[Porsche-O-Phile]

I wish him the best too, but for some reason guys like that always seem to be the ones who end up with their careers cut short (injury, whatever).

Talented or not, you need a considerable amount of luck to make it to the HOF. You have to earn your way there, not just get in on the basis of potential.

A guy I know put it best, "success is where preparation and talent meets opportunity". If you don't have the opportunity, you can't be successful even though it's no fault of your own (hell, I'm sure an awful lot of people feel that way these days - lots of education, experience and training but no jobs and no work = no opportunity for success). And so it is with athletes - they can have the best talent in the world, but if they break a leg or get injured in a car wreck on the way to practice some day, no more opportunity so no more success.

That said, I hope this kid goes far. But don't count on it too much.