Playing in his first big league camp, Anthony Alford is a little anxious. He's facing major league pitchers for the first time. He's playing catch with Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes and other stars he's seen on TV. But more than anything, he knows this is his chance -- his only chance.

Alford, an outfielder in the Toronto Blue Jays system, got into his first spring training game last week as a pinch runner. He used the speed that has intrigued scouts since his high school days to easily score from second on a base hit to left field.

Meanwhile, 700 miles away in Oxford, Mississippi, the Ole Miss football team was taking the field for the first time since the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. It was the beginning of spring practice. Alford was supposed to be there, supposed to be battling for a job in the secondary. But that would've meant he finished out last season, and that's not how the story went.

Click here to read more from Greg Ostendorf on Anthony Alford's decision and how he's doing now.