It’s Not Too Late - “With the first pick of the 2007 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders select, from Louisiana State University, JaMarcus Russell.” I was watching the NFL draft last week and to nobodies’ surprise, none of the NFL teams spent a draft pick on me despite my illustrious flag football career which culminated in a NFFL (National Flag Football League) Oklahoma state championship about 25 years ago. “With the 255th pick of the 2007 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions select, from the University of Alabama, Ramzee Robinson.” Wow! 255 picks and I didn’t even receive a single inquiring phone call from a NFL team. Maybe it is because I didn’t hire an agent and represented myself. Perhaps none of the NFL teams needs a paunchy, middle-aged guy who used to be adept at pulling flags.
For those of us staring middle-age in the eye, should we give up on our dreams? Somehow it seemed easier to dream and to pursue far-fetched possibilities when we were twenty-something. When our life is still nearly a clean slate, it is so much easier to visualize greatness. But what about when the clock is running down in the game of life? What about when we have strung together several decades of unnotable accomplishments garnished with some significant mistakes? Ralph Ellison in his book The Invisible Man wrote, “The ability to dream has been beaten out of me by this experience called life.”
Has life beaten the ability to dream out of you? If so, let me offer up the story of Jim Morris. Jim Morris was a high school science teacher and baseball coach in Big Lake, Texas. Big Lake is not exactly known as a place where people go for their dreams to come true. Jim’s baseball team was struggling. In an attempt to inspire the team, he made an offhand comment that he would try out for a major league baseball team if the team reached the district playoffs. The team performed well, forcing Jim to keep up his end of the bargain. So at 35 years old, Jim Morris attended a local try-out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. 35 years old may not sound old to some of us that have seen our 35th birthday come and go. But in major league baseball, being 35 is like being Methuselah. At an age when most professional players are pondering retirement, if they have even managed to last that long, Jim Morris was trying to resume a career that had ended with a shoulder injury 12 years years earlier.
To everyone’s surprise Jim threw a 98 MPH fastball at the tryout and was offered a chance to play with the Devil Rays’ AA farm club. After only a few appearances, he was promoted to the AAA Durham Bulls. Then on September 18, 1999, this middle-aged high school science teacher made his major league debut striking out the Texas Rangers’ Royce Clayton on four pitches. Morris pitched in the majors for two years and Disney eventually made a film about his experience called The Rookie.
Morris recounts his favorite major league memory, “One night I was in right field during batting practice, in shouting distance of the bleacher creatures," recalls Morris. "They figured out who I was…. ‘Morris!!! You suck! It’s a great story but you suck!’ That was pretty cool," laughs Morris.” But his favorite baseball moment occurred as he was entering the Yankee Stadium visitors clubhouse for what turned out to be the last time: "I heard a loud voice from behind me," remembers Morris. ‘Hey, Morris! Can I have your autograph?’ I turned around and it was a big policeman. He said, ‘You give guys like us a fighting chance.’"
There are numerous other stories of people whose dreams no longer seemed plausible, who eventually went on to live those dreams because of their passion and perseverance. Passion and perseverance gives guys and gals like you and me and Jim Morris a fighting chance. Maybe you are one of us middle aged guys (or gals) and none your previous accomplishments seem to be much to be excited about. It is entirely possible that the best is yet to come if you understand your passion and channel it toward a specific goal. In the meantime, if there are any scouts out there reading this, with enough ibuprofen, I can still bring my "A-game!" Think about it.
What are you passionate about? What are you doing about it?
For those of us staring middle-age in the eye, should we give up on our dreams? Somehow it seemed easier to dream and to pursue far-fetched possibilities when we were twenty-something. When our life is still nearly a clean slate, it is so much easier to visualize greatness. But what about when the clock is running down in the game of life? What about when we have strung together several decades of unnotable accomplishments garnished with some significant mistakes? Ralph Ellison in his book The Invisible Man wrote, “The ability to dream has been beaten out of me by this experience called life.”
Has life beaten the ability to dream out of you? If so, let me offer up the story of Jim Morris. Jim Morris was a high school science teacher and baseball coach in Big Lake, Texas. Big Lake is not exactly known as a place where people go for their dreams to come true. Jim’s baseball team was struggling. In an attempt to inspire the team, he made an offhand comment that he would try out for a major league baseball team if the team reached the district playoffs. The team performed well, forcing Jim to keep up his end of the bargain. So at 35 years old, Jim Morris attended a local try-out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. 35 years old may not sound old to some of us that have seen our 35th birthday come and go. But in major league baseball, being 35 is like being Methuselah. At an age when most professional players are pondering retirement, if they have even managed to last that long, Jim Morris was trying to resume a career that had ended with a shoulder injury 12 years years earlier.
To everyone’s surprise Jim threw a 98 MPH fastball at the tryout and was offered a chance to play with the Devil Rays’ AA farm club. After only a few appearances, he was promoted to the AAA Durham Bulls. Then on September 18, 1999, this middle-aged high school science teacher made his major league debut striking out the Texas Rangers’ Royce Clayton on four pitches. Morris pitched in the majors for two years and Disney eventually made a film about his experience called The Rookie.
Morris recounts his favorite major league memory, “One night I was in right field during batting practice, in shouting distance of the bleacher creatures," recalls Morris. "They figured out who I was…. ‘Morris!!! You suck! It’s a great story but you suck!’ That was pretty cool," laughs Morris.” But his favorite baseball moment occurred as he was entering the Yankee Stadium visitors clubhouse for what turned out to be the last time: "I heard a loud voice from behind me," remembers Morris. ‘Hey, Morris! Can I have your autograph?’ I turned around and it was a big policeman. He said, ‘You give guys like us a fighting chance.’"
There are numerous other stories of people whose dreams no longer seemed plausible, who eventually went on to live those dreams because of their passion and perseverance. Passion and perseverance gives guys and gals like you and me and Jim Morris a fighting chance. Maybe you are one of us middle aged guys (or gals) and none your previous accomplishments seem to be much to be excited about. It is entirely possible that the best is yet to come if you understand your passion and channel it toward a specific goal. In the meantime, if there are any scouts out there reading this, with enough ibuprofen, I can still bring my "A-game!" Think about it.
What are you passionate about? What are you doing about it?
2 comments:
Toby, you are a great writer and thinker...would love to use your brain in some things...let me know if you have time for lunch some time...
alex
I love this blog entry. I dream of making a tidal wave in my industry but I realize that as long as I keep making ripples...any one of those ripples could turn into a giant wave. Too many people get focused on the waves that they forget to keep making ripples.
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