No doubt as a result of negative publicity that the military received when Caleb Campbell was drafted by the Detroit Lions, the Secretary of the Army has rescinded the 2005 memo that opened the door up for athletes at the USMA who wanted to pursue professional careers. Sports Illustrated provided additional details on the impact on Campbell in this article.

But the decision has impact beyond just Campbell. Five other USMA grads are pursuing professional baseball careers.

• Milan Dinga (LA Angels, 2007 10th round) assigned to Double AA Cedar Rapids Kernals but on injured reserve
• Nick Hill (Seattle Mariners, 7th round last year) now pitching for the Double-A West Tennessee Jaxx
• Drew Clothier (Florida Marlins, 37th round) with the NYPL Jamestown Jammers
• Chris Simmons (Pittsburgh Pirates, 41st round) now playing for the Spikes
• Cole White (Pittsburgh Pirates, 42nd round) now playing for the Spikes

More on the decision and it’s impact can be read in this Herald Times article. One thing the Army has done is to at least allow these kids to finish up their summer seasons before yanking them back. Interestingly, the Army basically admitted they weren’t going to immediately return them to active duty simply because they wanted to avoid a bunch of law suits.

Check that: Evidently the luxury of finishing the season out won’t apply to White and Simmons. See this post for an update on their situation.

Related posts:

1. What’s with the Army guys?
2. Army trio begin pro careers in Jamestown
3. Round 41: Chris Simmons
4. CDT: Minicap provides Spikes with first look
5. Somebody wake up Pirate scout Buddy Payne