Maxman Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Dodgers Pitcher Could Be a Billionaire By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer document.write(getElapsed("20070228T222638Z"));Wed Feb 28, 5:26 PMUPDATED 13 HOURS 55 MINUTES AGO Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Matt White throws in the ... VERO BEACH, Fla. - Matt White, a journeyman pitcher trying to make the Los Angeles Dodgers, could become baseball's first billionaire player. It has nothing to do with his arm. He owns a rock quarry in western Massachusetts. White, who has appeared in seven big league games in nine professional seasons, paid $50,000 three years ago to buy 50 acres of land from an elderly aunt who needed the money to pay for a nursing home. While clearing out a couple acres to build a home, he discovered stone ledges in the ground, prompting him to have the property surveyed. A geologist estimated there were 24 million tons of the stone on his land. The stone is being sold for upward of $100 per ton, meaning there's well over $2 billion worth of material used for sidewalks, patios and the like. Of course, that doesn't factor in the expenses involved in processing the stone and transporting it for sale. "It sounds bogus even saying those numbers," White said. "I'm just a small town guy trying to get to the big leagues. It's beyond comprehension." The news has prompted some of White's teammates to refer to him as "The Billionaire," but the 29-year-old left-hander isn't counting his money just yet. "There are a lot of questions," he said. "It takes time, it takes money, it takes machines. There are professionals who handle that stuff." White's father has been involved in selling the stone, but it's presently a small-time operation. "I guess you could say the property is for sale," White said with a chuckle. "We'll have to see how things turn out. I don't even know where to start. I'm in the process now of getting in touch with business-savvy guys, finding out how much to ask." White said he doesn't feel like he's wealthy, which he isn't quite yet. "Not at all. I don't live like a rich man," he said. "I'm a minor league guy who's played winter ball to make ends meet." Dr. Peter Pannish, an adjunct professor in the department of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, surveyed the property several months ago. He said he believes the stone was formed about 400 million years ago. "It's basically a slabby rock that can be used for sidewalks, building faces and stone walls," Pannish said from his Amherst, Mass., office. "You can use it for a lot of other things, like flagstone on a patio. There are some sidewalks right here on campus that are made of that same rock." Pannish said he believes White could sell his property for several million dollars, or more. "As far as hundreds of millions, I doubt if that's possible because of all the expenses that would have to be considered," Pannish said. "But it could be quite a bit of money. He probably needs a mining engineer or an economic geologist to come up with a good evaluation." White has received inquiries about making national television appearances, and has even been contacted about a possible movie. He is represented by Herbie Zucker of Zucker Sports Management in Chicago. But for now, White is concentrating on his day job. And that's no surprise, considering pitching in the big leagues has been a lifelong dream. "They say lefties bloom later than righties. I keep telling myself that," he said. "I'm here to make the big-league team. I feel confident about that, absolutely. I've had some pretty good years in Triple-A. "I plan to play baseball until I can't play anymore. My goal is to play in the big leagues, regardless of what happens with the rock quarry." White signed a minor league contract last December with the Dodgers _ his eighth organization. He has appeared in 254 minor league games, 136 of them starts. White pitched in three games each for Boston and Seattle in 2003, and one for Washington in 2005, going 0-2 and allowing 18 earned runs in 9 2-3 innings. The Boston manager in 2003 was current Dodgers skipper Grady Little. "The kid has a genuine love for the game," Little said. "He's quite a competitor, he's always striving to get better. It's not about money for him. He's prepared himself well coming into camp and he'll be going after somebody's job. He'll be given an opportunity. "It's a tough hill to climb. We have 28 pitchers in camp, we'll leave spring training with 11 or 12. Before it's over, we might need 20. He's in there trying to get a job." With that, Little smiled and said: "Along the way, if anybody needs landscaping stone, we know where to find it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangenious420 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 See with all that money screw it. I would never lace up my cleets again. I understand people the love the sports they play and they have fun doing it, but if I had a billion dollars I would sit on my ass all day and do nothing. Oh and I would try to buy the naming rights to Jets Nation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCarl40 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 See with all that money screw it. I would never lace up my cleets again. I understand people the love the sports they play and they have fun doing it, but if I had a billion dollars I would sit on my ass all day and do nothing. Oh and I would try to buy the naming rights to Jets Nation. You'd get bored. This guy is a 29 year old career minor leaguer sitting on a gold mine. There should be more guys like him in sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangenious420 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 You'd get bored. . No way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haggis Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Pete Pannish?! I know him. Nice guy, taught summer classes of Oceanography. Surprised they used him and not someone else in the UMass Geo Dept. This must be around me somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbn007 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Pete Pannish?! I know him. Nice guy, taught summer classes of Oceanography. Surprised they used him and not someone else in the UMass Geo Dept. This must be around me somewhere. Somehow, I get the feeling that the name of the Professor was not the main point of the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidhuman Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 With all that money I would buy a team and be in the rotation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toon88 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 With all that money I would buy a team and be in the rotation. haha...I was thinking the same thing. There's a NY Lotto commerical like that around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangenious420 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 haha...I was thinking the same thing. There's a NY Lotto commerical like that around here. NEXT QUESTION. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barton Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 If this guy took BP I would throw one at his ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.