He has bigger dreams in baseball, but Lancaster JetHawks right-hander Brandon Parker already has come a long way. Not so much in terms of his career. And not so much in terms of miles. But in terms of being in a completely different world than what he is accustomed. That can happen when you move from the quiet calm of a small town along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi to the rush-hour, impersonal world of Southern California.
People are so different in how they act in Mississippi.
But Mississippi is different from just about anywhere else. It's different from Louisiana even. Parker, who was born in Picayune, Miss., grew up in Long Beach, which is located on the coast about 30 miles west of Biloxi. Although the town is small, the area has produced a number of talented baseball players, such as Minnesota outfielder Matt Lawton, Twins minor league pitcher Gary Rath and Parker's cousin, Chris Reinke, who was selected by Cleveland in the eighth round of the 1998 June draft. I used to hate going to the hardware store with Daddy, because he knew everyone and would stop and talk with them for 15 minutes.