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BGonline.org Forums
OT - Tennis - Why Federer is the best (long)
Posted By: Joe Russell In Response To: OT - Tennis - Why Federer is the best (long) (Stick)
Date: Friday, 24 June 2011, at 12:52 a.m.
'It's also impossible to describe the kind of advantage a lefty could have simply for being a lefty.'
When my son was 10, I the coached his Little League team. I remember going to the tryouts and seeing an amazing athlete(AA). Our division was for 9 and 10 year olds. The AA was an eight year old, a little tall for his age, but not big, other than that. He could hit,throw, and run better than almost all the 10 year old boys. He was so talented, a decision was made to allow him in the 9/10 division. I drafted fifth, out of six, and made him my first draft pick. Behind his right-handed pitching and hitting, he made what would have been a good team an outstanding team. We easily won our league, once winning 11 consecutive games. He was the best pitcher, with a dominating fastball, and best shortstop in the league. He was also one of the best hitters. Overall, I think we, the coaches, rated him tied for the best player in the league at the end of the season.
Why do I digress about baseball in a tennis thread? Because around the time the AA started playing on my baseball team, his father had him take tennis lessons. Because he was so talented as a baseball pitcher and his father did not want to risk injury or overuse to his right arm and because of the natural advantage Stick mentions for lefties, his father had him learn to play tennis as a lefty. He went on to become the number one ranked 18U tennis player in the U.S. and is now a senior, on tennis scholarship, at Stanford. His name is Ryan Thacher. He still plays lefty, even though his baseball career is long over.
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