Four Strike Baseball PlayersAgainst All Odds
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The life stories with understanding of the physical and medical handicaps they had to overcome to play Major League Baseball is both amazing and heart warming.
To provide a complete and in depth review and history making circumstances, whereby these gents waved off the three strikes and odds against them at birth or by accident, is really mind boggling and hard to believe.
Their love for the competitive nature and action associated with the game of baseball proves beyond a shadow of doubt when a "want to" is strong enough the outcome is certain.
The process of these Four Strike Baseball Players developing needed playing skills like many others were self taught realities while winning games secures a reality for the love of baseball.
The names of William Hoy and Luther Taylor, two deaf ball players, observed and learned fundamentals with a passion and proved they were four strike baseball players.
Their contribution to the game of baseball, for forging and forcing the use of hand signals used by the umpires, is vivid proof of learned fundamentals preceding the actual playing of the game.
In remembering Mr William Hoy and Mr Luther Taylor we are also indebted to both of these, gentlemen of baseball, for teaching us that the fundamentals of the game is far more than the throwing, catching and hitting.
The passion, the will and the grit for learning well the learning baseball fundamentals and symbolizing the love of baseball by Pete Gray and Jim Abbott are what makes the game of baseball great.
Learning baseball fundamentals, as epitomized in the the lives and playing acumen and demonstrated skills of Hoy, Gray, Taylor and Abbott, confirms learning baseball fundamentals of the game is a total process learned on and off the playing diamond.
My brother reminds me that I had mentioned that Hoy and Taylor were deaf and their impact on the whole game of baseball was changed by their unbelievable will and desire to compete. Pete Gray and Jim Abbott's driving determination was also unmatched in human drive and "want to."
Jim Abbott had a dream during his boyhood of playing baseball despite having a right arm that ended just above the wrist. Jim allowed "no excuses" and stalked his dream with a passion second to none. Abbott taught himself to move the glove from his left hand to his (missing hand) right arm and became a superb left handed pitcher.
Jim says about his missing hand, "It really wasn't an issue when I was a kid." During college, he racked up 26 wins against 8 losses at the University of Michigan. He won the Sullivan Award as the nation's best amateur athlete in 1987. He won a gold medal while playing in the 1988 Olympics.
As a rookie in 1989 with the California Angels, he achieved a 12-12 record and is one of a scant few major league players to completely bypass the minor leagues. Jim's career pitching spanned 10 years in the major leagues and his crowning achivement was a no-hitter in 1993 with the New York Yankees but foremost was his recognition as simply being Jim Abbott---pitcher.
Pete Gray, a young teenager with a burning desire to play our game of baseball, met with an unfortunate accident and lost his right arm. His life achievement to overcome this adversity and play in the outfield of the Memphis "Chicks" and make it to the big leagues is extraordinary.
Pete was called up in 1945 to help fill St Louis's roster during World War II. His career lasted only 77 games, during which he batted .218. I have a short article on my Baseballisms page giving more details on this remarkable individual. Read the "Pete Gray Story."
The game of baseball stands in the way of no man or woman who is determined to make it and has the "want to" for becoming baseball winners.
Learning Baseball Fundamentals are important and are the essential tools for play but the will and heart to achieve is something within us that far exceeds the elements of fundamental playing skills.
Beginner Baseball provides a wealth of knowledge and teaching of the fundamental skills for baseball play Beginner Baseball
Remember Three strikes is not neccessarily an out and Four Strike Baseball Players has proven it is not an out if you have the heart and "want to."
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