The football stadium, the one that houses the Jacksonville Jaguars, is just a really long home run away from where Jeff Samardzija stood in a batter's box last week taking his cuts at batting-practice pitching. The short porch in right field of the cozy, minor-league park here is enticing for any hitter, even a bonus-baby pitcher who isn't known for swinging the bat. But for Samardzija, the view down the right field line was more than just a test of swinging the bat -- he never got one out, by the way -- but a reminder of the agonizing professional decision he made over a year ago, giving up a possible NFL career for the long-and-winding road that is the path to baseball's big leagues. LINK TO REST OF STORY http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10813958
He got the same type of contract he would've had, and baseball is much less wear and tear. He'll probably have a longer career with equal or better pay pitching. You'd have to be slightly nuts to play football with either a good baseball or basketball offer on the table.
