Let's Play Two

Chris Weinke isn't the only starting college quarterback with pro baseball experience. Five others have taken their turns on the diamond, with only Drew Henson of Michigan (below) still pursuing a shot at a big league career. Here's a look at their flirtations with baseball and how they've done on the gridiron this season.

JOSH BOOTY, 25, JR., LSU
Chosen fifth in the 1994 draft by the Marlins, Booty spent five seasons in the minors, during which he batted .198 with 62 homers and 252 RBIs in 478 games. He had three stints in the majors, the last in '98, when he opened the season at third base in place of the injured Bobby Bonilla. In 13 big-league games Booty hit .269 with no home runs and four RBIs. Last year he followed his heart back to football and his native Louisiana, where in his second season with LSU he's tied for first in the SEC in touchdown passes, with 17.

QUINCY CARTER, 23, JR., GEORGIA
A second-round pick of the Cubs in 1996, Carter, a centerfielder, batted .217 with 155 strikeouts and seven homers in 189 games of Rookie and Class A ball. He hung up his glove one game into the '99 season so that he could focus on football. After throwing for 5,197 yards and 29 TDs in his first two seasons at Georgia, he has been slowed by a torn ligament in his right thumb and a bruised left shoulder this fall and has passed for only 1,250 yards and six TDs, with 10 interceptions.

MARK FARRIS, 25, SOPH., TEXAS A&M
The Nth pick in the 1994 draft, the lefthanded-hitting Farris spent five years at shortstop, third base and first base in the Pirates' organization, advancing no further than Double A. In his first season as the Aggies' starter, he has thrown for 2,261 yards and nine touchdowns.

ROBBY HAMPTON, 24, SOPH., ARKANSAS
Selected in the 14th round of the 1994 draft by the Blue Jays, Hampton, an outfielder, batted .211 in Class A in '97 but gave up on baseball when the Blue Jays asked him to try pitching. In eight games with the Razorbacks this fall, he has passed for 1,386 yards and 13 TDs.

DREW HENSON, 20, JR., MICHIGAN
A third-round selection in 1998 by the Yankees, Henson, a third baseman, progressed steadily enough in his first two summers that the club was ready to discuss a long-term contract if he would stop playing football. Henson refused, and the Yankees made him part of a six-player trade with the Reds in July for pitcher Denny Neagle. Henson hit only .172 with Cincinnati's Double A affiliate before returning to campus for his first season as Michigan's starter, during which he has passed for 1,549 yards and 13 touchdowns.