Dear George: Questions I Would Ask My Favorite Baseball Player About Stuttering

George robbing Mets' Brandon Nimmo from extra bases with an incredible catch!

Introduction: Welcome back to my blog, as I hope you all are doing well and are healthy during this crazy time! As most of you know, my favorite baseball player is George Springer, simply because we both have a speech impediment. Having already written about my personal stuttering experience back in October, I have decided to continue on that track and somehow incorporate George into one of my stuttering articles.

As a result, I have decided to write a post about questions that I would ask him about his stuttering experience if I ever had the chance to meet George. At the end of each paragraph, I will try to add in a few of my personal experiences, as he has given me the courage to write about my stuttering and my personal experiences more often.

Note: This post is in no way for whoever takes the time to read this to feel bad for me in any way, as it could be way worse for me, as I do not like labeling myself a "victim". Making stuttering an excuse for myself would be stupid, as I can do anything that anyone else can do, it just takes me a bit longer to get my words out. Honestly, I could care less of what others think if they have a problem with it, as I have a great support system of family, friends, etc. who have my back when times get tough.

The main goal of the article though is to simply spread awareness that stuttering is something to be taken seriously from someone who lives it. Never would I have thought that I would have ever found the courage to write on my stuttering experience multiple times if it were not for people like George and of course God giving me the ability to write in the first place. Without Him, none of this would even be possible.

As a side note, if I ever did meet George, I probably would not be able to get any words out myself and would fall face-first on the floor right in front of him and probably cry, as he has had such an impact on my life.

To put this into perspective, when he is up to hit, I usually am somewhat nervous. Obviously when he hits a home run, I go crazy. Often times I will scream to let out celebration, but also to release my built up frustration of stuttering. Also, I always seem to imagine that he hit the stuttering disability over the wall instead of the baseball, as it seems to just disappear into the sky. For those brief seconds, as he rounds the bases, I feel like I have just conquered my stuttering battle once and for all.

Before we get into the questions, I have decided to list a few quick things about George Springer so you all can have a better picture of who he is:

George Springer

Name: George Springer

Team: Toronto Blue Jays

College: University of Connecticut

Drafted: 2011, Round 1,11th pick (HOU)

Position: Outfield

Career Accolades: 3x All-Star, 2017 World Series MVP

Question 1: When Did You Start Stuttering?

This would be the first question that I would ask my favorite player. Anybody who has ever had this disability began at different stages of life. For me, I was five years-old, so this is all I have known. Throughout my research, I could only find that Springer started stuttering when he was a child, as I have no idea what age. So, this is one question that I would love to be able to ask him.

Question 2: How Did You Handle Getting Made Fun Of?

George has mentioned in multiple interviews that he was made fun of during his childhood, as kids copied how he talked. Nowadays though, I think George got the last laugh, as he is currently a 3-time All-Star and a World Series MVP. Making fun of him now would be considered a crime.

Believe it or not, the exact same thing has happened to me multiple times as well, as a few kids copied how I talked even into my later years of high school. When it happened it was almost like I was in a state of shock and was numb, as I could not believe anyone would go that low. As you could imagine the rest of those days were just awful, as I seemed to have all the positive energy zapped out of me.

Question 3: What Motivates You?

Basically what I am asking is: What adds fuel to your fire?, What makes you work harder than everyone else?, What drives you?, etc. George's answer would be something that I would love to know, as I am sure it is somewhat relatable to stuttering and how to deal with it.

What primarily motivates me is a combination of my stuttering and past experiences of being made fun of in some way. Whether the reason for getting made fun of was because of stuttering, or something else, the kids who decided to pick on me ended up motivating me even more and made me an even stronger person than I thought I could be.

Over these past 15 years of constantly stuttering, I have to go on with my life, keep my head up, have a positive mindset, not care what others think, and be the best "Adam" that I can be. Having a "disability" has forced me to work even harder at anything I do, as I seem to have always had that mindset. Whether that be studying for a test, playing a game, etc., I always want to leave everything I have out there.

Question 4: Did You Have Many Friends Growing Up?

If I were to guess, the "Great George Springer" did not have many friends throughout his childhood. Just typing that seems weird, as I now consider him one of my role models, and one of the reasons why I open up about my past experiences. But, if I had to assume that since he stuttered and was considered "different" than the other kids, he was left out of activities, parties, etc. Or, even worse, he just did not even want to go in the first place to avoid embarrassment.

Growing up, I always gravitated more towards adults, as I loved talking more with them than kids my age. Even now, I love talking to men older than me about sports in general, as they are very knowledgeable. Each of their friendships though is what I enjoy more than anything else. Some of the men that I have met in my life, I have been friends with anywhere from a few years to a decade or more, as I consider them a blessing that God has placed them in my life.

When it came to who I considered a friend during high school, the main thing that I looked for was who actually cared and treated me like a friend, and of course took me for who I was. Pretty simple, right? But, as you would imagine it was not that easy for a few kids, as they seemed to take advantage of me in some way. Because of this, I would stay home from class activities and functions just so that I would not come in contact or deal with them from past experiences.

As I went through the final years of high school is when I came out of my shell a bit, gained some much needed confidence, and went to one or two functions my senior year. Not caring what others thought of me really kicked in during this time. Getting into the right friend group became more and more clear as high school went on, as I wish I would have chosen my friends a bit more wisely early on.

