With Little League starting up, this is one of those things you want to share with all your hopeful baseball stars. When my son Crosby was young Jim wrote this out to him: "To Crosby, You can do anything...Jim Abbott."
Jim is an incredible motivator. To pitch in the Major Leagues with one hand, throw a no-hitter, and not to mention also hit a home run.
Here's a repost of an old story I wrote about Jim and conquering adversity.
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My favorite stories in sports and in life are when someone faces adversity and turns it into their advantage. If you have a kid in Little League…this is an absolute must watch. As good as pitching a no-hitter and winning a gold medal in the Olympics are, how much better are they if you do it with one hand? That’s what Jim Abbott did:
.@jabbottum31 shows our #YankeeStadium Legends Series attendees how he catches a baseball before today's game. pic.twitter.com/HLzrVxs4b3
— Steiner Sports (@steinersports) June 10, 2015
How often do kids say they can’t / won’t / don’t want to do something? Too often.
My first collectible for Crosby as a kid was signed:
“To Crosby, you can do anything…Jim Abbott.”
I would always refer to that whenever he would talk about what he could and couldn’t do.
Could you even comprehend performing the seemingly simple task of catching a baseball and throwing it back to someone with anything less than two hands?
Forget that! Imagine hitting major league pitching with one hand! Jim Abbott had people telling him NO his entire life and the only thing he’s done is prove them wrong every day.
If you can’t use this story (or pick-up a copy of Jim’s book) to send a message to a Little Leaguer about hard work…I don’t know what you’re doing.
Here's a great clip of Jim surprising a young baseball player facing similar adversity, in which he is conquering every time he takes the field.
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