Hey, J.D., what are you doing tonight? Can you come over and pitch for the Explorers?
One could imagine the exchange between Sioux City Explorers baseball team skipper Steve Montgomery and paralegal/politician/ pro baseball pitcher J.D. Scholten, when Montgomery, desperate for a pitcher for that night’s game, asked Scholten if he could in and pitch for the semi-pro local team. The 44-year-old had a pretty stellar career playing baseball, and even though Scholten was volunteering that day for a local event, and had a beer to relax, he was good to go. As of this writing, Scholten has played in three games for the Explorers, and looks to continue that run, in addition to his other jobs. All these experiences have been well documented in online sports media.
If this sounds reminiscent of a couple of those old Dennis Quaid/ Kevin Costner movies when the aging ballplayer gets a second chance at a vocation and passion that he loves to do, well, it is. J.D. is taking it all in and is loving every minute of it.
“Growing up, I mostly played shortstop until I grew out of the position. My sophomore year of high school, our varsity team needed a first baseman and I got moved up to play them. I didn’t pitch at all that year. My junior year, I was closer and then became a starter my senior year. In college, I pitched and played first base the first two years, before focusing on pitching my junior year. In my mind, I’m still a switch hitting, leadoff hitter who plays the middle infield,” says J.D. Obviously, baseball has been a thing with Scholten for quite a while.
Plus, you got to be impressed that a 44-year-old pitcher can clock an 89-m.p.h. fastball.
“To be honest, I never looked at where it shows the pitch speed. A younger version of me, that would have been the focus of me on the mound, but in my experience, I have learned to throw with what I have that day,” says J.D.
I’ve gotten to know about J.D. through social media and his various trips over to Storm Lake to partake in some local fundraisers. He seems like an affable guy, who cares about the political issues he espouses. I was pleased and surprised that he agreed to answer questions for my blog. Not really a rookie any more in the journalism field, I threw some bonafides out regarding my past local newspaper experience. Hey, pitch ‘em when you got ‘em. I figured he could get behind that for a chat.
My mom was a major New York Yankees fan. My nickname was from one of her favorite players, Mickey Mantle. My dad was a big St. Louis Cardinals fan. Me? Football - Philadelphia Eagles and Iowa Hawkeyes. i really never learned to appreciate baseball until much later in life. Sure, I went to a few Iowa Oaks games going up in my old hometown of Des Moines, followed with a passing interest the old Oakland A’s and Baltimore Orioles back in the ‘70’s, and got on the band wagon with the old Cleveland Indians teams of the 1990’s, when we lived in Columbus, Ohio. But never followed baseball with great interest until as of late. It’s a game of math, strategy, grace, matchups, and guts.
Scholten landed a $1,400 a month contract with the Explorers, got his first start as an emergency situation, and landed stats that post a 3-0 record, with a 2.00 ERA. Pretty cool.
Being 6’6” - is that advantageous at this point in his career?” My height is a huge reason that I am still able to pitch at 44. I’ve learned to use my body more to help take stress off of my arm. My length and my 3/4 arm action help a ton, especially getting movement on my fastball,” says J.D.
No matter what your political affiliation, you got to give props for someone who can step out of the office, suit up, and pitch a great game for some wins. And continue to do a thing that he loves to do, for his beloved hometown team.
There’s your comeback kid story.
(photo credit KB Photography)
That's great! I love this particular JD. Thanks, Mick.