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HIT A HOMERUN FOR YOUR MOTHER

By Dave Mugavero

When you have someone who believes in you, there is almost nothing you can’t do.

When I was 11 years old I had a wonderful baseball coach named Mr. Noonan. I'll never forget him because he changed my life forever.

The year was 1973 and I played for the Northwood Little League Athletics. I was their star pitcher and homerun hitter. I don't say that to blow my own horn. I'll get to the reason shortly. Anyway, Mr. Noonan was my coach. He was a salty Irishman who was very soft spoken. He always wore a baseball cap and a baseball jacket even off the field. He truly loved the game and he was an exceptional teacher of fundamentals and strategy. He was around 76 years old at the time and was retired so he had a lot of time on his hands to pass along his knowledge of the game.

What you may ask does any of this have to do with belief, or fitness? I'll get to that also. Mr. Noonan and I developed a phenomenal player/coach bond and a bond of friendship that I have not been able to duplicate with any other coach since him. The sport of baseball was truly my first love and I was the type of kid who was so obsessed with being the best I could be at everything I did. I believe he recognized my eagerness to excel and he did everything he could to teach me all he knew. We practiced far more than any other team in the league. Most other teams' practices lasted one to two hours. Ours typically lasted three or more, at least it seemed that way.

We can all look back on our lives and remember moments that we felt somehow defined us. Moments that changed who we were forever. At 11 years old I was about to have one of those moments, the impact of which I would not fully comprehend until I was much older.

It just so happens that the day this defining moment took place was June 29, 1973, my mother's birthday. We were playing a game that day and we happened to be losing by one run. My mother was in the stands as she always tended to be. She was and always has been my biggest fan. We were losing by one run and there were two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning with one man on base when I came to the plate. I stood in the batter's box to take the first pitch when I heard my coach Mr. Noonan on third base call time out. He gestured to me with his hand to come down to him at third base. That seemed quite odd to me because he had never done that before. I walked down to the bag, bat in hand. When I got there he asked me a very odd question which kind of took me by surprise right in the middle of a baseball game that we were losing. He said to me, "Today's your mother's birthday isn't it?" I immediately thought to myself, what does that have to do with baseball? I answered yes, and he looked back at me. As long as I live I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he nonchalantly said to me, "Okay then, hit her a home run." I politely said okay, not really knowing how I should respond to his demand. I put the bat over my shoulder, walked back to the batter's box and stepped in to await the next pitch.

As I write this story I can feel all the emotions and all the confidence that he had in me come rushing back like it was 1973 all over again. To my surprise, and I'm very certain his as well, the next pitch was a fast ball that the pitcher grooved right down the middle of the plate and I hit clean over the left centerfield fence. Believe me, I could not make this stuff up.

I don't know how Mr. Noonan felt about that day because I never got a chance to ask him. He has since passed away obviously. That was 35 years ago. But on that day I can honestly tell you that I believed that I was invincible. We won that game by one run. I finished the season out that year with the most strikeouts of any pitcher in the league. I also had the most grand slams in the league and was voted the most valuable player.

I truly believed that all of these things happened to me for one reason, and one reason only. This is the kicker. Not because I was the best or the most gifted player, I surely was not. The only reason I was able to accomplish those things is because Mr. Noonan believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I will always be eternally grateful to him and keep his memory alive in my heart forever.

As fitness professionals we have a chance every day to be a Mr. Noonan for our clients, friends, our children and even our spouses. Who will you believe in today when they may not believe in themselves? Who will you mentor and teach today? Whose life will you change forever? These are the questions we should ask ourselves every day.

About the Author:

Dave Mugavero along with his wife Paula, are the co-founders of Custom Bodies Fitness in Irvine, California. They are extremely proud of their success as the top rated health club in Orange County. Dave has been in the fitness industry for over 24 years and is widely considered by many of his peers to be a “Weight Loss Guru”. His extensive knowledge of nutrition and human physiology, combined with his caring commitment are what makes him an expert in his field. He has been a top ranked Natural Body Builder and highly sought after personal trainer and lecturer. His website and contact information is www.WeightLossIrvine.com