autobiographical narrative

            Have you ever had to put up with somebody, although you really did not want to? I have personally done this many times, unfortunately. One specific time that I can remember was playing baseball for a coach that did not like me. This was quite a test for me.

            When I was ten years old, I played in a baseball league in Ladera, California. I played for The Angels, and after our winning season was over, I was selected to play for the all-star team. The coach of this team was also the coach of the Giants during the regular season. The Angels defeated The Giants on the two occasions that we faced each other. Over these two games, the coach of the Giants gained a strong dislike for the coach of the Angels, and eventually a dislike for the team in general, which included me.

            When practices started for the all-star team, he seemed to be very strict. However, I noticed that he was more lenient to certain kids than others, and I was not one of the lucky few. In fact, I thought that I received some special treatment, in that I was treated worse than everybody else. I was a good player, and I proved that during the regular season, which is why I was selected. Unfortunately, I was told by the coach that I was not good. This seemed to set a tempo for what I figured the rest of the season would be, and I did not like the forthcoming events that I saw. However, I did not quit, because that is not, and has never been, the way that I do things. So, I persevered through numerous practices, withholding comments. I did, unfortunately, learn that I likely was not going to get very much playing time when the games started up.

            Soon, games started, and, sadly, my prediction was correct; I was on the bench for the first game. In addition to being on the bench, I had to bring the equipment to the field. I felt that the coach was purposely burdening me with ample grief. However, I did not complain to the coach. This went on for the first three games.

            At the fourth game, I was overjoyed to hear that I was going to play in the third inning. Unfortunately, the coach sent me to right field. The coach knew what my positions were, and he knew that right field was not one of the positions on the list. However, he insisted on making me play at that position, basically setting me up for failure. I alternated between right field and the bench for the next 3 games. We eventually made it to the sectional finals. Again, I did not play. However, the game went into extra innings. The coach decided to let me play in the seventh inning. I was happy to get the opportunity to help my team win an important nail-biter. I went up to the plate in the eighth inning with a runner on third base and the score tied. I realized that a clutch hit would win the game. The pitcher threw a fastball over the middle of the plate, and I ripped it into left field for the walk-off single. I was praised my almost everybody in a Ladera shirt, including my cousins who came to cheer me on despite my circumstances. The last person to walk up and show his “appreciation” was the coach. All that the ungrateful man did was slap me on the helmet.

            What this experience taught me was that perseverance pays off in the long run. I could have quit at whatever time I desired, but I decided to keep going despite what I had to handle. Also, I learned that you cannot always please everybody, and you have to decide who is important enough to try to make happy.