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Harris wows local students

By JOHN COLEMAN, jcoleman@poststar.com | Posted: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 6:55 pm | (2) Comments

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Derek Pruitt - dpruitt@poststar.com Major League baseball player Brendan Harris signs autographs after giving a motivational talk at Oliver Winch Middle School in South Glens Falls on Wednesday. Harris emphasized goal-setting and perseverance as like skills to more than 250 sixth graders and staff at the school.

SOUTH GLENS FALLS -- After his eye-opening performance against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series last month, Queensbury native and Minnesota Twins utility man Brendan Harris found himself facing off not against Mariano Rivera or CC Sabathia, but rather a group of sixth-graders at Oliver W. Winch Middle School on Wednesday.

With career highlights flashing behind him on a projection screen, Harris, 29, preached hard work and determination, encouraging the 260 or so students to set short- and long-term goals to help them achieve success both academically and personally.

"What I found is, the same work ethic I use for baseball, I use in the classroom. If I hadn't gotten good grades, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to play Division I baseball at William and Mary (College, in Williamsburg, Va.) and then be in the position to be drafted by the Chicago Cubs."

Harris also addressed pop culture, challenging students to separate what they see on television from reality.

"Our culture is obsessed with big, flashy things that people can't afford. Shows like MTV Cribs and TMZ show people that basically sold their souls to be on TV. My advice: Please, don't drink the Kool-Aid. Traditional values like hard work and respect, guys, never go out of style," Harris told students.

"We're all fortunate enough to have grown up in an area full of hard-working, honest people. Wherever you go, whatever you do, please, take those values with you," he continued.

After his brief presentation, Harris fielded questions from eager students. He drew a round of a applause when a student asked what his favorite team was growing up, and he replied, "I was a big Yankee fan."

Students then had the opportunity to win authentic MLB baseballs, batting gloves and wristbands if they could correctly answer questions from Harris about his career. Sixth-grader Adam Whitaker walked away with a signed baseball after correctly identifying the four teams that made the American League playoffs (the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).

"He's a good role model because he's somebody that actually made the major leagues around here. You don't see that in small towns like this. You gotta have a lot of heart to do it," Whitaker said.

Oliver W. Winch Middle School sixth-grade teacher Bob Bishop said Harris' visit was a much needed positive after recent tragedies that touched schools throughout the South Glens Falls School District, including a car crash that killed two teens.

"The kids (who died) were here a few years ago, so a lot of us had them in our classes, and they have siblings who are friends with the kids here," Bishop said. "A lot of these kids have big league dreams, and it is good for the kids to get together on a positive note."

Harris played 123 games at shortstop and third base for the Twins this season. He was the talk of Game 2 of this year's American League Division Series game against the Yankees after going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. His triple off A.J. Burnett hit the top of the left center field wall.

"I still can't believe that ball didn't get over the wall," Harris said.

Not to be overlooked was his diving catch that robbed Yankee captain Derek Jeter of a sure double.

While fielding questions, one student asked what his batting average was.

"Around .270," Harris replied.

Another asked how many home runs he's hit.

"I've hit 28 home runs in the major leagues," he said.

Perhaps even the students knew his modest numbers didn't put him in the same category as Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez, but it was evident by the round of applause that, in an era of inflated numbers and deflated reputations, they knew Harris was the real thing.

This story was corrected after its initial posting. Bob Bishop's job title was corrected, and the location of the College of William & Mary was corrected.

Posted in Local on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 6:55 pm Updated: 12:20 pm. | Tags: Brendan Harris,

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