for and
I got an opportunity to travel and play baseball against different schools like
Arizona, Texas and Florida," he said. "It was awesome."
His senior year in college proved to be a successful one. He received
invitations to try out for the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore
Orioles.
A small independent Canadian team called the Brandon Grey Owls ultimately made
him an offer he couldn't refuse.
"I was offered a stipend of $700 a month and a place to live. At age 22, that
was a big deal," he said.
He played a few games for the Owls, but it wasn't long before a scout from the
Colorado Rockies took notice of the left-handed pitcher. They made him an offer,
and he was on his way to play for the Rockies.
Shortly after signing his pro contract, Harvey popped his shoulder out of its
socket. Recovery was expected to take 18 months.
"The Rockies weren't willing to wait," he said.
His professional baseball endeavor was put on hold, and as a result of the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his motivations changed.
"I had an epiphany after Sept. 11," Harvey said. "I felt moved by the events and
the reactions of the people in my generation. I had to get involved."
In 2003, he enlisted in the Michigan Air National Guard. Three years later, he
relocated to Tucson with his family and joined the 162nd Fighter Wing. He
considered a chaplaincy with the Army Guard until he was scouted by the
chaplain's office here.
"When you play baseball, everyone on the team wears the same uniform and you
help each other out," Harvey said. "That is everything that the Air Force is
about. It was such an easy transition. I have loved every minute of my time in
the Air Force.
"If I had to do it all again," he added, "I would have given up the Michigan
State experience and enlisted at age 18. That is how much I love what I do now." | |
Article and photo by USAF MSgt. Desiree Twombly
Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs
Copyright 2010
Provided
through DVIDS
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