Life Lesson June 28th: Don't ever let ANYONE tell you that you can't do something!
This past weekend, we heard the amazing story of Daniel Nava....and we must share it. Daniel Nava aspired to play baseball and although he had little experience, he tried to walk onto the Santa Clara baseball team as a freshman outfielder. He didn't make the team, however they did ask him to be the team manager. He made photocopies. He did data entry. He shagged fly balls during batting practice. He charted pitches during games. He even did laundry.
His goal at that point was to find a job in baseball, be it coaching or scouting or climbing the management ladder somewhere. No one was asking him to hit in the middle of their lineup. Working as an intern, a glorified clubbie, was as close as he could get. One of Nava’s other responsibilities, along with making copies and doing laundry, was filming pitchers and hitters at every game. It was through that film work that he began to develop something of a hitting philosophy for himself.
Eventually he left Santa Clara and continued to tryout for various Triple-A, Double-A and Division I schools. After some success, he still didn't attract any interest from major-league teams. That would have been too easy. He tried out with the Chico Outlaws and was cut soon after. He was told by many to stop wasting his time and find a "real career".
Only after Baseball America listed Nava as the top prospect in independent baseball did the Red Sox purchase his contract virtually sight unseen. On June 12, 2010, Daniel Nava played his first game with the Red Sox. As he left the dugout the coach said "just hit the first pitch" and here's what happened......you must watch this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAFbdgQGg5Y
Follow Nava's example and don't let QUITTING be an option for you.