David Clyde

A cross the street from the Church of Living Waters in Rosenberg, Texas, the manager of the Houston Miracles stands on a floodlit baseball diamond, ready to erupt. The Miracles, a select squad of mostly 18-year-olds, have just committed three errors in the first inning. "If you want to play pro ball, you can't make stupid, careless mistakes," David Clyde yells. "There might be a scout in the stands right now, and if there is, I'm sure he's probably on his way out of the park."

The words provide a spark. The Miracles don't commit an error the rest of the night and win 13-4. "You'd be stupid not to pay attention to everything he says," says first baseman Zach Stewart. "The guy's a legend."

In 1973, as a senior at Houston's Westchester High, the lefthanded Clyde went 18-0 and tossed five no-hitters. On June 27, 1973, three weeks after pitching his last high school game, Clyde—whom the Texas Rangers selected with the top pick in that year's draft—beat the Minnesota Twins in his big league debut.

But Clyde struggled to fit in with his teammates, and by '75 his confidence and arm were shot, as was his marriage to Cheryl Crawford. In '81, he retired with a career mark of 18-33 and returned to the Houston area, where he ran a lumberyard for the next 22 years.

Next year, Walk On, a movie based on his life and slated to star Jessica Simpson (as Crawford), is scheduled to hit theaters. But Clyde doesn't believe his baseball story is over just yet. Just over a month short of collecting a monthly $3,000 major league pension, Clyde has sent out r�sum�s to big league clubs in the hopes of becoming a pitching coach. "I feel like I've got a lot to offer," he says. "I just want another chance."