I immediately dived toward third base and did not see the ball as it dropped and curved beautifully across the plate. I faked back spasms and crawled to the dugout. Boo Ferriss says the only part of coaching he dreaded was having to tell a player he wasn't good enough to play. The next day, that's what he told John. And since it had already been established I couldn't hit a curve, there wasn't much left.
Pitchers can be cruel when they spot weaknesses.
Khayat proves prescient John transferred later that year to Mississippi State, where he eventually, after changing a few majors, concentrated on his studies. Later, he studied law at Ole Miss, where Robert Khayat, now the chancellor, taught a course on torts. Khayat remembers one of John's papers. John got three of them just right. On the fourth one, he didn't have a clue.