SPRINGFIELD (AP) - While almost all young men harbor dreams of making it to the Weaver League, it's not too common to find middle-aged athletes striving for the same goal. Gus Wright, however, hasn't given up on his dream, and is making one last ditch effort to realize it.

As recently as September 2005, Wright was a high school science teacher and aspiring Little League manager in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. On a whim, he challenged his team with the following bet: if they went 20-4 over the course of their season, Wright would declare himself eligible for the Weaver League Baseball draft and try to latch onto a pro team.

"My goal was just to let the kids have fun," said Wright. However, his proteges did a lot better than that, though, piecing together a remarkable 23-2 record before being upset in the semifinals of the regional playoffs. Much to his chagrin, his kids begged him to hold up his end of the bargain. "We wanted to see him go for it," said son/LHP Steve Wright.

In his younger days, during the early 90s, Wright was a star 3B in high school and played briefly in college before deciding to focus on his studies. Although he went undrafted in the first three rounds of the 2005 proceedings, Wright is hoping that the relative lack of depth at his position around the Weaver League will work to his advantage.

Wright is described as a classical 5-tool player (hit, hit for power, run, throw, field). "We're thinking of signing him to a developmental contract to play in AAA for the Springfield Isotopes and seeing how things work out," said Havana Cigars scout Bob Holly. "It's rare to see an athlete with a skill set so evenly matched."

"I'm just hoping for the best," said Wright. "If things don't work out, I can always go back to the school and teach kids about the wonders of projectile science."

A thorough scouting report on Wright is available under the 3B section in the Weaver League Free Agent List.