Andy Neary pitched for the Helena Brewers at five foot six. A hostile crowd in Missoula chanted about his height, shaking his confidence. He was cut before he could advance to the Beloit Snappers, and argues that success comes down to mindset, not size.
Questions this video answers
Helena Brewers (Helena, Montana).
Missoula Osprey (Missoula, Montana).
5,000 people.
"How can you pitch when you're five foot six?"
He was cut/released on the last day of spring camp.
Chapters
Now, guys, I wish I could keep telling you stories of how I overcame the odds and catapulted to the major leagues. But this is where the good stories end. You see, when I got to pro ball, I lost the confidence. I got away from worked what worked in college. Here I was on the same field, same playing field with guys from lsu, Mississippi State. Played with a guy from Ole Miss. And I didn't think I belonged. In fact, there's one story I want to share with you guys that kind of summarizes my two years in pro baseball. I was pitching for the Helena brewers up in Helena, Montana. Do I have any die hard Ole Miss baseball fans? This is going back like 20 years. Anybody remember the name? Jude Volz, first baseman for Ole Miss? He was a teammate of mine up in Helena. And it was our first game playing the Missoula Osprey over Missoula, Montana. Philly to the Arizona Dynavacs organization. And I can remember the bus ride from Helena over the McDonald Pass into Missoula. And on the bus, the coaching staff had warned us that the crowd in Missoula gets pretty rowdy. Probably like you guys here in Jackson with the minor league team. You got the college kids, it's University of Montana, it's summer. School's out. They love coming to the game, they love drinking a bit too much, and they love to make every game a nightmare for the opposing team. So here we are, first game of the series. And I'll never forget the night. It was just like it was yesterday. It was a hot and humid night, which you guys know very well here. But up in Montana, that's a rare thing. Stadium was filled. There were 5,000 people in the stands, and there was the most gorgeous red orange sunset burning setting over the mountains because there were wildfires burning around the zoo. There was literally ash falling from the sky.
And that night, our starting pitcher was horrible.
So bad that by the third inning, the call comes down to the bullpen, get near enough, get him loose right away. So I jump up, stretch out my arms, stretch out my legs, grab a ball, grab my glove, and I start warming up. Maybe 10 throws later, I'm coming into the game, right into this loud, obnoxious drum crowd. So I get to the mound, I grab the ball from Dan Norman, the helen brewers manager, and I look to the Osprey dugout to see who I'll be facing right away. It's a guy named Andres Tortz, the top prospect in the Diamondbacks organization. So now I should be jacked right here's my chance to play bigger, go up against one of the best. Here's my chance to prove myself in pro baseball. So I start warming up. And as I start warming up, the crowd starts chanting. And little by little, the chanting gets louder.
And by the third warm up pitch, I can actually hear what they're chanting.
Can you guys help me relive a memory? On the count of three. Can we chant this together? One, two, three. How can you pitch when you're five foot six?
Yeah, that happened.
And in that moment, instead of getting jacked up, my mind went somewhere it shouldn't happen.
It listened to the crowd. It's, yeah, who am I? I mean, I'm 5 foot 9, not 5 foot 6. I weigh 165 pounds. I don't have an overpowering arm. I wasn't a high draft pick. What right do I have to sit on this mountain and face a guy like Anders Podcast? Because I'm average.
Who's been there, who's felt that way before going up against bigger competition, I don't belong. So I finished out the year in Helena, had a good year, went back to spring training, the following spring down in Arizona. Last day of spring camp, I got cut, got released, got let go.
Now, get this. The day I was cut, I was one day away from breaking camp to go pitch that summer for the Beloit Snappers in Beloit, Wisconsin, 50 miles from my hometown. I was three promotions away from playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, 30 miles from where I grew up. You talk about a childhood dream.
Over.
And in that moment, I learned a lesson that it took many years to learn, but it has stuck with me to this day, and that's this, guys. If you want to play bigger in your business, it is not about getting bigger. It is not about looking bigger. It is simply about thinking bigger.
Because at the end of the day, mindset is all that matters.
