When I was a kid, my team would play a scrimmage game against the boys from the local orphanage a few times a year.

If the ball went out of bounds near our bench, my coach would toss it back to a player on opposing team with a very coach-like, “Here ya go, Son” or “Nice Try, Son!” I never understood why he did this, but every single time, a couple dozen times a game, he’d toss the ball to a player on the orphanage team with a reaffirming, “Great play, Son!” or something similar.

After a couple years of this, I just figured my Coach thought he was being nice by acting as a caring adult figure to these wayward boys for a short time during our scrimmage games.

Finally in the third year, one of the older boys from the opposing team snarled back, “You’re not my father!”

Without missing a beat, Coach responded loud enough for all to hear, “How would you know?” as he turned to us with a huge shit-eating grin.

That’s how Coach taught me the incredible pay off of perseverance and keeping your sights on the goal. Thanks, Coach, wherever you are.