Week 12 Story: Jacob and His Son

Image Information: John playing baseball with his father, Jacob. Web Source: flickr.

There was once a boy named Jacob. He was a kind and good. But most of all, he loved baseball more than his own life. Jacob started playing when he was only four years old. It was clear that he had a natural talent for the sport at a very young age.

When he reached high school, he was very well known by the baseball players in his region. His story and skills had been featured in the local newspaper numerous times. It wasn't long before the scouts started to get word of his abilities. Soon enough, every single game he played was full of college scouts trying to get a look at his talent. It was not long before Jacob signed to play baseball for The University of Oklahoma.

His career continued to flourish in college. It was clear that he would be one of the lucky few that got to continue playing baseball professionally. Those people were right. Jacob was drafted to play for the New York Yankees after graduating college. However, in the last game of his college career, Jacob took a bad hit at home plate while he was catching. The runner coming from 3rd slammed into the side of his leg, breaking every bone in his lower leg. Jacob's baseball career came to a screeching halt. He was never able to play baseball at a competitive level again.

Ten years later, Jacob's wife gave birth to a son and they named him John. John was a bright and very athletic young boy. From the time he could hold a ball, Jacob started playing catch with him. As John got older, his father continued to push him to love and play baseball. Despite his father's constant pushing, John genuinely grew to love baseball even though he felt his father forced him to in some ways. John could tell that his father took a lot of pride in John's abilities. John knew of his father's injury in college. He could not help but feel that his father was living vicariously through him in order to feel better about the time he lost due to injury. He wondered if that was why his father pushed him so hard.

When John finished high school, he followed in his father's footsteps to play for The University of Oklahoma. He had a great start to his career at OU. Unfortunately, like his father, John got injured too. In his sophomore year at OU, John dislocated his shoulder playing the game.

This brought great sorrow to Jacob. He felt as though a piece of him was lost forever. One day while Jacob was sitting by a lake, weeping for his son's loss, an older middle aged man walked up to him. The man looked familiar to Jacob but he could not figure out why.

As the man approached him, Jacob said, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, Jacob. How about yourself?" said the man.

"I'm...doing well. How did you know my name? said Jacob.

"Oh, never mind that. I know much more than that. Ha! How is your son doing? said the man.

"He is...fine. I'm not sure how you know about him," said Jacob.

"Why wouldn't I know him and you! You two are great ball players!" said the man.

"Were great ball players. My son got injured recently," replied Jacob.

"Maybe YOU were a great ball player but your son still IS a great ball player. I could fix him up as good as new. That's what I do best." said the man.

"You can make him all better? How?" replied Jacob.

"Go and fetch him and I'll show you," ordered the man.

Jacob went to get his son. When he returned with him, the man motioned for John to come his way. The man took off John's sling and touched his arm. All of a sudden, John could move his arm every which way like he used to.

Afterwards, the man said to him, "Your arm will stay good as new as long as you do two things. You must continue to play your heart out and when the pros come calling, you must play for the New York Yankees"

"Will do!" said John.

After the man left, John said to his dad, "Dad, I think that was Rickey Henderson!!!"

"I thought he looked familiar!" replied Jacob.

Sure enough, it was Rickey Henderson that approached Jacob that day by the lake and healed John. Come to find out, he had just bought the New York Yankees (the team he used to play for) and wanted John to play for him. John went on to play for the New York Yankees just like his father was going to. He also broke one of many of Rickey Henderson's records.

Author's Note: My original source story was about a king who loved to hunt. When the king grew older, he was no longer able to hunt. In order to divert himself, he got a goose. The goose would hunt for the king and divert him. Eventually, the goose herself got older and could no longer divert him. When the king was weeping by a lake, a young man walked up to him. The man asked about how the king's goose was and offered to make the goose new again. In return, the man asked that the king give him everything the goose flew over immediately after she was healed. The king did this even though it was the last piece of land he had to give. After the man heals the goose, the king finds out that the man is really Saint Kavin. The king was in awe as he admired Saint Kavin. The goose was fine for a while but was soon killed by a horse-eel. When I read this story, I could not help but be reminded of parents who live vicariously through their children. I played softball for 16 years and I saw it time and time again. I decided I wanted to tell a story of a father who's baseball career was cut short due to injury. I had the son also suffer an injury which was kind of like the goose being injured (since the king was kind of living vicariously through the goose). I had a baseball playing legend be the one that healed John. I wanted it to be someone that they were in awe of just like the king was in awe of Saint Kavin. I had a little bit of trouble thinking of a condition that Rickey Henderson would ask them to meet. I just came up with a condition that would benefit him as well as John. I decided to leave it as a happy ending instead of like the original source with the goose getting killed.

Bibliography: Celtic Fairy Tales-King O'Toole and His Goose by Joseph Jacobs, link to the reading online.
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