Two sport star or one sport millionaire?

Here's an interesting story by St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bryan Burwell about the recent evolution of the Major League Baseball draft. As anyone that covers high school and college baseball recruiting will tell you, pro scouts are a cagey lot, prone to playing their cards close to their vests.  This paranoia permeates the whole process - all the way up to and including the draft itself - which is why MLB has failed to turn its annual amatuer selection into the high profile affair of its basketball and football counterparts.

But there is an unintended consequence of this secrecy. Sometimes, MLB teams play it so cool that the prospects themselves don't know when - or even if - they're going to be picked.  Take, for example, Sarasota High's Casey Kelly.

The talented right-handed hurler/quarterback will be tossing the ball that bounces funny this fall in Knoxville for the Vols before trading in cleats and heading to the mound in the spring. That is, unless something happens this Thursday.  If a club, knowing it won't have a shot at Kelly for another three years, uses a high pick to toss big cash at him, what will he do?  What would you do?  College experiences are memorable and important, but you can manufacture some pretty memorable experiences with a cool million in signing bonus.  Also, what if he doesn't pan out?  Division I-level compeition is one thing, but it's nearly impossible to split time in sports and be competitive on a professional level.  Sure, Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson did it, but they were freaks of nature.

A more apt comparison would be former Michigan QB/Yankees 3b Drew Henson, whose growth in each sport was stunted by his participation in the other. How can you devote the time you need to studying defenses when you have to hit 1,000 balls a day just to bat your weight? How can you build a book on pitchers' tendencies when you have to prepare for 11 world-class athletes that want to tear your head off? Henson couldn't, and he went down as a bust in both sports. Its difficult in college, and downright impossible in the pro ranks, a fact that Kelly will find out soon enough.

Old names, familiar faces, and a new strategy

The weather has gone from warm to hot, kids are trading in their high school jerseys for AAU and traveling team gear and here at the Miami Herald a fresh crop of college interns are finding their way through the newsroom.  All of this means one thing: summer has officially arrived.

On the Herald High School Sports Blog, you'll notice a few changes as well.

First, take note that a new "recruiting" category has been created.  This goes hand-in-hand with our pledge to bring readers unparalleled recruiting coverage this summer and into the next school year.  From now on, you can find out what's up in the recruiting world, up-to-the-minute, by visiting the site and choosing all of the "recruiting" stories.

Also, keep an eye on the Miami Herald's recruiting page for a new feature, daily, on the top athletes in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.  On Monday, Manny Navarro featured Palmetto's Jamaal Berry. Check in daily for fresh, web-only content.

Finally, you'll notice some new - yet familiar - names on the blog.  Along with recruiting guru/columnist Larry Blustein, the Herald has added three new faces to the blog. Miami Herald writers Judy Erwin, Justin Azpiazu, and myself, David Quinones, will each be contributing on a regular basis.

Now that that's done, onto some news. Monday was a big day for Ferguson baseball.  The program got its first ever NCAA signee when centerfielder Harold Holness inked a letter of intent. Holness will take his All-Dade second team and Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star credentials to Barry University, joining coach Marc Pavao's Buccaneers. Still no word on whether Pavao has shored up his bullpen, which faded down the stretch of what might have been a successful 2008 season if not for key injuries.

-David Quinones dquinones@miamiherald.com

Clauss headed to George Washington

Cooper City pitcher Kara Clauss will play softball at George Washington University next season. Clauss will join the Atlantic-10 school after going 10-4 and leading Cooper City to the Region 3-6A final in 2008 (a 2-1 loss to Palm Beach Gardens).

Clauss also no-hit Flanagan in the regional semifinal. She'll join a Colonials squad that went 12-27 in 2008.

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)

A few signings...

This story in today's Herald highlighted a few signings from Archbishop McCarthy (which took place today at the school). Here's an updated list, with a couple of corrections/additions/updates:

• Football: Carlos Gonzalez, Bridgewater (Va.); Billy Scott, Concordia (Wisc.).
• Basketball: Jamar Gopie, Elms (Mass.); Jimmy Nolan, George Mason (walk-on); Mike Savery, Methodist (N.C.).
• Baseball: Alan Avila, Nova Southeastern; Sal Costanzo, Vassar (N.Y.); Chris Turnio, Nova Southeastern.
• Softball: Katie Mansilla, North Carolina St.; Alexa Martinez, Auburn.
• Soccer: Matt Delisle, Stetson; Kelsey Dunning, St. Thomas; Christine Mastandrea, Ave Maria (Fla.).
• Track: Andrew Deleo, Clemson; Alex Hueck, Mars Hill (N.C.); Gus Vazquez Milan, Kansas St.
• Wrestling: Colby Borchetta, Michigan State.
• Also, Armani Appolon (basketball/volleyball) and Jonathan Ramirez (football) still are undecided, according to the school.

Elsewhere in Broward, Cooper City basketball player Cayla Aaron will sign Monday with Fairmont (W.V.) State, a Division-II school that won the West Virginia Intercollegiate Conference's tournament last season and was ranked as high as 10th in D-II. She'll receive a full scholarship.

Congrats to these students, and athletes/parents/coaches/readers -- as always -- are encouraged to keep us posted on any other signing news.

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)