Corey Patterson and the Damage Done

In essence, this is a Corey Patterson post, but I'm really just throwing together a bunch of memories, emotions, and feelings, to see if it gets us anywhere. Going back to the 2nd of June 1998, Corey Patterson came to the Cubs with tremendous promise and pressure, as the #3 overall pick in baseball's June draft. This was the second J.D. Drew Draft, after he eschewed the opportunity to play in Philadelphia, resigning himself to a 44-game stint with the St. Paul Saints*, where he rocked a .341/.443/.706 triple-slash line. Pat Burrell was drafted first, Mark Mulder second, and Drew fifth. The Indians made the best pick, selecting CC Sabathia at 20th. All this took place during the inception of Sammy Sosa's meteoric rise to the stratosphere of American sports, fantastic pharmaceuticals, Madison Avenue inspired Pepsi commercials, and all that follows. *speaking of Independant League baseball, I'm pretty excited for Legends Day today at the Newark Bears game...