The outfielder Grant Desme, who’s a member of the Oakland Athletics could probably be called the sportsman every minor league wants to have.

But instead he thinks of another alternative, not related to sport, but dealing with some higher matter.

On Friday he stated he wants to leave baseball and begin the new life in the priesthood. He thinks it would be to the purpose to finish his career after such a successful season when he to become MVP of the Arizona Fall League.

“I had always been doing my best at ball, but now I feel some necessity to think of something more serious and important,” the 23-year-old baseball player told to journalists. “I am not feeling myself in peace until I am not more than a player”

Being the true Catholic all of his life, Desme began thinking of becoming a priest for more than a year. He tried not to show up in the world of sport. He was planning to enter a seminary and succeeded at last, passing his exams with A levels this summer. The news were told this Thursday evening.

The general team manager, Billy Beane, was, as Desme said, sympathetic and supported Desme, but his best player decision astonished and stroke him. Anyway, after talking to the manager the player seems to be calm about the future leaving.

“I really love baseball, but I think I should go into something much more important,” Desme said “But I surely do not regret”

Athlete and priesthood coincided, which rarely happens. But there are some more examples of such coincidence in the world of sport.

Al Travers, the remarkable sportsman, who had 24 runs for Detroit Tigers, became a Catholic priest in 1912. Not much time ago, in 2008, Chase Hilgenbrinck, who was the member of the New England Revolution preferred to leave the Major League Soccer to enter a seminary in 2008.

Desme seemed to be very enthusiastic and dedicated, during the 10-minute speech, which made the audience of the conference to be quite and impressed. Mentioning his success in the minors he told he didn’t really deserve it.

The Athletics noticed Desme in 2007, when he’d been taking the second round of non-professional draft and was at the beginning of his best sport form. Не was the only player of all the minors, who had 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases the previous season.

Desme took part in 131 at Class-A and high Class-A in Kane County and Stockton the previous year and reached 89 RBIs and 40 steals, not mentioning other 288 with 31 homers.

He took part in the AFL championship not regretting it might be his last game in big sport or in sport at all. “There was no anything sad in it – anyway, I didn’t have such feeling” Desme commented. He homered and struck out twice, which "perfectly determines my career".

Named the Big West Player of the Year by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he’ been chosen to have the name of Oakland's No. 8 prospect in Baseball America’s opinion. There were some rumors that Desme was supposed to be invited to big league spring training by the Athletics the following month.

Bun Desme himself is going to enter the Silverado seminary (Calif) in August. He stated the abbey members are not very surprised or impressed by the fact someone who played baseball and was in the big sport decided to leave it and change his whole life so dramatically.

Desme said he would never combine his spiritual practice with playing baseball. The sportsman family gave its accordance and reacted calm and positively as for his decision. It also approved goals he have. Information spread surprisingly fast in the Internet and inspired a lot of people.

“It would last for probably ten years,” Desme said. “And I’m really looking forward to being a priest”

His first couple of years in the minors were overshadowed by some health problems with his shoulder and wrist. But Desme says those days off gave him an opportunity to think of the most important and also gave time to study Bible and discuss his plans with other team members.

Viewed from that point, the injuries he than had were "the biggest chance and blessing God ever gave me."

cop: www.matthewyglesias.com