Trust the Grind by Jeremy Bhandari
Author:Jeremy Bhandari [Bhandari, Jeremy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781642502459
Publisher: Mango Publishing Group
Published: 2020-02-25T02:13:29+00:00
“I’m gonna play baseball on TV! I’m gonna play baseball on TV!” shouted six-year-old Andruw Jones as he ran around his house in Curaçao, a country located in the southern Caribbean Sea, about forty miles north of the Venezuelan coast. With an estimated population of less than 200,000, Curaçao is known mostly for its beautiful beaches and diverse culture. Since Curaçao has been under the rule of many different nations over its history, it is common for an islander to speak four languages. As a child, Andruw spoke Papiamentu and Dutch, while learning English and Spanish in grade school.
As a tourist, the colorful buildings located in the island’s capital, Willemstad, are a must-see. These rainbow, shining buildings, located right on the water in the center of Willemstad, are the homes of many Dutch-style businesses. The old folktale goes that, originally, these buildings were draped in white stucco, which was tough on the eyes on a bright, sunny day. A local doctor at the time encouraged the city government to force these businesses to save the eyesight of the residents and paint their buildings. This suggestion ended up making vibrant architecture a part of the islands’ identity.
Becoming one of the baseball players on TV was a pretty superb dream, especially since that goal really meant competing in the United States, a place where no Curaçao players had found any success. At this point, the only Curaçao-born player to appear in the MLB was Hensley Meulens, who hit just .220 in the show and never appeared in more than a hundred games in a season. It was also uncommon for any scouts to visit Curaçao and look for talent, making it even harder for guys to showcase their abilities.
Still, the fact that no Curaçao-born player had had any success in the MLB did not bother Andruw. He loved baseball, maybe even more than his mother’s famous pork chops, which really says a lot.
When he wasn’t in school, Andruw was playing baseball, basketball, or riding his BMX bike, except on Sunday, which was designated for family time and the beach.
At age eleven, Andruw was a budding star who played on a youth select team that traveled to Japan, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela to compete. When he was thirteen, a scout came to the island to watch one of his games. However, this man was really looking at one of Andruw’s teammates. In this particular contest, going against fifteen-year-olds, Andruw sent a ball over four hundred feet for a no-doubter home run. The scout immediately turned his attention over to Jones, who was not even old enough to drive a car.
For the first time in the history of the Atlanta Braves, the storied franchise sent one of their professional scouts down to Curaçao to give Jones a private tryout. “I really didn’t think about nothing. I was just happy to do what I wanted to do. I don’t think about feeling nervous. Just go out there and make it happen,” said Jones. “Go out there and have fun—everything will fall into place.
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