December 5th, 2021
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. James Lee, a 22 year-old baseball outfielder, had recently graduated from LSU- Louisiana State University.
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Brr, Brr. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I whipped it out and read the new number on the screen.
After my graduation, any unknown number, even if it ended up being spam, I found interest in; there were a lot of people from professional leagues who wanted to talk to me about playing for their team. At this point, I had declined most of the offers- I knew that wherever I decided to go would be a difference between success and failure in the game. I didn't care much for the money- I only wanted to play in a safe, welcoming environment. It remained crazy to me that I posted a .390 batting average and 75 home runs in 4 years at LSU; I had never done this before in my career. Could I keep a similar level of productivity at the start of my professional career?
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"Hello?" I spoke into the phone, as I had already done several times in the previous week.
"Is this James Lee?" a middle-aged man asked on the other end. "Yes," I replied nonchalantly.
"This is Walter Smith, general manager of the Challengers baseball team," he continued. "Do you have a few minutes?"
I recognized his name-- he was a former All-Star pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals. I responded, "Yeah- my father told me about you. Is this what I think it is?" I walked over to the couch in the main room of my family's house and flopped myself down. The Challengers were part of a larger League of Baseball Legends. This was a relatively new project in the United States at the time, founded by two other former baseball players. As written in the mission statement, "We are seeking to create a deeper connection between older and former players and younger players, who are all in different stages of their careers. We want a safe, welcoming environment for all professional players while also maintaining the game's competitive side."
Walter said back, "Yes. I'm calling you about playing for the team. My scouts have kept a good eye on you all throughout college, and of course I got word from your father. Man, you are quite a talented player! Anyway, I want you to play for us. I am willing to negotiate as far as the contract goes."
My mouth had dropped open at this point. Was this some kind of joke, or did he really want me to play for this up-and-coming professional team? "Are you sure you want me? I never expected to get that productive in college."
"Oh, for Pete's sake, yes! Think about it and call me back from this number. Don't doubt yourself, James- never."
He hung up the phone. I put my phone down on the table in front of me and took a deep breath in and out, running my other hand through my dark brown hair. I sat in shock, having doubted myself for a while.
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"Wow! That's amazing news, James!" My mother, Rebecca, heard the news from me first. She was down South in Miami to give a talk to a softball team.
"I don't know what to think of it," I muttered. "I know this is the breakthrough I need, but something is holding me back. What if I can't live up to the expectations people have about my future?"
She sighed and then asked, "Does that matter?"
I leaned further back in my chair and stared up at the ceiling. "I don't know- It probably doesn't."
Mom raised her voice slightly, "It doesn't! You're looking too far ahead. Yes, your father and I have high expectations of you now, but you've got to clear those worries out of your mind, ESPECIALLY when you're about to play. Plus, we've seen you succeed for so long, so even when you fail, we don't care as long as you're putting in the effort and having fun." She always gave me this advice when I needed it the most; it took this repetition and my own experiences for me to realize the importance of not worrying.
"Guess I am," I said, staring down at the floor in my bedroom. "There's so much to it, you know? I want to take this opportunity seriously, and yet I have doubt as to my abilities."
"You've worked so hard for this," Rebecca replied, "And you've proven yourself very worthy of being a pro player. I'm not forcing you to do anything, but this sounds like the perfect opportunity that you haven't received in months."
"OK, I'll think about it some more today... you still there?" even after several seconds, silence rang out.
Tick, tock. I glanced up at the clock on the wall- a few more seconds went by. "Hello?" I asked confused.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
