johnny Dishon Article

[Boomhower]

http://brewersfandemonium.yuku.com/sreply/641270/t/-2010-Helena-Maryvale-Brewers-Latest-Brian-Garman--Cody-Hawn.html

[Critter]

NICE read!  Way to go Johnny....

[Gabe]

Johnny Dishon was married this weekend. Congrats on that as well.

[AHUDDLESTON]

Can someone post the article.  Our filter will not allow me to see it.
Thanks,
Hud

[tjcfan08]

Different perspective
By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record

John Dishon is a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

If the Helena Brewers outfielder hadn’t fallen asleep behind the wheel as a teenager one fall, he might have went on to a successful career as a college quarterback. If that automobile accident had never happened, he might have decided to go a different route than baseball, might not be one of the hottest hitters in Helena now.

But Dishon couldn’t be happier with how his life has turned out. The 21-year-old walked away from a crash that could have killed him, signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers after being drafted in the 42nd round, and will marry the love of his life on Jan. 22. He hit his first professional home run on his daughter’s seven-month birthday, with little Parker Leigh in the Kindrick Legion Field stands.

“I can’t complain about a thing,” an always-cheery Dishon said last week before batting practice. “I have everything going for me right now.”

***

It was the autumn of 2005 and Dishon, a junior, was the star quarterback and a running back at Bridge City High School in Beaumont, Texas.

It’s no secret that prep football is bigger in Texas than perhaps anywhere else, and Dishon’s team was preparing for the state semifinals.

After practice one day the week before the big game, Dishon was driving back to his mom’s house, which was about 30 minutes away from the school.

“I set my car on cruise, just fell asleep and woke up driving on the median,” Dishon recalled. The car rolled five or six times, he said, but he would walk away from the crash with only a hairline fracture in his neck and a few bumps and bruises.

“I was very fortunate to walk away from that accident because not many people would,” he said. “At first, my adrenaline was pumping right after the wreck. I would say five or 10 minutes after the wreck happened, the adrenaline stopped and the pain kicked in.”

The true pain would really kick in when the injury meant Dishon would have to sit out of the semifinal contest and watch his team lose to the eventual state champions. Universities like Louisiana State, Rice and Texas had been recruiting the three-sport athlete (he also ran track) to play both football and baseball collegiately, and the realization that football might now be out of the question was even more painful at first.

“I was always serious about baseball, but thought it was kind of boring,” Dishon admitted. “Football, you’re more involved with the sport, there’s more going on, but at the same time there’s more contact and it’s a lot more physical.

“Baseball was a safer route with the wreck and everything. I tried playing football my senior year and I just had too much pain. I didn’t feel it was worth the risk to play both sports in college.”

With that, Dishon accepted a baseball scholarship to LSU and played three years for the Tigers. With so much talent on the roster, he never did see as much playing time as he would have liked. That’s why being drafted came as somewhat of a surprise to Dishon.

“Fortunately the Brewers took a chance on me,” he said. “With my limited at-bats there, maybe they saw something in me that LSU didn’t.”

So far, he’s proven to be the right pick. Through July 21, Dishon was leading the team in bunt base hits with eight, was tied for fourth in the Pioneer League with nine stolen bases (a team high), and was batting .312 for the Brewers. He ranks second on the team among active players with 19 runs scored.

“He’s just a very good all-around baseball player, and individual off the field,” Helena manager Joe Ayrault said. “The way he carries himself, he’s a great guy to have in the clubhouse.”

A lot of Dishon’s success has come on the base paths, and he credits his speed to his prep career as a sprinter. At the plate he’s been a timely hitter, reading situations perfectly.

Take the game on July 9 against Great Falls, when Dishon laid down the perfect bases-loaded suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally the Brewers to a win. Bunting is something he’s been working on, since coaches at LSU told him it was one of his weaknesses.

Typically, Ayrault lets Dishon decide when to bunt, and he’s been practically flawless.

“He’s one of those guys who’s got a real knack for reading third basemen,” the Brewers skipper told the Independent Record after the game. “I always joke with him, I can’t roll the ball better than that to third base ... he’s very confident in what he’s doing.”

And, even when things aren’t always going his way on the diamond, Dishon keeps a good perspective.

“Without a doubt, that wreck definitely gave me a different outlook on life,” he said. “I don’t take life for granted. I live everyday like it’s my last with no regrets.”

***

It’s July 16, and Dishon couldn’t be happier. His fiancee, Kristy Lyn Sanders, and daughter are in Helena for the seven-game homestand.

Dishon comes from the batting cages with a big smile on his face, and instantly whisks Parker away from her mom. She’s wearing a big, pink bow on her head and a pink shirt with “Daddy’s Little Girl” on the front and “DISHON 56” on the back.

“It’s hard missing my daughter grow up,” he says. “She’s starting to crawl, starting to say her first words. But it’s good to have them here now. She’s becoming a baseball fan; she’s going to be a little sports star.”

Technology has made it easier for Dishon to keep in touch with his family, even if he can’t be there for all of Parker’s firsts.

“I try to keep him updated with pictures, and we do Skype on the Internet, so Johnny gets to see her,” said Sanders, Dishon’s high school sweetheart. “It’s been really tough, but we’re real supportive of him; we know this has been his dream.”

There was a time when he dreamed of a career on the gridiron, too.

“I do think about (football) sometimes,” Dishon said. “But everything happens for a reason—I got to do my baseball career here, and now I’ve got a beautiful family and beautiful soon-to-be wife.”

“Things like that make you stronger,” Ayrault said. “To get through a car crash like that and to see the guy carrying his daughter out there, those are two big things in your life that make you look at life differently.”

Photo by Dylan Brown Independent Record
Helena Brewers’ John Dishon, his fiancee, Kristy Lyn Sanders, and their daughter Parker Leigh are seen here at Kindrick Legion  Field. The outfielder survived a rollover accident as a teen, but had to switch his emphasis from football to baseball after injuring his neck.


Last Edited By: Mass Haas, Brewerfan.net Director of Research, July 24, 2010 4:47 AM. Edited 1 time.

[BaseBow]

Nice article :) Good luck Johnny