There was a long line of people that I would consider my “role model” that I could point to that have affected me. But I feel that there is one athlete in my childhood that pushed me to try my hardest and that was Nomar Garciapara. I know he is not a football player, but growing up playing baseball in Georgia, it was hard not to idolize the former Georgia Tech baseball player. I remember constantly trying to get his newest baseball card in order to find out what his stats were over time and with each new season he played. The thing about Garciapara was that he was amazing at hitting homeruns and playing baseball in general. I found myself constantly wanting to measure my own baseball stats against something like his. It helped push me to play my hardest and constantly want to be the best on my team. Although I wanted to play third base to his shortstop, I practiced swinging like him and trying to replicate what he did. I still take that with me as just a way to always be the best out of my surroundings. I’m sure many have heard that the reason I retired Armor King was because I wasn’t getting enough volume, and that just is an example of that constantly playing out even in a sim league and how Nomar has affected me.
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