Brownee
Last night I caught a movie entitled "A Winner Never Quits"that was produced and/or released for viewing in 1986. It was a biography of Pete Gray (played by actor Keith Carradine) an outfielder. Gray had blazing speed on the bases and was able to cover a great range of real estate in his outfield position. Gray had an incredible eye for the ball while at bat and maintained a very respectable batting average. Gray with his speed set records for base steals while playing for the "Chicks" minor league baseball organization in the Southern Association league during the 1940's. While playing for the "Chicks" he earned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award I know for at least one season. Gray's achievements and his prospects for being an even greater contributor to baseball "paved the way" for his "call up" from the minors to play for the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team.
Well as his life story goes in the movie he started off and was doing reasonably well with the St. Louis Browns, but as we all sometimes experience his "bat got cold" and he "slumped" in his batting average dropped into an unacceptable mid 200 range. Management of the Browns would not tolerate his "ineffective and/or cold bat" and "benched" him and replaced him with another young and promising star at his position in left field. Well as it so happens Gray upon going to the majors was most eagerly looking forward,along with his family, to his "playing against the Yanks" in "The House that Ruth Built" Well the family and friends arrived for the "big game" only to find their son and hometown hero "sitting the bench". However, midway during the game the replacement left fielder while making a spectacular catch injured his leg and had to leave the game. Gray was called on once again to "return to the field of play". Not only did he play he delivered a key hit that placed himself on first and a teammate on third. With his blazing speed he "stole second" easily and with a subsequent hit by the following batter he "scored on the heels" of the player on third. This inning put the Browns in the lead. Then to end the game Gray went "high over the left field wall" and back into the fans to "rob a homer" that would have cost the Browns the game. This was a day for Pete Gray, his team, family and fans to remember for "the rest of their days". Well that's the way I remember the story to be "Give or take a lie or two" as quoted by James Garner in his starring role of "Wyatt Earp" in the western movie "Sunset".
The amazing thing about Pete Gray and his" success on the baseball diamond" is that when as a young player he was a "righty", but due to a horrible truck accident that occurred before his teens he had to have his right arm amputated. With the "Love of Baseball" in his heart and the "Desire to Play" the game he taught himself to throw "left handed" and excel in it. Gray would catch the ball with his left handed glove, quickly put the glove and ball under his right armpit, remove the ball with his left hand and get the ball back into play with "catlike quickness". Now for competition "on the playground" is one thing, but to develop the skills necessary to "overcome a handicap or disability" such as this and excel in the major sport of baseball is an astounding accomplishment. Required of course is a "dedication to the course" and "unwillingness of the individual to ever give up". As the title of the movie implies "A Winner Never Quits", but I'll go one more line further that I have also heard quoted "A Winner Never Quits and A Quitter Never Wins". Pete Gray was a winner who never lost sight of his goal to play "big time" baseball and wouldn't let anything, including his disability, hold him back from his dreams. He just wouldn't quit.
Pete Gray's glove is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Now as Paul Harvey would say: "And now you know the rest of the story".
Brownee, I'm sure you know this story about Pete Gray and his disability and how he fought back to "stay a winner" when all the "odds were against him". Nevertheless, I just wanted to share my understanding of his life story (per the movie script) with you while it was still fresh on my mind. Keep up the good work and let me hear from you. Take this writing and put into your "memory bank" and write something special someday pertaining to this "Courageous Athlete" when you can get "around-to-it". You might consider a topic entitled "Athletes with Disabilities" if there are enough horses in the stables to order a truck load of oats at a wholesale price discount.
Go For It.
Bailey
Major Wiley B. Channell USMC (retired) proudly shares human interest and baseball with all at http://www.baseballfarming.com for your pleasure.