The Minor Leagues

Last week I was in Boston's North Station, waiting for a train to take me to my sister's in Salem.

It had been a hectic day.

I was coming from the hospital, where I'd visited my steadily improving brother, and was - at 4 p.m. - having a late-lunch bagel.

The only seat in the waiting room was next to a young man with two huge duffle bags. As I sat on the bench, he began shoving the bags - which weren't at all in my way - aside. I told him I was fine, then noticed that one duffle bag said "Sea Dogs" and the other said "Red Sox."

Well, North Station's where you get the train to Portland - which is where the Sea Dogs (a Red Sox Double-A minor league team) play - so I asked if he played for the Sea Dogs.

"I did earlier in the season," he told me. "But I've been with Pawtucket. The season's over, and I've got to get back up to Portland and pick up all my stuff."

"Pawtucket," I said. "That's a promotion."

The kid grinned.

Pawtucket is Triple-A.

Players get called up from Pawtucket.

Red Sox coming off the Disabled List often put in a stint with Pawtucket before coming back to The Bigs.

We chatted for a while - about the Sea Dogs park up in Portland - where years ago I'd seen Nomar Garciaparra play for the Trenton Thunder; about my having seen Ted Williams play; about him having played at Arizona State with Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox star first baseman and "a great guy."

He told me his name: Beau Vaughn.

At first I heard it as "Mo Vaughn" who played for the Red Sox some years ago, and who I always enjoyed watching play. He also donated $1,000 to St. Francis House ( every time he hit a home run, and I liked him for that. And naturally I liked hearing the crowds at Fenway chanting "Mo, Mo, Mo", even though it wasn't for me.

Beau Vaughn also told me that he was getting old - he's 27 - for the minor leagues, but that he had nothing better to do. So he was going to stick with it and see how it played out.

I checked Beau out, and according to "The Google", he still has reasonable major league prospects. Here's his scouting report:

Aggressive righty has a fastball reaching 91 mph with good sinking movement.  Vaughan is able to throw his biting curve for strikes often.  Four strong pitches, but needs a little work on keeping a consistent delivery for all of his pitches. Gets a lot of groundball outs. Struggles against left-handed batters.   Fierce with a good mound presence. Good control.  Vaughan has moved through the system slowly but surely - he was actually drafted the round before Jonathan Papelbon in 2003.  Despite being old for his leagues along the way, Vaughan still has a very good chance to be an effective MLB reliever.

(By the way, if you do click on the link above, I don't know where that picture came from. The Beau Vaughn I sat next to was very good looking, resembling not in the least the guy in the picture who looks like he was just zapped with a cattle prod.)

My train was called.

"Good luck," I told Beau Vaughn. "I'll be looking for you at Fenway."

I wish I'd asked for his autograph for my nieces Caroline and Molly. I wish I'd said I know how tough it must be to see younger guys like Justin Masterson make it to The Show before you. I wish I'd said, "You're right, Beau Vaughn, there's nothing better you can do than try your all to make it doing something you love."

Twenty-seven?

He's still a kid.

I'm reading all the time about Baby Boomers launching new careers in their fifties. I went back to business school at the age of 29.

Hey, Beau Vaughn, give it another couple of years.

I'll be rooting for you.