During his years at Augusta High School in Augusta, Kentucky, Clooney poured his energy into competitive sports. He excelled in basketball and baseball, earning a reputation as a fierce, agile competitor. Augusta sat right along the Ohio River, and like many regional boys in the late 1970s, Clooney idolized the Big Red Machine, Cincinnati’s powerhouse Major League Baseball roster.
Clooney played middle infield and outfield, posting impressive high school statistics that caught the attention of professional scouts. In 1977, at age sixteen, he secured a walk-on tryout with the Cincinnati Reds. The competition was brutal. Dozens of elite regional prospects threw fastballs and chased line drives under the summer sun, fighting for a spot in the farm system.
Clooney failed to advance past the initial round of cuts. He could handle breaking balls and routine grounders, but his batting speed lacked the explosive power demanded by professional organizations. The rejection stung sharply. It forced him to confront the limits of an athletic career and redirected his ambition back toward university corridors.
