I grew up in Flint Michigan, one of the greatest places in the US to grow up. There was a lot going on in that town especially with General Motors headquartered there. If kids couldn’t afford to go to college, they could apply to General Motors and would be pretty much assured to get hired. In fact, both of my parents worked at GM. Anyway, the sports teams were also very good, and I was a part of most of them. Football, basketball and baseball were the sports I played, and though 5’ 7”, I was one of the fastest kids. In basketball, I could dribble and score, and in baseball, I did pretty well also, consistently with a batting average of .350 or higher. In High-School while playing sports and going to school, I set 3 goals for my life. I wanted to play Major League baseball, I wanted to act (I loved Don Knotts and Tim Conway) and I wanted an education. The first check off on my list was attending college. I was headed to Eastern Michigan University but apparently unknown to me, my High-School coach wrote a letter to Michigan State and told them of a recent game in which hit 3 home runs my first three at bats, drove in 5 runs, and we ended up winning 6-1. Funny story, but on my 4th at bat, I hit a long and high fly ball and the fans and kids were anticipating another home run and were so excited but the ball was caught! It was a great game regardless. I ended my High-School season hitting .453 and voted most valuable player on my Northwestern Team and all league shortstop and because of the letter that my High-School coach wrote in regards to this 3 homerun game, I ended up being recruited to attend Michigan State University which is where I really wanted to go. The time frame was 1967.
So with this short background about myself in High-School, on arriving at Michigan State, I thought I was big time. I was an athlete, short hair, straight laced, not doing drugs and thought I was better than most students around me. One of my Check Your Game moments took place during this time when I thought I was “all that!” During my Freshman year, there was this group of guys who had long hair, moustaches and assumed, were smoking pot. They weren’t considered a cool group at all and I treated them like that. As I lived in my dorm that year, I guess you could say that I got to know this group of guys through interactions in the hall ways and just being around them and I started becoming their friend. I got along with them so well that I ended up rooming with one of them along with a hockey player and another baseball player the very next year. These guys were like you and me…a friend! The biggest thing I learned is to not judge anyone. From that day on, I realized that I’m no better than anyone else, especially as an athlete. I have applied that same mentality when I meet others whether they were kids in my classrooms or adults I meet today. Don’t judge a book by its cover is how the saying goes.

 My Advice

Before I share advice, I need to share what took place after College in regard to baseball. I ended up marrying my High-School sweetheart my Senior year of college and at the time being married, I was drafted by the Washington Senators (one year later they changed to the Texas Rangers). My first cousin, Merv was with the Orioles at the time and he was helping me out a bit in order for me to make a good decision. My offer, called for $1000 signing bonus and $500 per month to accept this contract. Merv told me to call the owner of Washington and see if he would give me $10000 but the owner told me that he couldn’t compete with that amount but for me to sign the contract that I had and he’d try to renegotiate the contract once I got to Geneva, NY. So, I had a choice between going to play baseball or to take a job opportunity as a Community Education Director for $12,500. There were no immediate benefits offered in baseball right away (pension) like the Community Education Director job, and it was a hard decision because I was married. I made the decision to accept the Community Education Director job. Things didn’t work out as planned in my marriage as my wife started the separation process and we were divorced several years later. I chose my marriage which went down a dead-end road instead of choosing to play Major League Baseball, which was one of my goals in life. My advice to kids today is that if you want something bad enough, go for it. Don’t let peer pressure or whatever else pull you away. I had the opportunity to play pro baseball but didn’t take it and at 28 years old was divorced. During the time that I was drafted, my Mom and Dad told me that it’s my decision and they would support me whichever direction I decided to do. They didn’t pressure me at all. I know they would’ve been proud if I followed my heart. Don’t let others convince you to do anything differently. The best thing that came out of my decision though, is that 38 years ago, after getting remarried to an amazing woman, Beth, we both had the privilege of having 4 wonderful girls and 10 grandchildren. I wouldn’t change a thing for myself, but for others who have a similar story to mine, take my advice and go after your dream, no matter what it is!
Bonus #1
When our first daughter Kelsey was born, my dad (an umpire for many years), said, ”oh man, he’s got a foul ball!” My wife, Beth and I looked at each other and laughed and said, “that is really funny.” Of course, he was joking but that’s what he said. The next child we had was Lindsey and of course he said, “another foul ball!” The third child was Shannon, and the fourth child Whitney. My Dad then names the girls the “Four Foul Balls.” I recently got a tattoo on my arm that has a picture of a baseball field with the first letters of my daughters on each of the bases with a heading on the top that says, “My Four Foul Balls!”
Bonus #2
When I was in Flint, Michigan working as a PE teacher, I had Terry Crews (the actor) in grades 3-6. Terry not only was a great artist, but also played basketball and flag football. As the years continued on, the young Terry started getting bigger and bigger and he ended up attending Western Michigan on a football scholarship. After a few years, he became a great player and he ended up getting drafted to play in the NFL for 6 years. When football was over, Terry then moved his family to the LA area to pursue his real passion and that was art. As Terry lived and worked in LA, he was eventually taken notice by some famous actors that got him into acting and the rest is history. I was just proud of all that Terry accomplished and as I continued teaching to young kids, I would always encourage them that they too could follow in Terry’s shoes. Terry was a role model for both kids and adults and I’m proud to say that I not only knew him, but also taught him in school.