Claimed:Now You See Me, Now You Don’t. Oh Wait There I Am

[Ball 453]

Sebastian Ball isn’t really a household name within the VHL Universe. A soft spoken, hard hitting defenseman for the Seattle Bears and the New York Americans, Ball wasn’t known for his offensive prowess in his six seasons in the VHL. And if you don’t score goals, rack up assists, or break any records, chances are you will come in a nobody and leave the same way you entered. Sure he had won a Continental Cup in S12 with the Bears. He was voted the VHLM’s Defenseman of the Year in S10. But Ball never really gained his notoriety until after his playing days were over. After hanging up his skates in S16, Sebastian Ball traded in his jersey for a suit and became a promising player agent in the VHL. Things started to look up for the rugged 6’6” defensive stud turned suit as Ball took in promising forward Ryan Walls, teaching him the ropes and showing Walls what it takes to become a prominent player in the VHL. But, Walls would never reach his potential and Sebastian Ball left the VHL for good. Or so it seemed. 16 seasons passed before Ball came back to the VHL, bringing along with him his son, Sebastian Ball Jr. Now, the father-son combo has taken the league by storm, a quiet storm but one none the less, and it seems like they are here to stay. Today, we here at VHL.com caught up with Sebastian Ball to ask him not only about his playing career, but to find out what happened that fateful day he left the league and why he came back. Here is that interview.

 

A once brutal defenseman, Ball made his living knocking players' blocks off before trying to get them their money

 

John Salasar: Thank you for coming in Mr. Ball, let’s get this underway. First off, it is great to have you back in the VHL.

 

Sebastian Ball: Thanks John, it’s great to be back.

 

JS: So Sebastian, you came into the league as a highly touted defenseman out of Boston College. You were scouted by a few teams in the NHL, including actually signing with your hometown Philadelphia Flyers, before deciding to try your luck in the VHL. What was it like coming into a league where so many people knew so little about you?

 

SB:  It was hard to comprehend at first. Here I am, a 19 year old kid who just got drafted to the Philadelphia Flyers, a situation I only dreamed about as a kid. But, things didn’t quite turn out as planned when I arrived to the organization. There was a coaching change the offseason I was drafted to the team and I know it sounds silly, but the new coach and I never saw eye to eye. I didn’t want to go on playing for a coach I couldn’t look up to, let alone get along with. And then a good friend of mine, Zach Arce, told me about the VHL, which he joined not even a season before I got drafted and the rest is history. I expected my name to be big in the VHL, but when I got there, no one had even hear about me. Hell no one even had seen me play hockey yet. So in a way, it was a wake up call. I had to make sure by the end of my career, people knew what I was about and hopefully, by the end of my career they would all remember my name.

 

JS: So fast forward to S12. After being drafted by the Seattle Bears, you have become a star in the VHLM, being named Defenseman of the Year in S11 for the Buffalo Jr. Bears. Seattle makes the playoffs and calls you up to join in on their cup run. You guys end up running the table and you win the Continental Cup in your rookie season as a Bear. How was that moment for you?

 

SB: This is honestly the greatest moment of my career in the VHL. Sure, I know I didn’t win the cup, but just the chance to join these guys in the playoffs and help out in any way possible was amazing. We had so many great players that year and being able to not only learn from them, but to stand amongst them as they hoisted the cup was a once in a lifetime thing. It really helped me because, not only did I get the whole you haveto win a cup to be great thing out of the way early, but it helped mold me as a player. It really only fed into my hunger to win another and another, helping me become the ferocious defenseman I turned out to be.

 

JS: But unfortunately, you never were able to hoist that cup again, even after being traded in your final season to the powerhouse known as the New York Americans. So after you retire, you decided to try your luck as a player agent, signing Ryan Walls to your agency and bringing him into the VHL. How was that experience for you?

 

SB: I knew this one was coming soon. In my life, I strived for perfection. As a player, if I wasn’t perfect in the defensive zone, which I rarely was, you could find me skating laps around the practice rink well after the rest of the team left. Ryan was a great kid and I saw a lot of potential in him. But he had a problem with substance abuse and that ended up being his downfall. After he crashed and burned, I felt that not only did I fail him as an agent, but I failed the entire league and its integrity. The phones stopped ringing at the agency and instead of showing my face around the VHL, I decided to walk away from it all.

 

JS: Why did you leave though?

 

SB: Plan and simple, in my eyes, I feel like I failed myself and everyone around me. Plus how can I be a player agent without any clients?

 

JS: So, 16 seasons go by and all of the sudden, you appear out of thin air and bring along your son who enrolls in the S33 VHL Entry Draft. It was a surprise to most everyone, including us here at VHL.com. What made you come back?

 

SB: Well, 16 seasons is a long time to just sit back and think about the past. I reconnected with my family and my son became interested in not only the game of hockey, but the VHL as a young child. I couldn’t stop him from doing what he wanted and to my surprise, he became a chip off the old block. 16 years later, he was still talking about enrolling into the VHL and even sparked up the idea of having me represent him as his agent. It just so happens that I had gotten back in contact with Joey Kendrick and went from there. I put my past behind me and so far, everything has worked out very nicely. The kid is doing me proud and best of all, he’s doing it on the team that gave me a chance way back when.

 

Seen here with his wife and son, Sebastian Ball is back and better than ever. But what does the future hold for this father-son combination? 

 

JS: It really is a great story but unfortunately that’s all the time we have for today. It was great talking to you Sebastian and your always welcome back here in the studio.

 

SB: Thank you for having me and like always, go Bears and down with Toronto!   

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Content: 3/3 - Yeah, I found out the hard way too that defensive defensemen don't get a lot of love or press time. It's nice to have you back though, and from what I remember, Ball Jr. seems to be having a pretty good career so far.

 

Grammar: 2/2 - Just one.

 

VHL Universe = VHL universe

 

Appearance: 1/1 - Colors and everything.

 

Overall: 6/6

[eaglesfan036 4,585]

I like the title

[Da Trifecta 1,896]

Content: 3/3 It was a pretty good read about your player. Not a fan of the Sanchez photo lol.

Grammar: 2/2 He already got all I could find

Appearance: 1/1 Yeah it's there

 

Final: 6/6

[Guest]

Claimed