Thursday, April 9, 2015

Big leaguer Jimmy Outlaw passed away nine years ago in Jackson, Ala.

Alabama native Jimmy Outlaw
It’s not every day that I get mistaken for a big league baseball player, but it does happen.

On Tuesday morning of last week, I received a text message from a baseball-loving friend I hadn’t heard from in several months. Being that the start of the Major League Baseball season and April Fool’s Day were both right around the corner, I thought he was having a little fun with me. With that in mind, I decided to have a little fun back and it resulted in this somewhat humorous exchange.

FRIEND: This is ****. Who is your agent and were you in Double A ball or Triple A and who with?

ME: My agent is Jimmy Sexton. I was in the Big Show with Jose Canseco. You betta recognize.

FRIEND: Ten four. I’m talking to some people for you.

ME: I need all the help I can get. LOL. Tell them I’ve almost perfected my screwball pitch.

FRIEND: Wrong person. I have a buddy named Lee Peacock in Daphne that’s playing with the Mets, just got released. I’m trying to help him out. My bad.

ME: That’s hilarious. I get mistaken for big leaguers all the time.

FRIEND: When you said who you said, I knew I had the wrong person. LOL…

What I didn’t know was that when my buddy sent me this text, he was standing beside Scottie Booker of Monroeville. Many of you will remember Scottie, who graduated from Monroe County High School in 1995 and went on to pitch for the Cincinnati Reds, the Kansas City Royals and the Washington Nationals.

My friend was trying to put this Lee Peacock of Daphne in touch with Scottie, who still has many connections among movers and shakers in minor league baseball. My buddy was hoping that Scottie could get Peacock a tryout with a minor league team somewhere.

When I replied that my agent was Jimmy Sexton (who is best known for representing such sports greats as Nick Saban) and that I’d played in the “Big Show” with admitted steroid user, Jose Canseco, my friend showed my reply to Booker, who said something along the lines of, “Well, it’s no wonder this guy got cut. He’s got an attitude problem.”

I think my “You betta recognize” comment was just icing on the cake.

My buddy almost immediately realized that something wasn’t right and he began scrolling through his contacts only to discover that he’d sent the wrong Lee Peacock a text message. In the end, we all had a big laugh about it, so don’t blame me if this flame-throwing Peacock from Daphne doesn’t get another shot at the big leagues.

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Speaking of the big leagues, many Auburn fans in the reading audience will remember that today (Thursday) marks nine years since the death of former Auburn and major league baseball player James Paulus “Jimmy” Outlaw, who passed away in Jackson, Ala. on April 9, 2006 at the age of 93. Outlaw was born in Orme, Tenn. on Jan. 20, 1913 and went on to play for Auburn, the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Bees and the Detroit Tigers.

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