On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS March 28, 2016 # 586 Up next…” Fight On!”
After further review…A recent “On the Tunney Side of Sports” related the famous statement by Lou Gehrig, legendary first-baseman of the New York Yankees, about why he was the “luckiest guy on the face of this earth.” There are tons stories about athletes with such heart embedded in their messages that they have the power to move us to tears or motivate us to action. I thought you’d enjoy this one:
I met a young man – let’s call him JJ – when he was a student at Fairfax High School (LA) where I served as the principal – many years ago. JJ was a better-than-average player on our baseball T*E*A*M, but he was also a better-than-average student. When JJ graduated, he planned on enrolling at the University of Southern California. He was not offered an athletic scholarship, nor had he planned on playing baseball at the college level – until his high school coach encouraged him.
To expect to “walk-on” un-recruited at U.S.C. in the late 1960s, with the legendary Rod Dedeaux as their coach could be considered a fool’s errand. The Trojans had their pick of any outstanding ball player around. JJ did walk on (scouting report read “Bats-L; Throws-R”), and would up as the centerfielder on Dedeaux’s 1968 NCAA Championship team. After graduating from USC, he had a tryout with the San Diego Padres. When the Padres decided to send him to their single-A team, JJ decided he would pursue his vocation and attend law school. He has become one of the most well-respected criminal defense lawyers in Southern California today.
But JJ’s love of baseball didn’t stop at the courthouse door. He shows up every year at the Trojans’ annual spring game played, of course, at Dedeaux Field on the USC campus. “I’ve been playing baseball since I was five and once a year I get four at-bats. It’s just priceless for me,” he says. “Four at-bats?” JJ is now 68 years of age, and today’s college pitchers are flaming that ball towards him at 90-plus mph! He hasn’t missed a game since 1970, and showed up an hour-and-a-half early this year!
These 46 years have not been without other challenges; JJ is three times a lymphoma survivor and now afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease. But Dedeaux’s words still ring loud and clear in JJ’s head: “No matter the weather, no matter if the crowd is hostile, no matter how you’re feeling, always say to yourself, ‘That’s just the way it is’.”
JJ’s final wish, he says with a laugh, is that he be buried in the batter’s box (on the left side, of course) with a plaque that reads: “Jay Jaffe – born August 1947, died 0-for-4.”
Will you face your life’s challenges with “that’s just the way it is?”
To contact Jim go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com.
New Book! “Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports” is now available for $20. which includes tax, free shipping and an autograph, if requested. Email above or send to P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, Ca. 93953. This book takes issues from the world of sports and transforms them into positive messages for productive living. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Ub8mJo-r0
