How one player took fate into his own hands en route to ball in Europe and Australia

Clayton Carson had a strong desire to take his career overseas and after being overlooked, he decided to take his fate in his own hands and buy a ticket to Europe with no job prospects on the horizon. Given that the 2014 season in Europe was well under way (late May), one would think his chances were slim to get picked up somewhere, especially given the fact that he has had three back surgeries and his best days of baseball were behind him. Clayton's first goal was to get on with a club as a coach who can play if needed. After visiting with clubs in the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic, he found that there was simply no room for another import with most clubs at this time of the year. He then made his way to my neck of the woods in Austria for our annual invitational tournament Finksonball, a relaxed tournament/party for three days that features clubs from 10-12 different nations every year. Clayton showed up, crashed on the couch, and took advantage of this opportunity. We got him a spot with the Polish national team for the tournament which allowed him to show off his baseball skills, and a spot on the grounds crew to show off his work ethic. He took advantage of both opportunities as he found himself leading the team in the stats department and off the field as a very likeable workhorse, both which left a lasting impression. Clayton did not stop there as he networked with as many people as he could while at the tournament. Part way through the tournament, it became known that a club in Austria's second division had a representative on the Austrian national team and he became aware of Clayton's availability. Within 24 hours Clayton signed a contract with the Hard Bulls and found himself living on the west side of Austria, right next to the Swiss, German and Lichtenstein borders. The Bulls then turned their season around and made a run for the top as they tried to earn their way into Austria's first division for the 2015 season. They ended up a game short but in the end, the decision to bring Clayton on board paid off for both parties involved. Clayton has most recently signed a contract with a club in Australia and will be flying out in the next month. Without taking this aggressive approach, Clayton most likely would not have found himself travelling the world year round, playing and coaching the game he loves. An inspirational story to say the least, have a listen as I interview Clayton from the comforts of my house shortly after the Finkstonball tournament. At this point, he had no idea of the things he was about to accomplish.