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Former Nitro High School quarterback says baseball is calling him back.
Column by Steve Novotney
WHEELING -- Football in the fall in West Virginia, baseball in Florida during the spring and summer.
J.R. House grew used to that dream cycle while quarterbacking the Wildcats of Nitro High and starring for an Ormond Beach high school on the ballfield from 1995-1998. High school athletic associations in both West Virginia and Florida permitted House to split his scholastic seasons because his parents divided their residency for business reasons.
After leading Nitro to the state's Class AAA football title in Wheeling in 1998 -- a 69-52 win over Morgantown High in which House threw for 10 touchdowns and 594 yards -- he left the Mountain State to live the life of a top prospect after the Pittsburgh Pirates selected the power-hitting catcher in the fifth round in June 1999.
House was a fan favorite in every town and he even got "The Call" -- twice -- to sip the proverbial "Cup of Coffee" in "The Show" during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
That two-state, two-sport itinerary finally arrived to an official end for the 26-year-old House, however, thanks to his decision to dive back onto the professional diamond after 11 games as a member of Rich Rodriguez's Sugar Bowl-bound West Virginia University football squad.
House owns three reasons for bouncing back to baseball: Pat White, Adam Bednarik -- and true love.
"There are 100 different reasons why WVU is going to the Sugar Bowl, but one of the biggest is Pat White," House explained. "This is a very good football team, and Pat White and Adam Bednarik are just a couple of the young guys who will make a big difference in this program.
"When I got released by the Pirates, I had the chance to fulfill a dream by being a Mountaineer and playing on the field I also dreamed about playing on," he said. "But I have to think of my future, too, and there is interest in me in baseball. That means I'll get back on the field every day to compete in a game I love the most.
"Now that I'm healthy and there are teams who want to talk, I have to go back. I made it to the big leagues, and I'd love to get back there."
His big-league debut occurred in September 2003 within one of baseball's cathedrals, Wrigley Field, during the Pirates' final series of a 75-87 campaign. In the same game, the Chicago Cubs clinched the National League Central Division title, House faced right-hander Matt Clement and singled in the top of the eighth inning. House also appeared in nine games in 2004 (one for nine with a double) before season-ending shoulder surgery. He officially was released by Pittsburgh in February 2005.
The rotator-cuff repair was House's fourth surgical procedure since May 2002. First, two surgeries were necessary to repair damage to House's abdomen and a hernia after the catcher suffered an off-season weight-lifting injury. House then had reconstructive elbow surgery at the end of the same season, did not play much of 2003 and still was not 100 percent healthy in 2004.
The timing of House's ailments derailed his chance to follow Jason Kendall as the Pirates' starter behind the plate. Kendall -- and most importantly, the majority of Kendall's salary -- were swapped to Oakland last winter, leaving a position open in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1996.
"Who knows what may have happened if I would have stayed healthy," House said. "Some guys go through their careers, and they somehow manage to stay healthy, and some guys aren't so lucky.
"But I've been throwing (a baseball) for the last month, and I can honestly say that it's the first time since I was 13 years old that I don't feel the pain," he said. "I can't wait to see what I can do when I get back into baseball shape and I'm ready to try out."
Finally, House did get to play on Mountaineer Field, completing two of four passes for 38 yards -- and recording a 129.8 quarterback rating -- during victories over Wofford and Connecticut.
"I have nothing to complain about when it comes down to my experience at WVU and being a member of this football team," House said. "I knew what I was getting into, and there's nothing negative I can say now about the decisions that have been made."
So, once more, House has played his football in West Virginia, and now it is time to migrate his spring baseball in the Sunshine State.
"If I thought I could make a difference by staying (at WVU), I would stay because that would mean I'd be out there, on the field, contributing and competing.
"But right now baseball's calling me back and I've decided to answer."
Steve Novotney is the host of "The Drive Home" on News Radio 1170 WWVA in Wheeling.
Copyright 2008 West Virginia Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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