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MonicaSu

Schnell

PreAPEnglish1

7May2015

EyesonthePrize

Batterup!shoutsadistantvoicewhilesoldoutstadiumroarswithexcitement.

Thepitcherseyeburnsaholethroughme.Hegrinsandpreparestopitch.BeforeI

realizeit,thebaseballpiercesthroughtheairasifitsgoingthroughthickfluid.Timeslows

downandItakeawalkthroughmemorylane.Irecallhelpingmyfatherwithautopartsinthe

DominicanRepublic,tobeingrecruitedbytheMinnesotaTwins,togettingmarried,torigorous

training,towhatIhadforbreakfastthismorning.

GettingtotheWorldSeriesisnotjustarunofthemill.Iwakeupeverydayinthe

morningdazed.LivinginWeston,Massachusetts,atownthatderivesfromaracisthistory,being

successfulisnteasy.Growingupinabadneighborhoodwheredrugswereaneverydaything,it

makesyouthinkandappreciatewhatyouhave.Everybodygoesthroughtoughtimesintheirlife,

nomatterwhatyoudo.Ontopofthat,Iveneverhadtheopportunitytoattendcollege.Thebest

thingtohaseverhappenedtomewaslandinginBoston.

IfitwasntforBoston,BigPapiwouldveneverexisted.Idnevergettolivethedream

thatIamnow.Growingup,IworkedwithautopartsandIdstillbedoingthatifitwerentfor

baseball.Tiffany,mylovelywife,wouldveneverbeeninmylife,normythreebabyangels,

Alexandra,Jessica,andD'Angelo.ThedaythattheMinnesotaTwinsreleasedme,Ithoughtmy

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careerwasover.IthoughtIwouldneverseeafilledbaseballstadiumfromthebottomupever

again.

UnrelentingmemoriesofmybrutalpastthatIremainatconflictwithcontinuetohaunt

me.Theballcontinuestomovetowardsmeasiflikewasinslowmoandthecrowdfallssilent.

Astheballdrawsnear,Istartmyswing.Myarmsfeellikejelly.AdeafeningcracksoundsandI

takeofftowardsfirstbase.Thisisnow,hereIam,andman,Ilovethegameofbaseball.