After more than 20 years I still read Sports Illustrated every week. However if you were to watch
me pick up a new SI you might be confused. The first thing that I do is flip the magazine
over to the back cover -- open the page and read "The Life of Reilly" commentary.
The following "Life of Reilly" article is not about high school baseball, or even baseball for that matter.
But it very easily could be. I found the article amusing yet too true and in some cases a sad commentary
on how we as a society have trouble letting kids be kids.
Two fathers stand watching their kids. "Well, the wife and I have
finally come to a decision," says the one with the Reebok headband.
"Yeah?" says the one in the Nike cap.
"Amber's gonna concentrate 100 percent on tennis from now on. Her coach
says she's gotta pick one sport right now, or she'll get left behind the other
girls."
"She looks like she's got good quickness," says the cap.
"Her kinesiologist says she's quicker than Venus at this age,"
says the headband, beaming.
"We've decided the same thing about Ike and golf," says the cap.
"If he's going to stay ahead of the other kids, he's got to
specialize now."
"His hand-eye looks good," says the headband.
"His physiologist says his muscle fibers twitch faster than
Tiger's!"
"Golf's fine, I guess," says the headband, "but our financial
planner says for girls, tennis is it. With Venus and Serena pushing the global
marketing envelope, our yearly income should be seven figures!"
"You mean her income."
"Right. Her income."
"Ike's psychologist has told us he's gifted in lots of sports besides
golf, but there's no time," says the cap. "You don't want to be
spinning your wheels."
"Course not!" says the headband. "You don't want to be shut
outta the best camps -- "
"And the best leagues -- "
"And the national teams."
"I mean, yeah," says the cap, "it looks like my wife will
have to quit her job just to drive Ike to all his golf tournaments. But there's
no Tiger without Earl, right?"
"Tell me about it!" says the headband. "I'm working three
jobs just to pay for all this stuff -- Amber's pilates are killin' me!
-- but it's all about the kids, man."
"I hear that. Like, Ike's media tutor won't be cheap, but it'll free up
his afternoons for his bunker workshops."
"Hey, you're gonna have expenses," says the headband. "We
ripped out the bedrooms upstairs and put in an indoor tennis cage, but whaddya
gonna do? The little girl across the street has a live-in hitting
partner!"
"God! That's just plain overparenting!"
"Criminal!"
"The wife and I feel that if we put in the hours and the money now, Ike
will be good enough to go straight to the PGA Tour out of high school and not
waste time going to college. Not that college is a bad thing."
"Nah, not really bad," says the headband. "But Amber's
career strategist thinks she can do Wimbledon by 14. That's what's
important. Did you see the MLS kid whose parents let him miss a game the other
day because of his prom?"
"Sounds like somebody's got their priorities mixed up,"
says the cap. "I mean, I'm sure Ike will be a little disappointed he'll
have to leave home and move in with the Leadbetters soon, but some decisions a
father has to make for his son."
"I know, I know," says the headband. "I'm a little bummed
that Amber won't get to play lacrosse or basketball or, even, I don't know,
piano, but how can she do that and put in the 13 hours a day that will give us
the level we need?"
"She needs."
"She needs, right."
"Hey, I only wish my dad had done this for me," says the cap.
"Hell, yeah!" says the headband. "I know this dad who's
renting a house on a lake this summer. Says he and the family are just gonna
fish and skip stones!"
"What a waste of time!"
"I mean, what are you gonna do with your kid for two weeks on a lake? I
wouldn't know what to say to Amber for two weeks!"
"Most summers from now on, Ike will be playing the mini Asian tours, to
build up his tolerance for travel and foreign foods. He'll need it when he gets
his Gulfstream IV."
There's a pause.
"Which one's yours, anyway?" says the cap.
"The little one in the pink diaper near the incubator," says the
headband.
"Beautiful. Mine's in the blue. With the nurse and the bottle."
"Got creatine?"
"Hey, it's never too early to start, am I right?"
Issue date: April 2, 2001
Don't miss The Life of Reilly (Total/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, $22.95)
-- a best-of compilation of Rick Reilly's columns and features, with a foreword
written by Charles Barkley, available now at the CNN/Sports Illustrated Stuff
Store
and bookstores everywhere.
