Happy Birthday, Jake

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The kid in the middle is 17 years old today.

Crazy.

And Jake is a good kid. We share a lot of things through the course of the day. We usually start the day by mentioning if the Yankees won or lost.

If they won...I mention it.

If they lost...he mentions it.

Jake is an Oakland A's fan like his misguided older brother.

Two dorks.

But I regress...

...it's his birthday!

And Jake never ceases to surprise me.

He had a late start in sports and I always feared that he would grow weary of being a bit behind....

...then I went to see him play hoops...and damn!

He was good!

Yet what boggles my mind lately is that he is on the baseball team. I quit playing hardball at the age of 14 because I was afraid to get hit by the ball...they threw too fast!

And Jake doesn't play much baseball at all...until baseball season. He puts down the controller and heads to the field.

He doesn't see live pitching. He doesn't go to the batting cages. He doesn't come to bat until it's actually his turn...

"How'd you do?" I asked.

"Two hits," he replied.

"How?" I asked. "How in God's name do you stroll to the plate and just hit?"

"I'm good," he answered.

And he is.

Whenever we doubt him at all, he responds with a performance that is way up there. His school work soars to unexpected levels. He hits. He even helps around the house.

A good kid.

Happy Birthday!

We look at the old photos now and again. We remember the dreams we had for our kids as they grew.

And here they are...

...making the dreams come true.

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