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J. P. Temperilli

Tomball H.S., U.S. Naval Academy, Houston Baptist University

What is success to you? How much are you willing to sacrif= ice in order to achieve your goals? = OR, as I heard Mike Harris State it, “What are you willing to walk away from in order to be able to forward?” This was said= in a post game discussion to the Miracles Baseball Players at a St. Edward’= ;s Baseball Showcase tournament, and it resonated with me as a parent wanting = the best for my son. Coming from a source outside his parents, the words had impact.

Our son J. P. Temperilli<= /span> is attending the United S= tates Naval Academy. It was the Academy’s interes= t in him as a student-athlete that began the process. Their interest in him as a baseball player was due in no small part to what he was taught, and learned, and experienced with Mike Harris and the Miracles.

He has been taught the nuances of the game, “the game within the game”.&nb= sp; And few people run a field practice as well as a Mike Harris. Perhaps more importantly, Mike als= o discussed character and moral issues and making good choices with his players. As with most teenage young men, so= me of what was said took root, and some of what was said was missed. But I was impressed as a father as= to how much was actually retained and had an impact, and impressed with the fr= ee exchange of dialogue between coach and player.

J. P. particularly enjoyed the experience he h= ad in the summer of 2002 with Miracles in Cocoa Beach, FL at th= e AAU Baseball Tournament. His performance at the Navy baseball camp in Annapolis, MD following the tournament= was directly attributable to the Miracle summer baseball program and his preparation for the AAU’s. From the hottest, muggiest, most humid days, through the unseasonably cold early mornings, it has all been worth it. J. P. has a chance to play for the= United States Naval Academy, a Division 1 school, and has the potential of a very bright future for hims= elf.

It has bee= n a pleasure to watch and to follow the development of the Miracles players und= er the tutelage of coaches such as Mike Harris, David Clyde, Brett, Smith, Mike Robertson, Ben Virgil, James, Nix, and Derrick Shumper= t. I have seen the likes of Jarrod Ba= ll (Diamondbacks fame system), Robert Detrick (Div= ision 1 – Morehead State, KY), J. R. Towels (2003 MLB Draftee) and now my s= on, come through the lessons the academy taught, and strive to achieve the excellence demanded.