Jimmy

Everyone told Jimmy he’d never make it to the Major Leagues. “You’re too small,” they’d say. “You’re too slow.” “You’re blind in one eye.”
    But every day, Jimmy came home from school and practiced. He practiced until the sun had gone down, and begged his Mother, each night as she called him in for dinner, “Just a few more swings, Mom!” He practiced through the heat, the rain, the sleet and the pain, always telling himself silently, “I can do this.”
    In high school, the other guys laughed at Jimmy when he showed up after school for tryouts. “You’re too small,” one said. “You’re too slow,” said another. “You’re missing several fingers on your throwing hand.” But Jimmy didn’t need anyone else telling him who, or what, he was. “I can do it,” he told himself silently. “I can do it.”
    The following Tuesday, the players found a roster taped outside of Coach McCray’s office. There were no cuts at Baybridge Prep in those days, so it was really no surprise when Jimmy found his name. Still, he couldn’t help but feeling a little proud.
    The season started two weeks later, with a win over those filthy bastards at Friends of Christ Christian School. Bobby Ryan, a unanimous preseason selection for All-State, pitched seven innings of one-hit baseball striking out twelve. At the plate, he hit two home runs.
    Jimmy sat on the bench all through, cheering his teammates on, banging what was left of his right hand against his left, all the while preparing for his moment. Which is more or less how the season went--Bobby dominating the game to a chorus of a nub clashing with a palm--well that and the shrill encouragement of every girl in school.
    The team lost in the first round of the playoffs and, clearing out his locker the following Monday, Jimmy couldn’t help but feel that he’d accomplished something. He was only that much closer to his goal, after all. “I can do it,” he told himself. “I can do it.”
    On a hot Wednesday evening, the team held their banquet, where awards would be distributed among the players for their contributions to the team and the school. Bobby Ryan, who showed up with Wendy Mendez’s fine ass, won MVP, Best Pitcher and Best Hitter. All the while, Jimmy cheered him on.
    The ceremony was drawing to a close when Coach McCray took the podium. “This next award,” he said, “Is a special award, one that we’ve never done before. It’s called the Fighting Spirit Award, and goes to a player whose can-do attitude, whose courage in the face of adversity, serves as an inspiration to us all. Ladies and gentlemen, the recipient of the first annual Fighting Spirit Award--Bobby Ryan!"