PASSING THE BUCKS

How many 18-year-olds would reject $2 million to play professional baseball?

“There’s only a rare few who turn down that kind of money,” said freshman pitcher Josh Karp of UCLA.

Karp is among them.

The Atlanta Braves were ready to give the right-hander $2 million last summer to leave Bothell, Wash., and turn professional after high school. For six weeks, the offer was on the table.

“There were huge sleepless nights, so many,” Karp said. “I can remember, ‘What am I going to do? What’s going to happen?’ ”

He could take the $2 million and be set for life, the Braves advised. It was a no-brainer.

Some wondered if Karp was engaging in a negotiating ploy. His father was a former major league scout who knew how the game was played.

“People thought I was half serious,” Karp said. “They weren’t sure. I don’t think they could get a good read on me. I told them up front college was important to me and what it would take [to sign].”

In the end, the Braves didn’t budge from their $2 million offer and Karp refused to give up his dream of going to college.

On the morning of Oct. 2, he attended his first class at UCLA, letting $2 million slip away. He couldn’t be happier.

“It’s been everything I wanted it to be so far,” Karp said about college. “I’m having a great time. Class is fun, baseball is awesome, the coaches are just like I thought they would be.”

Karp is 6-3 with a 5.10 earned-run average and has four victories in Pacific 10 Conference play. His fastball was clocked consistently at 88 mph last weekend against Washington State. The previous week, he took a four-hit shutout into the ninth inning against 19th-ranked Arizona State before winning, 9-3.

He is among the most promising players for the young Bruins (24-24, 8-7 in conference play).

Karp believes the money he turned down will be there again in 2001, when he’s next eligible for the draft.

“If I didn’t [think so], I would have signed,” he said.

He wanted to mature and grow up on a college campus rather than hang out all day at a ballpark or sleep in uncomfortable hotel beds in small towns far from home.

Karp saw that Jim Parque and Troy Glaus, who played on UCLA’s 1997 College World Series team, reached the major leagues after brief stints in the minors.

“It came down to personal preference,” Karp said. “I personally wanted to experience college. I wanted an education. I wanted to improve my social skills, meet new friends, meet new people, have new connections in case some freakish accident happened or I didn’t have baseball.”

Others hear Karp’s story and wonder what was so difficult about his decision.

“I’d slap him on the side of the head if he ever turned down something like that,” said one father of a high school player about the $2 million offer.

Vicki Garland understands Karp’s decision. Her son, Jon, was a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Cubs in 1997 out of Kennedy High. He had a scholarship to USC but decided to sign with the Cubs for $1.325 million.

“I admire [Karp],” Garland said. “To be able to make that observation of himself and know he wasn’t ready, I think his chances of success are a lot better. I respect anyone’s decision. Had Jon been academically motivated, he might have taken longer to make the decision or put it off. I’ve asked him many times, ‘Do you wish you had gone to school?’ He says no.”

Garland said she has learned from her son that young athletes must be prepared for the physical and mental strain of life in the minor leagues.

“When you go 30 days and you’re lucky to get one day off and you’re praying for a rainout, it’s a grind,” she said. “It takes a lot of mental discipline to be able to get up and do the same thing every day. You’re definitely on your own.

“You can’t take your bank account on the mound. Whether you have $2 million or $25,000, you still have to perform. I always told Jon, ‘You don’t want to have any regrets. Even up to the last minute before signing, if you have any doubts, it’s OK. We’ll tell them no.’ ”

The amateur draft is scheduled for June 2-4. At least three players from the region--Scott Rice of Royal, Kameron Loe of Granada Hills and Kevin Howard of Westlake--could face tough decisions whether to go to college or sign pro contracts.

Rice has signed with Arkansas, Loe with Cal State Northridge and Howard with Miami.

Karp has no words of wisdom to offer, just the cherished experiences of seven months as a college student.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted,” he said. “Dorm life is great. We’re rooming with two football guys and they come in and eat all our food and we go over there and use their clothes.

“The people you meet, the parties you go to and the players you hang out with, it’s like a big fraternity. It’s a different experience when you’re playing pro ball. It’s your job. This is not my job. I’m still having fun.”

In February, Karp was convinced by four teammates to do the “bleached hair thing.” So he became a blond for a couple weeks.

When his parents saw his hair, they laughed.

“They went, ‘Hey, if that’s the worst thing you’ve done . . . ,” Karp said.

Last weekend, after pitching UCLA to a victory over Washington State at Jackie Robinson Stadium, Karp met his parents, who flew in for the game. He hugged his mother and father. It was a happy family gathering.

Asked if he had any regrets, Karp said, “None. You can’t have any.”

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.