by Kevin Zeni
Since enrolling at UCLA in 2002, it was football that took
care of Jarrad Page. Football paid for his four years of schooling and gave him
a paycheck for six NFL seasons. But now, Page has returned to the very first
sport he ever played as a child, the game of baseball.
Jarrad, who played the safety position for the Kansas City
Chiefs, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, was
exposed to baseball at an early age, enabling him to develop a love for the
game early on.
“I always loved playing baseball,” Page said. “When I was
young, my parents took me out to tryout and play and I started playing tee-ball
at the age of four-years-old.”
“Baseball was always number one growing up,” he added. “I
didn’t wind up playing football until the end of eighth grade, heading into
ninth grade. Before that it was all baseball, then I picked up basketball, and
then I finally started getting into football.”
The former Bruin took well to football, earning him several
scholarship offers before ultimately choosing UCLA to play both football and
baseball.
“I knew all along that I was going to college to play both
sports. Football paid for the scholarship because it’s the big-money sport on
campus, but I definitely knew I was going to school to play both sports,”
Jarrad stated.
While in college, the 6’1”, 225-pound safety and center
fielder had to balance the load of excelling on the football field, the
baseball diamond, and in the classroom.
“It was difficult, to be honest. I never really went out,”
said Page. “A lot of guys would go out in the city, but I never did that in
college because I thought it would hold me back from playing pro ball. I just
didn’t have time for that stuff with football and baseball, and then you add in
school. Especially with baseball, it was harder because you’re on the road
more. You could be gone four or five days on the road playing games, so it took
more focus to stay on top of all of your stuff for school.”
Despite those challenges, the San Leandro, California native
excelled on all fronts, leading to him being drafted in the seventh round by
both the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL draft and the Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim in the MLB draft, following his senior season in 2006.
“I had some time before I had to make a final decision,”
Jarrad said. “After I was drafted by the Chiefs, I went into training camp and
pursued that option. Once I worked out there and met with the coaches, they
told me that I had a strong possibility to be starting and playing a lot as a rookie.
That affected the talks I was having with the Angels and I ultimately decided
to go with football.”
Despite success at the NFL level, Jarrad still used baseball
as a way to stay in shape during the offseason. Whether it be hitting in the
batting cage, tracking balls in the outfield, or playing a pick-up game with
friends, Page kept himself prepared in case he chose to switch to baseball.
Then, on March 1, 2012, Jarrad explored that option at an
open tryout with the Los Angeles Dodgers at their Spring Training complex in
Glendale, Arizona.
“(Dodgers Assistant General Manager) De Jon Watson invited
me out for it,” said Page. “I had worked out for the Dodgers previously and I
was planning on going out to Arizona to work out with them again this spring,
so when De Jon called I just came out a little early.”
After early rounds of batting practice and fielding and
pitching drills were used to narrow the competition, Jarrad moved on to the
next level, which put him in game action with the remaining workout hopefuls.
Page believes one play in particular allowed him to stand out in that game and
earn him a minor league contract.
“I hit a triple that one-hopped the wall in left field
batting left-handed, which I think impressed them a lot. After being off for so
long, to perform against live pitching was one of the biggest things that stood
out to them.”
After consulting with his family, Jarrad took the Dodgers
offer and began preparing for a career back in baseball.
“The Dodgers were definitely a great opportunity considering
I’ve lived in Woodland Hills the last 10 years,” Page stated. “It’s pretty cool
for this to be happening in LA.”
Upon joining the Dodgers, Jarrad reported to minor league
camp during Spring Training and played well enough to earn an assignment to
their Advanced-A affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, in the California
League.
Despite being a 27-year-old former NFL player, his
predominantly younger teammates took well to the veteran.
“It felt like I just fit right in,” Page said. “Nobody made
it uncomfortable. I was just one of the guys.”
While other NFL veterans may not have fit in quite as well
and adjusted to the new environment, Jarrad admits that there hasn’t been a
significant change in his lifestyle since embarking on his minor league
journey.
“As long as I continue to do a good job taking care of
finances, everything will be good,” he stated. “The only thing that’s different
now is that I work literally everyday.”
Through his first seven games played, Page has collected just
one hit in 21 at-bats (as of May 24), leading some to speculate that forgoing
football may not have been the wisest decision. However, Page says that he
hasn’t quite given up on the idea of returning to football if the right
opportunity presents itself.
“The end of July and August is when training for football
really gets down and dirty. My agent has still been talking to some football
teams since I’m an NFL free agent.”
“Working out by playing baseball is something I’ve done
before,” he added. “The only difference now is that these guys are competing at
the highest level. The competition is what makes it fun. It’s great going
against guys that belong to major league organizations because you know those
teams think enough of their players to have them playing here. If I wanted to,
I could just workout at the gym, but it’s just not the same as going out and
competing everyday.”
No matter what sport Page ultimately sticks with this
summer, his desire for excellence will remain intact.
“Every time I take the field, I want to be the best that I
can be,” he stated. “That never changes no matter what I’m doing.”
