By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com
Michael Rodriguez
It’s 2:13 a.m., and the Friday evening News staff has had some late night technical difficulties that set us back a few hours. It’s times like these when working in such a field can be strenuous, but while it would be better for me to scrap this column all together, there’s something that still needs to be said, and I don’t mind taking the extra 30 minutes to make sure it gets done.
I received word earlier this week of a Facebook page created by God-knows-who that basically serves to antagonize Jesse Jimenez, this year’s senior playcaller for the San Benito Greyhounds.
Really?
Okay. Has Jimenez had a few tough games? Sure. Has he made a few mistakes? I’m no authority to make that determination, but let’s say for argument’s sake that he has. What’s bothering me is the notion that the problems facing the ’Hounds are somehow Jesse’s fault.
I get that the quarterback, much like the head coach, often shoulders the blame for his team’s defeat. Maybe that’s why I understand the frustration that exists concerning the Greyhounds’ woes. After all, we’re right in the middle of highlighting diehard fans who take these games quite seriously. Suffice it to say, we’re aware of how rowdy some fans can be.
Just take a look at Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. It’s a miracle that fella’s not suicidal right about now. From my inner circle alone I hear nothing but hate for Big D’s QB, sometimes it’s so much that I feel like I’m suffocating and have to leave the room from sheer tension.
Still, Tony Romo is a professional athlete and knew what he was signing up for, right? Just look at what he’s accepted responsibility for as the franchise quarterback for a pro football team with a history as rich and successful as the Cowboys.
But Jesse ain’t Tony, the Greyhounds aint the Cowboys, and San Benito ain’t Dallas. It’s easy to forget, especially when we’re screaming at the top of our lungs, that these players we cheer for every Friday night are just kids. Most of them aren’t even men yet, none are considered mature enough to drink, and several still believe in Santa Claus.
Okay, that last one was a bad example because, quite obviously, Santa still exists.
Moving on.
Jesse doesn’t deserve this degradation, and if any one of you – whether from this community or another – have participated in humiliating him, then you should be ashamed of yourselves. I’m sure most of the people in my hometown of San Benito would agree, at least I hope so.
I don’t know much about Jesse, but what I do know of him is that he’s an honest, hardworking young man who draws strength from his faith and spirituality.
In response to the criticism he’s received, Jesse often quotes an oft-used saying: “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.”
To truly understand the meaning of that quote, not to mention to wear it as proudly as he does, tells me that Jesse is securing an early lead in the game of life. And that, my fellow San Benitians, is one game you can’t lose.
Inspired by his positive attitude in light of all that he’s endured this season, I’m offering Jesse an opportunity to be highlighted in the paper. In fact, we’ve actually been attempting to sit down with each other for an interview, but he was testing on Friday and….hey….school comes first. He also had a big game to prepare for this week.
So if we can knock out this interview on Monday, then I promise we’ll present you with the real Jesse Jimenez in Wednesday’s paper. Not the quarterback who threw an interception late in the game, and not the player that’s part of a 4-4 team. I’m talking about the kid who’s already more of a man than the guys who chose to ridicule him.
Here’s to you, Jesse. Keep up the great work.
Read this story in the Oct. 21 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
1 comment
A more interesting experiance wat that of a highschool football player that was very talented .He took on a once winless team on his shoulders and took them all the way to the state champonship on his sr. year. He’s players his highschool years every Friday night with out the presents of his mom in the stands. Not once did she every go see him play. When his friends and coaches would ask him where his parent’s where and why they never came ot wach him play he would tell them he had no father and only a mother who was just not able to come watch him play but in ahppy reply who would tell them she woould listen to the games very friday night on the local radio. Will the day before the championship game his mom passed away. His coach and players understood he would not paly on the last game when they needed the most. Coach told him it was ok he did not have to play he understood. His teammates felt the same. He played that night and took his team to the state championship victory…. As the player sat alone in the stands in an empty staduim after the game his coach and sat next to him and askd him Son yu did a brave thing by going out here to play why did yu do it with the burden of just haveing your mom pass away? The player all alone now told his coach” Well you see coach my mom never came to watch me play because she was blind , but tonight for the first time in my life I wanted to play my best coach because I know she is in heaven and for the first time in er life she would be able to watch her son play…..