Independent leagues can help ease the anguish of players cut loose by big-league organizations.
BY JEFFREY LUTZ, The Wichita Eagle-
There is no direct path to independent baseball. Players end up there after productive major-league careers, mediocre college seasons and years toiling in the minors.
The most difficult path, however, is settling for independent ball after being released by a major-league organization. Players that begin spring training with the certainty of a spot on a minor-league roster end it without a job and few options.
It's an experience shared by Wingnuts players Brad Davis, Byron Embry and Michael Thompson. Between them, they have been released six times. It's nearly impossible to see it coming and nothing can prepare a player for the heartbreak attached to it.
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