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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

B.A.T. program walks Redmans through adversity

Ten years ago this season, Tike Redman was living the dream. He played center field and led off for Lloyd McClendon’s Pirates on Opening Day in 2004 at PNC Park, going 2-for-4 and doubling off Kevin Millwood to score Craig Wilson with the first run of the season in a 2-1 victory over the Phillies. It was the first of 155 games Redman played that year.

“It was my total dream,” Redman recalls. “I felt like I was really on top of the world then.”

Those are the kinds of stories that a Major League Baseball player would love to sit back and regale upon others through the golden years to follow. But things didn’t go quite as Julian Jawonn Redman imagined after that.

kthejoker Posted: January 21, 2014 at 04:39 PM | 7 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: general

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1. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: January 21, 2014 at 08:36 PM (#4643744)

Good article, worth a read.

2. Bruce Markusen Posted: January 21, 2014 at 09:40 PM (#4643781)

BAT is one of the great organizations in sports. They've helped a lot of players along the way, often without publicity.

3. Xander Posted: January 21, 2014 at 10:05 PM (#4643791)

I think we all saw that episode of Cribs, but I had no idea it had gotten that bad.

4. Brian

Posted: January 22, 2014 at 08:34 AM (#4643909)

I used to go to the BAT dinner every year. Great event for a great cause.

5. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: January 22, 2014 at 10:33 AM (#4644001)

I had never heard of BAT, and now there are two articles about them. They've been around for 25 years?

6. Jose Can Still Seabiscuit Posted: January 22, 2014 at 10:36 AM (#4644007)

Wasn't Garagiola a real mover and shaker for BAT when they started out?

7. Crispix reaches boiling point with lackluster play Posted: January 22, 2014 at 10:37 AM (#4644009)

This is a very nice story and enlightening about both players' lives and the B.A.T. program which I'd never heard of before.

I have to say though, Tike Redman's inspirational quote is not great advice and doesn't even seem founded on his own experiences. I mean, he persevered and didn't give up, but his career was never resurrected, and his family was saved by his friends and the B.A.T. program.

"I would tell the kids today, work hard," Tike said. "Whatever you do -- rapper, basketball player, any kind of athlete or R&B -- make sure you work hard and never take it for granted at all. Don't get the big head and think you're on top of the world and nothing can knock you down. ... Whatever knocks you down, get back up. Never give up, please never give up."

Those are probably just the first jobs that came to mind, but those are careers where you probably SHOULD give up if you haven't made it by age 27 or so. Work hard and don't take it for granted, of course, but maybe when you deliver your speech at the dinner, include some more normal careers, like your wife the hair salon owner.

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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

B.A.T. program walks Redmans through adversity

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