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The Rick Ankiel You Don’t Yet Know

Rick Ankiel was called up from Triple-A Memphis this past Thursday. Since then, he has hit 3 homeruns. The thing is that Ankiel was never known for his power. Coming out of high school, the St. Louis Cardinals were able to persuade Ankiel away from signing with the University of Miami by offering him a $2.5 million signing bonus for his pitching arm. Everything was going well for Ankiel as he rose through the Minors very quickly, making his way to the mound for Game 1 of the National League Division Series at the age of 21. Baseball fans know the rest of the sad story. Ankiel completely lost control, threw 5 wild pitches in one inning, followed up that performance with 2 other terrible appearances, and then took a break from baseball. This was 7 years ago. Look at him now. If you think the last few years have been rough for Ankiel, though, then you know absolutely nothing about his past.

Rick Ankiel did not grow up in a ticky tacky little box out of Agrestic, California. Instead, he scraped by along with his mother, who dealt with an abusive spouse that was serving a prison sentence. His dad was serving time for drug smuggling while Rick was being scouted heavily by every Major League team. His half-brother was also in jail, and was arrested 28 times in a 6-year span. If you think the past few years were rough, you have no idea.

Which is why I am not surprised that Rick Ankiel has persevered and is once again successful on a team that is struggling to be a playoff contender. Ankiel took his agent’s advice (none other than Scott Boras), and put baseball in the back of his mind for a while. He headed out to SoCal to get away from it all. Boras was there for Ankiel when he needed him most (unlike IMG for Jennifer Capriati). He hung out with Ankiel in Southern California, set him up with other players, and also linked him with a sports psychologist.

If you thought that Rick Ankiel was done, then you really underestimated the kid. We are talking about someone that has been through much worse than failing in a Divisional Series, and someone who has also seen immense success. The kid went 11-1 with a 0.47 ERA, striking out 162 in 74 innings in his senior year of high school.

In 2001, Darryl Kile (may he rest in peace) said, “one day, perhaps real soon, we’ll all be calling him the best pitcher in the game.” He was completely wrong. Instead, maybe some day soon, we will be calling him the best outfielder in the game.

For more information about Rick Ankiel’s past: [The playing fields offered an escape].

-Darren Heitner

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

4 replies on “The Rick Ankiel You Don’t Yet Know”

This is a great story. I don’t like the Cardinals at all, but I’m a big Rick Ankiel fan, in part because of the adversity he’s gone through. It’s good to see him back in the majors, and doing well.

What a great story! It couldn’t come at a better time for MLB with all of the negative steroid press they are getting.

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