How Baseball and a Coach shaped me into a man

It was my junior year of High School and I was on a fast track headed nowhere. My grades were average at best and college had not even been discussed. Since the age of 7, Derek Jeter was my hero, the thought of one day being able to become the baseball player he is and the man we hear about was a great feeling. To be able to carry yourself with such class, respect, and professionalism in New York of all places was a huge accomplishment. Baseball had begun to take on a big role in my life, helping me escape when life got too tough. For the first two years of High School being undisciplined, lazy, lacking motivation, and the fear of failure overshadowed any determination or will I had to become what Derek Jeter was.

By my third year it was time to face whatever was holding me back, with no experience, no training and no knowledge of how to play the game of baseball, I was about to embark on the inevitable path of being cut from my High School baseball team. Midway through tryouts I had given up on everything. Baseball was the only thing that kept my head above water and it had just failed me in a huge way. When my name wasn't called it was no surprise. On my way home my girlfriend called and we spoke about my failure. Sensing the defeat in my voice she gave me a pep talk about how there is still one more year and there are baseball academies that can help improve my skill. We searched the internet when we came across the "Tony Melendez Baseball Academy."

We called coach Tony and he wanted to know why I was cut from the team. It was simple I said, "I suck." He did not like that particular response and he wanted to meet my parents and I to discuss further details about me joining his baseball academy. When we went down to meet him and his wife, the first thing he wanted to instill was confidence because if I didn't believe in myself why should he? The goal was for me to try out as a pitcher and for a year Coach and myself were going to work as hard as we could to accomplish my goal of making my High School baseball team.

I'm sure it was tougher than he expected because I was not a hardworking kid. There was still some lazy tendencies and the expectation that these skills will be handed to me. As Coach shaped me into a ballplayer he had no idea he was also shaping me into a man. We worked hard for that year, we grew a bond that can not be put into words. He became my mentor for baseball and life. If there was something I needed to learn or wanted to know about he would be there.

We worked on catching the ball first, because even at the age of 17, I could not catch the ball like a baseball player. Two hands, that was all he echoed for a week or two, "catch it with two hands and never take your eyes off the ball." Next was my pitching mechanics and learning how to repeat the same mechanics over and over. These things in the first few months helped me discipline myself. Then came the lifting. After every bullpen session it was time to head to the weight room and workout. Work hard, increase my arm strength, stamina, body mass, because nothing comes easy. If I want to make the team it was going to have to be earned.

Coach and his wife Jessy was big on education also, so in order for me to be welcomed to the academy the grades were going to have to turn around. "You're a student-athlete bro, Student first then an athlete." The grades was the easiest thing to turn around because all it took was a little extra push and nobody pushed for education like those two. It wasn't going to get me in a good college right away but eventually it will pay off and I will attend a good college of my choice. For months we worked on Mechanics, discipline, working hard, staying motivated. He made sure I was at the academy as much as possible so he can continue to teach me as much as he can.

It was getting closer to tryouts and everything about me had begun to change. I was more disciplined, more determined and worked so much harder than ever before, not only in baseball but everything in life. As tryouts neared that fear of failure started to creep in, what if all this hard work goes to waste? Can I really endure getting cut again? The decision was to tell Coach I'm quitting before it even starts. He didn't even have to say anything, the look he gave me was a look I've never seen before. My own father never looked at me that way. He said "Why would you quit now after all this hard work we put in? Just go see what happens, don't be afraid." He put his arm around me tightened it around my neck slapped my stomach and told me to go in the back and workout. I decided to continue on because the fear now was not of failing, the fear was disappointing Coach Tony.

Tryouts came and my first bullpen session was nothing spectacular, there was still mechanical issues and control was my biggest problem. I still ended up making the team and no one was more proud of me than Coach was. All our bullpen sessions were one on one, now that I'm on the team it was time to face live batters. My first chance was during an inter squad. It was first and third one out, A two seam fastball on the outside corner got my teammate Romarlen to swing through it for strike 3, my first ever strikeout. Up came our best player Rene, first pitch fastball down the middle, he gets under it, pops it up, inning over. It was only inter squad to everyone else but it was much more than that to me.

First person I called when the game was over was my mentor Coach Tony because no one but him was going to share the same happiness even if it was not a real game. The rest of the baseball year for myself personally and for the team did not end well. Mechanical issues doomed me but it was still nice to accomplish my dream and play on a team. That year with Coach and that year on the team showed me that hard work and dedication can help anyone accomplish anything. I work at everything 100% all the time now, because there really is no other way to be successful. Coach has this saying that I put in my High School year book because it is as if he is talking specifically about me: "Success and failure are both options, choose wisely." Couldn't have said it better myself Coach.