Art Post
Just back from Presidents Club and we lost a day coming home due to flight delays with another winter storm here in the Northeast. I had just four days left in the month and quarter. Thus, I’ve not been able to write as much, so I thought I would go through some of the older blogs that I liked and repost them and give some additional updates. The story below is awesome display of why we never quit.
We’ve all heard the story about Abe Lincoln and how many times he lost running office before he finally succeeded, one of the oldest sales success stories. Never give up, never lose faith, be a grinder, his law partner said of him “His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest.”
You know what? I know a kid just like Abe Lincoln.
For those who know me, they know that my passion is for coaching. Since my son turned five, I added my name to the ranks of those who have coached Little League, Babe Ruth, Pony League, and then graduating to summer collegiate teams and fall high school teams. Over the years I have coached these young men in three D’s of Life or better referred to as the 3D’s of baseball. Desire, Dedication and Determination, I have always preached that if you have these three qualities you can reach what you’ve always dreamed for whether in baseball, life or work. I am honored that some of these guys still find the time to call me and shoot the breeze.
Until, this summer, I would always recruit players or someone who knows someone would call me to be placed on the team. I don’t run an elite team, just one where everyone gets to play no matter what the talent level is. This summer coming off the collegiate season, I didn’t have the time to make a lot of calls, especially with the economy dragging. So, this summer I placed posts on local sports message boards in New Jersey looking for players.
I had a few calls, placed a few guys, and then received an e-mail from a player. He stated that he was a left-handed pitcher and had pitched in high school and was looking for a fall team to play on. I responded, stating that we would love to have him on the team. A few days passed and I didn’t hear from him, then a few days later I heard from his father. I was a little surprised since I had not heard back from the player. His father asked me, “did my son tell you about his disability?” Geez, I thought and then responded, no he didn’t. With that the father told me that his son has cerebral palsy in his right arm and has no use of it, however, he is a hard worker and loves the game of baseball. The father told me his son pitched like Jim Abbott. To tell you the truth, I was not sure what to do at that time. I then relied on why I coach and why I run the teams, it’s not for me it’s for the guys to get better and hopefully they will be able to advance and play baseball in college. With that I said I’d love to have him on the team.
The day came when Bryan arrived. He is about 6 feet and has good size for baseball. He had very limited use of his right arm and did a glove transfer similar to Jim Abbott.
I find it hard to describe all the great things about this kid. I saw it right away, he already had the 3 D’s. His desire to succeed, his determination to get better and his dedication to the sport was probably more than all of the other guys on the team. He’s enthusiasm to learn, to work hard and to soak up our knowledge was impressive. Did he throw hard, no, but he was a lefty, and all this kid needed was some confidence. His attitude and perseverance won everyone over, team members, parents, and coaches and players from other teams alike.
One day he called me and asked if I thought he could pitch in college. I told him there is a college for everyone who still wants to play ball and I thought he could pitch at some college. His outings kept getting better and better and he quickly became one of our best pitchers thanks to confidence, desire, dedication, and determination.
I asked Bryan if he had contacted any colleges and he told me he had, however, he wasn’t getting much interest. I made a call to a local college and spoke to the coach and told him about Bryan, his demeanor and all of his attributes. A few days later the coach came to one of our games, saw Brian pitch and was impressed. He then called Brian and set up a visit with him and his parents to the college. As of a few days ago, Bryan will be going to college and pitching collegiate level baseball!
This past Sunday we gave him the ball against one of the best fall teams in the state. We lost 2-1, however, Brian pitched all 7 innings, allowed zero earned runs and only two hits. It was one of the finest memories that I will ever have and one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. So many of us, will say why me while Bryan says why not me? His Desire, Dedication and Determination hits home and is a great story about a great kid who has the heart to compete, the heart to win, and the heart to never give up.
The next summer Bryan was invited to the Old Timers Yankee Game (yes, Bryan is a Yankee fan) at the New Yankee Stadium where he was honored and got to met Jim Abbott. Bryan reached out to me and my family and invited us to the game. I was honored and it was a wonderful experience.
Good selling!
About the author: Art Post is the founder of the Print4Pay Hotel and the Print4Pay Hotel MFP Solutions Blog. Click here to check in to the Print4Pay MFP Solutions Blog page.
