Andy Neary talks about growing up as a high school baseball coach's son, facing judgment and ridicule from teammates and others. He turned that pressure into motivation to prove himself on the field and beyond.
Chapters
What was it like to be the son of a high school baseball coach in a small town? Wasn't easy. It came a lot of judgment. And in high school, I did not handle that judgment very well. I allowed myself to shrink when I thought others were judging me. And these were classmates, teammates, guys I called, my childhood friends that were judging the fact I was on the varsity program playing for my dad. In fact, I can remember when I was a freshman, my dad had called me up for the playoffs to serve as a backup pitcher in case one of his guys went down. And he got ridiculed big time for that. In fact, right before my sophomore season started, we had an underground newspaper in our high school, and an article was written basically saying, coach Neary, if you bring Andy up to the varsity program, you should quit. You should resign. He has no business playing varsity baseball as a sophomore. And these are guys that are probably watching this video right now. And I know we're many years wiser and beyond holding any kind of grudge about that, but that hit me. That impacted me, and I also.
Let it serve as a chip on my shoulder. I used that as leverage to make sure I became the best baseball player on that field possible. And I truly believe it was that ridicule, that judgment that my dad and I both got that drove me to three all conference selections, a couple all state selections. And I remember the day that I signed the contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Literally, the first thought that went through my head was that article that was written about me because all I wanted to do in that moment was look at those guys. Guys, I called my friends and say, I did it. You doubted me, but I did it. You told me I had no business being there, but I did it. And so today, I still use people doubting me as a fuel. And people. When people tell me I can't do something, I shouldn't do something, I go, oh, yeah, Watch me. And I hope you use that as fuel, too. Don't let opinions that so many people want to throw on you determine your future. Determine what you do and how you do it, because you know what your capabilities are. And the next time somebody doubts you, the next time somebody says you can't do it, look at them in the eye and say, you know what? Just watch me.
