A tweet on my son's Twitter page last night (link below) sent my thoughts way back to his formative years...and that had the effect of sending my thoughts further to the HSBaseballWeb; for it was around the time that a letter he posted was written that I discovered this wonderful website. I hope you'll excuse me while I share the recollection.
The occasion last night that prompted his tweet was a pre-game meeting with his old friend and former mentor, Mike Shildt, at Busch Stadium. My son and several of his college assistants had traveled to Saint Louis mainly to pick the brains of the guys at P3 St. Louis; but, there was no way they were returning home to Charlotte without taking in a Cardinals game and saying hello to Coach Shildt.
What caused me to reminisce was a letter that followed the initial post. In early 2000, Mike was opening a year-round baseball development facility on Charlotte's outskirts called On Deck. He'd contacted a number of young, area players; inviting them to his organizational meeting. Knowing that the invitation would be accompanied by an invitation to join On Deck's travel team, my son (who was about 15 at the time) had written Mike to thank him for the invitation; but to also decline it, as he felt that he'd given his commitment for the upcoming season to another team. The letter that was posted (see below) was Mike's reply to my son's letter.
In it, Mike thanks him, commends him for his loyalty, and expresses the hope that he and I would still attend his organizational meeting. As it turned out, we attended and were extremely impressed with the overall approach to development that Mike and his assistants were espousing; so impressed, that my son felt compelled to call his travel team coach to discuss what he'd heard. During that conversation, his travel team coach told him that he needed to take advantage of the training that On Deck would provide and wished him well as he made the change.
Little did we know, of course, that 19 1/2 years later the two would be posing for a pre-game photo on the sidelines at Busch Stadium; the former mentor coaching at the highest level of the game and the student embarking on his career as a college head coach.
I post this, however, not just to share the recollection. Rather, I also wanted to make the point that if you're truly passionate about the sport, consistently seek to associate yourself with the best people in the sport you can, and work diligently to put into practice what the best people in the sport have taught you, there's no telling where it will take you.
Dream large, listen well, work hard, and you'll be rewarded.
Twitter Post with Photo and Letter
