Greeneville, Tenn., of the Appalachian League is a far cry from being strapped to a stretcher and carried off a high school field in La Verne, as fans and friends in a hushed stadium murmur silent prayers that you aren't paralyzed.
That's the trip that 18-year-old Jiovanni Mier has made. His is a story of the ultimate happy ending, after the ultimate close call.
Mier is now the starting shortstop for Greeneville, the Houston Astros' rookie-level team. A few days ago, Mier was three for three, with three runs batted in. That lifted his batting average to .311 in 27 games, with two home runs and 18 RBIs.
He is not just another kid trying to make it.
Bobby Heck, the Astros' director of scouting, says that when Mier was selected with the team's first pick in the June major league draft, the 21st pick overall, he was surprised Mier was still available.
"We thought he was the best baseball player in the draft," Heck says.
The Astros put their money where their mouth was. Mier's signing bonus was $1.358 million -- about the same number that was the centerpiece the night of Sept. 17, 2007, when Mier was carried off and a festive evening turned scary.
Bonita High's football field, Glenn Davis Stadium, was named for the school's greatest athletic hero, Army's Mr. Outside. To this day, Davis' Heisman Trophy sits in the school's trophy case. Several years before he died in 2005, he quietly showed up one day and donated it to the school.
On this balmy September night, Bonita was playing a game on an upgraded surface, one that cost about $1.3 million and was being dedicated that night. It was an occasion to, again, celebrate Davis.
The mayor was there. So were lots of local dignitaries and people who had been influential in Bonita's athletic programs for many years. Some had been around long enough to talk about Davis from personal memory. There were smiles, handshakes and pats on the back all around.
That is until Mier, a star wide receiver and defensive back, went up to defend a pass, cracked helmets with his opponent, and stayed down, flat on his back. That scene is football's worst nightmare, no matter what level of competition.
While medical personnel worked on Mier, some fans in the stands held hands. So did a couple of Bonita coaches along the sidelines.
In the crowd was Leticia Mier, Jiovanni's mother, who remembered how early it had become clear that the youngest of her three boys was an exceptional athlete.
