There is one great fact if all parents would accept things in athletics and the academic classroom would function a lot smoother. That fact is readily observed by coaches and teachers in the discharge of their duties. Note that the first sentence said “if parents would accept” this truth. May I suggest that as surely as coaches and teachers do accept this fact, it is just as surely rejected or denied my so many parents.

What is that great fact? The fact is that all youngsters do not possess the same degree of talent on the athletic field. That is also true of the academic classroom. All athletics are not the same size, they don’t demonstrate the same speed, and all do not have the same strength. Here I am reminded of a program of development widely promoted a several years ago called “Bigger, Faster, Stronger.”

The comments today are not designed to point out the varying degrees athletes differ in these areas. Rather, I want to encourage all athletes to us all they have in certain circumstances. That simply means they loafed or didn’t put forth the extent of their ability.

So, what determines success? An athlete is successful if they have given it their greatest effort or “filled up their bucket.”

Usually at seasonending athletic banquets awards are given for superlative performances. Often an award will be given called “The Coaches Award,” This award isn’t necessarily given to the leading scorer or to someone leading in a prominent statistical category; It is given to someone who dedicated their self to the task at hand, who gave it their all and showed a great attitude. It is a most coveted award.

Sadly, many athletes with great talent will look back on a career in which they did not accomplish all they could have. That person is not as successful as the little fellows who did not accomplish as much but used all they had – they filled up their bucket.

I mention again the book on the nightstand beside Coach Diane Smith’s bed “Talent is never enough.” Yes, talent is absolutely necessary and is to be greatly admired and acknowledged. Still, there is the matter of attitude and dedication to the matters that contribute to overall success.

Learning about Ty Cobb: What do you know and how do you feel about the great baseball player of another era Ty Cobb? Let me share with you a report (I did not cite the source when saving this piece. It is worth sharing).

This report said, “By 1912, Cobb had established himself as one of the baseball’s biggest stars, and he would eventually be recognized as one of the greatest to ever play the game. When the National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class in 1936, he received more votes than any other player, including Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Christy Matthewson and Honus Wagner. By all accounts, he was fiery, belligerent, mean-tempered and capable of violence.”

The above report should be read carefully and let the facts settle in. I will not discuss his lifetime statistics in this column except to say he finished his 24-year career with the highest batting lifetime batting average ever at .366. Ted Williams in a later era hit .344 in a 19-year career.

The outstanding Tony Gwynn has the highest average of the modern era with his .338 average in a 20-year career with the San Diego Padres. Gwynn made a speech during his last year shown on Atlanta TV that would touch the heart of any person who appreciated sports and the heart of those who played in the game.

Sadly, Gwynn died of cancer two years ago at the early age of 54. He was a great one of our age.

Now back to Ty Cobb. Cobb should be of interest to our area because he was from Georgia and was nicknamed “The Georgia Peach.” In an article simply titled “Ty Cobb” by Daniel Ginsburg, the writer

possibly summed up the great Cobb with his opening statement saying, “Perhaps the most competitive and complex personality ever to appear in a big league uniform, Ty Cobb was the dominant player in the American player in the American League during the Dead ball Era, and arguably the greatest player in the history of the game.”

All young athletes should heed this quote from Cobb: “I regret to this day that I never went to college. I feel I should have been a doctor.” The point I am making is get an education no matter what you do in life. It is the one thing no one can ever take from you.

I have said much and just the reading I have done about Cobb has been thrilling. I have gone through years believing the worst about Cobb. In recent years, writers and those who knew Cobb (many still living) have taken exception to the book written by Al Stump titled “Cobb.”

I want to believe the best about the great Georgian and the great player. Let me encourage each of us to visit the Ty Cobb Museum in his hometown of Royston, Georgia.