Each February over the past six years, when most Harvard students are busy deciding what classes to take for the spring semester, John Turlais has packed his bags, setting out to fulfill his and many other young men's dream--to play professional baseball.

In the spring of 1992 Turlais was given two opportunities of a lifetime--an acceptance to Harvard and a selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 10th round of the draft to play baseball for a living.

As one might expect, it was a life-altering decision.

"Essentially I didn't want to turn down either the Pirates and pro baseball or Harvard," Turlais says.

So he decided to do the only logical thing--both.

"Basically, I worked out a deal with the Pirates where I could leave the team early and come to Harvard every fall semester, and then go to spring training for them after I was done.

"The Pirates were really understanding about my situation. The only problem I had was finding a concentration that would fit, since I could only come to classes in the fall," Turlais says.

In the end Turlais decided on government and was placed on the eight-year plan to graduation--school in the fall and baseball in the spring until graduation, originally scheduled for 2000.

This year, however, a concussion--his fourth--forced him on a bit of a detour. Luckily, Turlais says, he suffers no ill effects from the injury, but it meant a change in what by then had become a regular routine.

Since he was unable to play the entire season due to injury, the Pirates suggested he complete another semester, so now, for the first time, Turlais finds himself at Harvard in the spring.

It did not always look like professional baseball was in Turlais' future. Although he starred for his high school team all four years, attending the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy did not exactly have the scouts knocking at his door.

"My high school wasn't exactly a breeding ground for ballplayers, so I had a lot of trouble getting recognition from scouts." Turlais says.

After someone anonymously placed his name on a noted list of players to watch, however, Turlais started to get the recognition he deserved. Many professional scouts could be seen attending his high school games, and soon word got out about the left-hand hitting, right-hand throwing catcher from Illinois.

After the Pirates made him their 10th-round pick in 1992, the lure of professional baseball made his decision to play fairly easy.

"As an 18-year-old, being able to play baseball for money is like a dream come true," Turlais says. "I played my first professional game two days after my graduation."