December 6th, 2021
James had been debating ever since the phone call whether or not to accept Walter Smith's offer. He considered how he had overcome adversity in his past, both long ago and recently; when he was in high school, he suffered multiple fractures after colliding with another fielder in an attempt to catch a fly ball. More recently, his girlfriend had broken up with him because she couldn't stand thinking of him continuing to play baseball.
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I drove home from the batting cage, exhausted from the day's work. I had found out earlier in the day that there was severe storms hitting Miami, so I figured that was the reason that my mother was unable to stay connected to the call. I still hadn't heard from her, however, which made me really concerned. Nevertheless, I had left home to get in my practice for the day. At this point in my career of baseball, I couldn't make any compromises.
Of course, rumors had already spread throughout the media about me "likely" signing with the Challengers team. At this point, I was used to it- the media made news regarding sports much more dramatic than they really were, therefore grabbing everyone's attention. I kept reflecting on my mother's words from the day before: "This sounds like the perfect opportunity you've been waiting for for months." I remembered what my ex-girlfriend, Sarah, had said to me, as well as Walter Smith's words of advice. There was so much in the future that was uncertain- so many questions- but I couldn't hold onto all of this doubt. I had to see how this would turn out for myself.
Once I returned home, I didn't hesitate. I took the keys out of the ignition and then picked up my phone to call Walter.
"Hey James," he answered pretty quickly. "I assume you've made a decision?"
I exhaled, "Yes, I'll do this. I'll play."
"Are you sure, kid? Hope I'm not putting too much pressure on you."
I almost laughed at this question. "No, no- I've made my decision."
"Great! Our spring training is starting soon, so I want to meet with you as soon as possible for all the usual contract talk."
"I can drive over now. Nothing else is going on, though I probably should tell my mother and father about this."
"Yes, yes, do that first," he responded, "You'll be competing against your father's team, remember."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." I chuckled, expecting that this season would be a LOT of fun.
I hung up and quickly dialed my dad, who was also away at an offseason team meeting. At this point in time, he had been manager of the Rising Stars team, a part of the League, for 2 years. This decision I had made would generate newfound competition between us, and I wanted to make sure that he was okay with it.
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December 10th, 2022
I walked into the room the press conference was being held in. Cameras glared and began snapping from almost all directions of the room. After I had signed the contract, media began coming from all over. Of course, I didn't have much to say at that point- as I have said before, the future was uncertain. I really didn't know everything that I was getting myself into, but oh boy did it feel great to sign with a pro team! I had signed with the Challengers for 5 years with an opt-out after the 2nd year.
Walter Smith quickly (re)announced my signing with the team before handing me my uniform shirt and a red team cap. I put on both of these without hesitation. I shook Walter's hand before sitting down in the chair next to me. Everyone there provided a long round of applause, and I simply nodded my head. I'm not the greatest ballplayer in the world, I thought, jeez.
The first question I was asked was, "Just how excited are you to have signed with a professional baseball team?"
"Well, it's thrilling. As a ballplayer, you work your butt off every day to get here. To be honest, I had to clear all the doubt out of my head that this wouldn't be right for me."
Another reporter asked, "What are you looking forward to most this season?"
"Just playing ball. My goal is to have fun while doing it, no matter what level I'm at. Even if I end up hitting below average, I won't let that bring me down."
"As you might already know, the Challengers are looking for their first league title. How do you think you will be helping the Challengers this season?"
"Good question... I'd say through the hitting. If I can be one of the players delivering for the team with a bat in my hands, I'd be fulfilling my job requirements- literally. I am not worried about the team's pitching; that's a different part of the game," I answered this nonchalantly. I had responded to these types of questions back in college during press conferences and interviews- it was not new for me. I believed and still believe offense is the most important part of baseball games, and maybe in every sport.
However, I didn't know the true extent of the team's offensive struggles, yet. I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
And yet I didn't let it stop me.
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