Before that summer, I had always felt pity for people who were physically challenged especially Justin Berger. Justin, a boy in my age group at Camp Wayne, who was born with some kind of illness that prevented him from controlling the movements of his left hand. I never teased him or talked badly about him to others; what I did in some ways was much worse. I labeled him "different." I saw him as inferior and thought that he needed some extra leeway in such activities as sports. However, Justin saw his handicap as a motivator, a reason to work harde

Many people are born each year with some kind of physical shortcomings. But most of them do not grow up with the talent, heart, and courage to become big league ballplayers. More than 13,000 men had played major league baseball in the preceding 120 years. Only one, Hugh Daily, had been a one-handed pitcher. Jim Abbot's climb to this height made him, in other's eyes, a freak or a spectacle. But Abbott never thinks of himself in terms that others were quick to apply to him: disabled, handicapped, courageous, and amazing (Hinkins).

One renowned leader of the twentieth century pondered the meaning and interpretation of courage in his Pulitzer prize-winning book Profiles in Courage. John F. Kennedy expounded that courage is "a diamond with many facets." (Kennedy 7) Kennedy exemplifies courage with intelligence, far-sightedness, and reason. In his foreword, Allen Nevins says, "Moral courage is great and admirable in itself; but it must be pointed out that it almost never appears except as part of that greater entity called character. A man without character may give fitful exhibitions of courage... But no man without character is consistently courageous, just as no man of real character is lacking consistent courage. In short, moral courage is allied with the other traits, which make up character: honesty, deep seriousness, a firm sense of principal, candor, and resolution." (Nevins XVII)

As time went on and more and more challenges surfaced, Jim's parents look for ways to make Jim's life easier. Despite all of their encouragement, the Abbots believed that Jim's baseball activity would be limited to playing catch and sandlot games. They tried to interest him in soccer, where hands were not important. But Jim loved baseball more than anything and there was nothing to do but continue to support him as far as his ability and courage would take him. Jim was determined to go as far as he could (Jennings 33-34). When Jim first signed up for little league he drew many stares from other children and coaches too. However, the program's motto was Every Kid Can Play (Hinkins). What ever they thought of him, the coaches gave Jim the same chance as everybody else. That was all Jim ever asked for, a fair chance. Jim soon got bored of playing the outfield and decided he wanted to be a pitcher. His strong left arm soon made everyone forget that he was lacking a right hand. But pitching demanded more fielding capability than an outfielder. Jim worked hard and adapted to meet the needs. Jim rested the glove on his right arm as he threw the pitch, then quickly slipped his left hand into it to be ready for a fielding play. When he caught a ball him back to him, he dropped the glove, grabbed the ball out of it, and threw to the base (Savage 16-17). The city park supervisor said, "He does it all so quickly, he is amazing. You really don't realize that he has only one hand (Hinkins)."

Jim Abbott personifies a man possessing both physical and moral courage. His character portrays great determination as well as integrity. Jim Abbott never lets his disability get the best of him. He stays positive and sees it as a challenge to overcome instead of a wall to thwart him as long as he lives. His great character is seen constantly when he encourages a young child with disabilities. He is known for saying, "You can do whatever you want to do. There is no limit." He is an individual who is able to find the strength and courage to develop his talent in baseball despite the odds. Whenever Jim does something wrong or screws up a play, he is never quick to blame his hand; he blames his heart and tries harder when faced with the problem again (Hinkins).

Jim soon became the talk of the town. There were articles written weekly about his outstanding performance. Jim never got bigheaded and always downplayed his accomplishments. Still, no one else saw any future for the young boy, but Jim himself had aspiration

Some common words found in the essay are:
Jim Abbott, Captain Blue, Kathy Abbott, Stub Crab, Jerry Garcia, Play Hinkins, Color War, Camp Wayne, Hinkins Jim, Donahue Newspaper, jim abbott, major league, color war, moral courage, jim's life, kids playing, major leagues, hinkins jim, camp wayne, major league pitcher, jim soon, jim abbott star, jim abbott courage, interview jim abbott, watch soccer game,
Approximate Word count = 3658
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)