Some people can get bogged down with the "what ifs" of life. Not Cam Newton. In an interview with ESPN the Magazine, Newton discusses his younger years when he played baseball, basketball and football. Since Cam is the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers these days, you gotta believe that the 24-year-old made the right choice when he opted for a career throwing the pigskin over the other two sports.
But, believe it or not, Newton's mind was pretty much made up for him. Even though Cam was a talented baseball player, who was skilled at a variety of positions, there was one thing that stood in the way of his potential MLB dreams: the baseball itself.
“I quit baseball at 14 because I was afraid of the pitches,” Newton said. “The kids started getting better and throwing faster, and it would’ve hurt getting hit by that ball, so I stopped playing. That left a void, so I started playing basketball in the eighth grade.”
Oh, and yes, you and Cam's mother are wondering the same thing right now.
“My mom always wondered how I could be afraid of a little baseball when I always had these huge guys chasing me,” he said. “It’s a good question.”
As for basketball, Newton gave up on that because, according to the man himself, he was a lot bigger and stronger than the kids he played against and he would foul out too much. Fouling out too much, huh? It seems like football was the perfect match for Cam, after all.
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[via Larry Brown Sports]
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