I’ve become a huge fan of Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. I’ve always respected and appreciated his baseball talent, but it’s the person who impresses me even more now.
Pujols heard about a young pitcher at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee who was killed when his pickup truck was hit by a dump truck on July 5th, 2007. In his wallet they found an article on Pujols where he talked about the importance of his faith. Word got to Pujols who established a relationship with the boy’s parents and that eventually led to an invitation for the team to come to Busch Stadium to meet Pujols and watch a game.
They did on June 30th of 2008. They watched batting practice and were given a guided tour of the lockerroom by Pujols. He even gave each player an autographed batting glove and arranged for them to watch the game from the owners suite.
The players talked about him looking them each straight in the eye and asking them if they were living their lives the right way, challenging them to be men of character. They will never forget that day. Pujols used his celebrity status to help heal a terrible wound.
True greatness means that you use you talent and success to make a difference in someone elses life.
It’s the same principle as coaching.
