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Saturday, January 26, 2008
Letters from Ely - Crossroads
by Duane Behrens
The coach asked, "Hey O.C., did you shower this morning?"
"Not yet," replied O.C. "How'd you know?"
"Well, the grass is dying around your feet there."
Hitting practice was over, the pitching and infield practice was complete, and O.C.'s weekly coaching session with Mark Mainini was nearly finished.
A former professional baseball player, Mainini had perhaps found his true passion after his playing days were over. He's a private coach now, and a good one - able to claim some dozens of kids who have gone on to high school, college and professional ball under his guidance . . . a man who may have helped Manny Ramirez out of a recent October batting slump.
Today and in between lessons, Mark had devoted much of his time to some good-natured teasing. (Apparently, he's not all that fond of O.C.'s new earring.) But now he called O.C. over, and the smile left his face.
"Listen, O.C., I've gotta tell ya . . . there are a lot of kids your age who want to play high school ball. And this . . . this is the year you'll have to decide how badly you want to play. You've certainly been blessed with talent. Your hands are quick, your right arm is a rifle, and you've got a good sense of the game. But none of those strengths are any guarantee. You're 13 years old. This is the year you'll have to decide how badly you want it.
"Grades are first, of course. Everything comes after that. But beyond that I want you to think of what it is that you really want to do. You know - your passion. Personally, I hope it will be baseball. And if it is, well . . .it's about time for you to start giving baseball a 100 percent of your effort during every possible moment. I can just about guarantee that every one of your baseball heroes and mine - Ruth, Robinson, Gehrig, Paige, Ripken, Guerrero, Eckstein and all the rest - each of them probably made that commitment when they were your age."
The coach slid his hat back and wiped his forehead. "Your folks have put in a substantial investment in these lessons each week. They're putting this opportunity in front of you. But it's up to you to take it. I hope you won't throw it aside.
"Now, if you choose baseball - if you choose to commit to this sport - only you can find a way to become the best. You'll have to start training on your own a lot of the time. You'll have to do the physical strength training. You'll have to find and do the batting and catching and fielding drills and everything else necessary to transform yourself into a top-quality player. Hey - we'll be here to help you along the way. But it's no good if you're not leading the way, right?"
O.C. was quiet. He hadn't seen this side - hadn't seen his coach in this way before.
Mainini started walking away, then turned suddenly. "Oh, and by the way. If you do choose something else . . . if you decide within the coming year that you love something even more than baseball . . . well, I want you to succeed at that as well." The coach went to one knee. "Now look at me, O.C., and listen carefully, 'cause I'm absolutely certain of one thing: If you really love something, and if you give it your complete dedication during every available waking hour, you can . . . hell, you will turn your dream into the reality of your daily adult life. And that's what you want . . . right?"
Embarrassed and unsure of his response, O.C. nodded, grabbed his gear, stowed it into the back of the car and climbed into the passenger seat. Mark grinned, waved, then turned toward his next student as we drove out of the ballpark.
It was a quiet ride home.
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