With that said, words cannot describe how thankful I am for the friends that I made in high school who took me for who I was and still am today, as I cannot thank those people enough! They ended up making my school years a lot easier, as I will always consider them a friend. When I was going through tough times, these people always showed up and had my back. This is something that I will never be able to repay them for, as I try to keep in contact with them as much as I can now having graduated. As a result, I miss them daily, as they have made an impact on my life even if they don't know it.

Question 5: How Do You Handle Talking In Public?

The question above does not excite me one bit, as I would love to ask George this question in person. Throughout my research of his "stuttering story" he would always sit in the back of classes and would try his best to not get called on in class. This of course all changed during his high school years, as he went to Avon Old Farms, a boarding school for boys which forced him to talk in classes. Now, George is a spokesperson for an organization called "SAY", as he speaks in front of large crowds often. Heck, after a game he is interviewed in front of thousands of people, so I would say he has conquered the fear.

Personally, talking in public has always been a challenge. Whether that be in class or just out somewhere, it still continues to be an obstacle. If I meet someone new, my stuttering is obviously worse than with someone who I have already met and am comfortable around. Although I do not like talking in public, I need to do it way more often and not make up any excuses for myself.

Question 6: What Do You Do When You Get Stuck On a Certain Word?

Knowing that Springer has had a speech impediment for the past five or so years, I will watch his interviews very closely to see if he gets stuck on a word. When he gets stuck, the first thing I say is something like: " Yes, he still stutters, that is so awesome!!!" The only reason I say the previous statement, is simply because we still have this one thing in common that only one percent of the population have, as I then tend to jump around the house. On the other end of it though, my heart breaks for him, as I know exactly what he is going through.

His answer to the question above though would for sure be the most interesting to me. Of course, he probably knows when he is going to get stuck on a word, so he uses his techniques to get through the word. Whether that be prolonging the word, starting over, slowing down, etc. He just knows what works best for him and that is all that matters.

Personally, the technique I most commonly use is to slow down, take a breath, and start the word over again. Of course this is way easier said than done, as I most likely forget to do it and struggle through the word repeating certain sounds. Doing this leads to me getting tense, as I lose air from my lungs rather quickly. Sometimes if I am really struggling, I will just stop and scream randomly while I am in front of my Mom or Dad and then start over. Stuttering is almost like some sort of workout, but the "workout" never seems to stop. Stuttering is definitely a weird experience to say the least, but luckily I am used to it.

Question 7: What Does Stuttering Feel Like?

This is one of those questions where I feel like George and I would have similar answers, but I would still love to ask him this. Stuttering is the repetition of sounds, so describing how it feels would not be that much different. Personally, like I have mentioned before in my previous stuttering post, it feels like I am in a stuttering prison, unable to break free, or not being able to break free from the word. Stuttering takes the word frustrating to a whole new level, as it takes energy out of me every time I get stuck. Trust me, it is a feeling that nobody wants to experience. Anyone who makes fun of a stutterer should feel ashamed, as I would love to see if they could keep repeating sounds on purpose for just one day. They have no idea what they are doing, as they just want attention and are wanting to have "power" over the other person.

Luckily though, God has used me in great ways throughout my stuttering journey, as He chose me for a reason to have this "disability". Being the one who has to go through it daily is very challenging, but I like taking on this challenge knowing that one day soon I am going to conquer it. More importantly though, I am just so thankful that none of you have to go through it with me, as I would feel awful if anyone that I knew had to go through it.

Question 8: How Would You Feel If You Conquered Stuttering?

What better way to end this post than to ask the grand slam of all questions that relate to stuttering? George's answer to this one would probably consist of happiness, joy, and every other positive word that you could ever think of.

For me, the feeling of waking up one day and speaking fluently would be something that I could not even imagine, as I would probably begin to cry. My emotions would probably be at an all-time high, as I would be jumping up and down, screaming, and going crazy! The majority of people if I were to assume take talking for granted without even knowing it, as it is an essential skill to everyday life. Even though talking is simple or easy for most, for me it is a constant, daily struggle that I face daily. As I mentioned before, if I complained every time that I got stuck on a word, that would get old. Even I could not imagine doing that!

Final Thoughts: Writing is what I have turned to because of my speech impediment so that I can get my thoughts out. I do this so that people can clearly understand what I am saying. Believe me, when I talk to people in real life, I always think to myself something like: Will the person be able to understand me and what I am saying? Will I get judged? etc. Luckily though, I have found this avenue to communicate to you all without having to physically talk. Most importantly, feel free to share my stuttering story with others, as my hope is that I can encourage just one person through my stuttering journey and past experiences.

People are going to have their own opinions on my articles, whether it be good or bad, which I think is a great thing! If people have a problem with my blog, my opinions on sports/individual players, or simply feel the need to make fun of my posts and my overall writing ability, they can scroll on by if they only want to cause negativity. In all honesty, that is their problem, as I will continue to write no matter what. If I can handle stuttering on a daily basis for 15 years (and counting), I think I can handle their criticism about a team or player. Their negative opinion means nothing to me.

Of course, the support I get from doing this is greatly appreciated, as I consider it very humbling when people take the time to give words of encouragement on my posts. People who just take the time to read my posts is something that I think is so awesome!!! My blog is supposed to be a place of positivity, as this is what I love to do. All of this would not be possible though without God, as all the glory goes to Him. I just sit on my couch, in my basement, listen to music through my headphones, get locked in mentally, and write the words that God has brought into my head for my own enjoyment!

See You at the Ballpark!!!

Adam