Source: Los Angeles Times

It's easy to forget that Mike Trout, for all his otherworldly talent, was still living with his parents six months ago.

His dad hasn't forgotten.

Last Monday, when White Sox slugger Paul Konerko went hitless and Trout moved past him to take over the batting lead in the American League, Jeff Trout turned to his son and offered some fatherly advice:

"Now get to bed. You've got a game tomorrow," he told his youngest boy, who was spending a rare off-day at home.

That's hardly the only surreal moment Jeff and his wife Deb have experienced since their son made his major league debut last July. The Trouts now get so many random text messages and phone calls — most from people they don't recognize — they're thinking of changing their number. And then there are the friends requesting autographs, family members asking for baseballs, and an endless line of would-be advisors, agents, pitchmen and snake-oil salesmen all angling for a piece of baseball's newest superstar.

It's been a little overwhelming for a pair of schoolteachers from small-town New Jersey.

"That is the side that most people never understand," Jeff Trout says. "It's hard to explain to people. Is it a downside? It's a different side."

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