SUCCESS IS EARNED!

I was watching 61* with my 10 year old the other night.  His birthday is coming up in August and he’s getting to be a good looking young man with a lot of heart and guts on the baseball field.  That being said, he doesn’t clean up after himself, he doesn’t put his clothes in the hamper or even make his bed. It drives me crazy...  but neither did I at 10, according to my mother. I thought I was perfect… go figure.

But it’s been a real journey for my son who first stood on a baseball field at the age 3 and hated every minute of it. Yet, years later, he's gotten real good, yet felt squeezed out of his town league and made made it his mission to do something about it. He made a very adult decision… he sought out a club team and made it!  At 10 years old, his balls and ego were much bigger than mine ever were.  I give the kid credit, he made a change for himself and he hasn’t look back since.

“Success is earned!” his club coach yelled as they practiced in the field last week.  The kids are half listening, but they know what it means.  And as we were watching 61* the other night, my son had a ton of questions… like “Didn’t Mickey Mantle break Babe Ruth’s record too?” and “Roger Maris is so serious and dedicated, but Mickey is a jokester. Why?”  I parroted his coach… “Success is earned.”  

I love reading the stories about Mickey Mantle and all he accomplished, but reading all I could, I was fascinated with Roger Maris.  Now, that doesn’t mean I hated "the Mick", I love everything Mickey did on the field, he was one of a kind. But Roger Maris worked his tail off, and Mickey... well, he was a natural and he knew it.  And so, it almost seems like he didn’t work as hard, yet he got the same result… that’s if you watch 61*, at least.  Now, I have no doubt Billy Crystal directed an accurate portrayal of how the Mick and Roger carried themselves back in 1961… and apparently it resonated with my son… and then, the light bulb...

“I feel like Roger Maris is me,” he said. “I feel like I work hard and no one sees it or gives me credit!”  I got that.  For the past few years he’s "struggled" to make his top town team, which is why he left our town’s little league this year. I write "struggled" in quotes, because he didn't struggle, but to them he just wasn't "good" enough. So, like I said before, my son made a change and he's better for it. You can’t fault him for feeling that way.  He felt like he got the shaft and he knew in his mind something was wrong… he was calling shenanigans and guess what? He won.  He’s smiling now. Yup, for the first time I can remember, he’s working hard, BUT, now he’s smiling out there.  Finally baseball is fun for him.

Now I constantly equate my son to Jorge Posada. Both are warriors.  Both want their play to be perfect every time they’re out there.  Both have shined at moments and were satisfied finally with their journey.  I have no doubt that my son will get his one day, be it in a month or 10 years or 20 or all of the above. Because much like Maris, or Jorge… these guys worked and they worked hard.  They did it every day knowing they could succeed when everyone else said they couldn’t.  Enter my 10 year old, who walks proud through town wearing his new club team hat.  He doesn’t have to say a word anymore… the kids say it for him. And sure, while he's not the best, he feels invincible, because he believed in himself to make a change. My boy did it for himself and he knows he’s good… despite what the “dad” coaches think. 

I’d like to think I had something to do with that passion as a parent, but I just think that courage is from within and can’t be taught… and success? Yeah… success is definitely earned and my kid is working toward it every day... you gotta love that.

Atta boy kid… go get'um.

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