Inspiration from a Younger Generation

To the Editor:
I’ll admit that at times I tend to be a little hard on teenagers, even my own bevy of four, but recently one of them allowed me to soften up a bit. The kid had all the stuff to play big time football in California, 350 yards and six touchdowns in one game. John Madden’s son was his football coach, and his father once said that the kid had the makings of an NFL player. Then injuries halted him in his tracks.
His last two years in California were spent rehabbing. There were surgeries. He fought through pain, the disappointment, and the inconvenience to restore his athleticism while not neglecting his school work. Then he and his family returned to this area after an eight year stint in San Francisco. That was when he decided to give baseball his attention. Almost on a daily basis, he went to training sessions to regain the God-given tools that the good Lord had bestowed upon him. It took some guts on his part to try out and make the starting team for a solid high school program. Slowly, he gained the skills of the game, the confidence to compete in the sport, and the recognition of people who know the game – scouts.
He proved to himself that dedication to any pursuit is the most direct and effective way to accomplish goals, be they in baseball or in the classroom. When it comes to evaluating baseball talent, I am told, they talk about tools. Scouts both on the college and pro level have ascribed the five-tool tag on my 18-year-old grandson who realized a dream that many American kids hold deep in their hearts – the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him last week.
I’m going to be more careful in the future when it comes to comparing this generation with my own. There is no way that I could have fought through the adversity that this kid did.