I played Little League for one year. That was it. Then my mother realized I liked books and threatened my father. I owe her forever for that.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
My father got me involved in the game when I was four years old.
When I was about six, I saw my elder siblings play chess and pestered my mother into teaching me. Very soon, I was beating everyone at home, and they thought it would be good to join a club. So my sister would take me to the Tal chess club on Thursdays and weekends.
My parents' divorce made an important change in my life. It affected me. After that, when I can't play Wimbledon, it was tough. For one month I was outside the world.
From a pretty early age, my mother realized that I was a little bit more gifted and talented than my own age group. So, she moved me over to play with the boys' travel soccer team when I was about 11 years old.
I was a big baseball player, and my passion in life, in third grade, was collecting baseball cards. That was my childhood thing.
My mom, she wasn't like a baseball mother who knew everything about the game. She just wanted me to be happy with what I was doing.
My dad introduced me to baseball. Then one of my friends asked if I could play on a team; my dad said I could, and I just fell in love with the game.
I played Little League in junior high and high school.
I played basketball to try to get my parents from working so hard.
I was a baseball guy. Mom wouldn't let me play football when I was little because she was scared I'd get hurt. So, I finally convinced her to let me play in 7th grade.