Aaron
Small
Aaron Small
was born on November 23, 1971 in Oakland, California. Yankees
fans know that he played high school ball with Jason Giambi.
Photo by
the AP
After playing
in the minor leagues for more than half a dozen teams over several
years, he finally got his big break with the Bombers.
But few people
know that his Cinderella story was due to Yankees pitching coach,
Mel Stottlemyre.
Stottlemyre
persuaded Small to change the grip on his sinker ball ever so
slightly. But this slight change produced a wicked sinker that
Small used during the 2005 baseball season to go 10 and 0 with
the Yankees.
After his
career season in 2005, the Yankees awarded him with a $1.2 million
dollar contract for the 2006 season. $1.2 million dollars for
a fellow who had had to play winter ball in Puerto Rico and work
in a UPS warehouse during previous off seasons just to pay the
bills for his family was like winning a lottery ticket.
With a wife
and two children - Mariah and Mason - to support, Aaron Small
never gave up hope that he could make it as a major league pitcher,
even at the age of 34.
Before getting
called up by the Yankees in 2005, Aaron Small called the minor
league team chaplain and asked for some spiritual guidance. He
asked the chaplain to say a prayer for him, just to develop some
peace of mind.
After that
meeting, Aaron Small drove home to his apartment where he took
a nap. He then reported to the minor league ball park in Columbus,
where the manager, Bucky Dent, informed him that he was getting
called up to the Bronx.
This sequence
of events only solidfied Aaron Small's faith in God and his plan
for Small's family.
Here's a
great excerpt from the New York Times on Aaron's magical season
with the Yankees:
After
throwing a shutout against the A's on Sept. 3, Small asked reporters
why they were smiling. He looked down and noticed a beaming Mason,
who had never seen his father pitch in the majors, cupping his
hands to collect the drops from his ice pack. It was such a touching
moment that Small fought back tears.
Now, with
his $1.2 million contract and a newly built home on his wife's
family's farm, Aaron Small has some peace of mind about his family's
future, particularly college plans for his two children.
Let's hope
that Aaron Small has another great campaign in 2006 and earns
another few million with the Bombers before he retires.
Good pitcher.
Good man.
