Cousins both got what they earned

I woke up on July 14 sore.

My torso was tender, my legs hurt when climbing up stairs and my arm felt a slight twinge throughout the day.

While I expected my body to react in a similar way, it was still a humbling experience.

On the same day, my cousin was feeling a bit overwhelmed but also excited and blessed.

It wasn’t quite what he expected, but he had just had one of the biggest days of his life. 

While I was feeling the effects of a meager batting practice, bullpen and a few fly balls, my younger cousin, Nate Snead, got to feel the thrill of hearing his name called in the Major League Baseball draft.

It was truly a humbling experience for me. I know I haven’t worked out in a while or even got in a gym to play basketball, so I wasn’t shocked to wake up sore. I didn’t even do too much, just shag some fly balls, hit about 20 myself and catch a bullpen for my fiancee.

Yet, it took a hit at my ego when my legs felt tight and wobbled whenever I faced stairs. Because my job is in athletics, I’m around sports and athletes all the time. However, I’m not in the gym, the weight room or on the field when they are putting in the work. I just see the product on the field and occasionally get a window into what it takes when writing feature stories.

While I was never a star athlete myself, I still put in the work to be a valuable contributor, so I’m no stranger to what it takes to be an athlete. It’s no surprise my lethargy earned me disappointing results.

Disappointing but deserved.

While I was sitting on my couch and packing on the pounds, Nate was working on his game.

After helping the Tennessee Volunteers to a national championship in 2024, he put together a solid junior season out of the bullpen. He took over the closer role for the Vols, leading the team with five saves before they fell to No. 3 Arkansas in the Super Regional.

As a whole, his work earned him a 4.53 ERA, a 4-2 record, a 1.55 WHIP and a .283 opponent's batting average over 49.2 innings pitched.

The resume he built over the past three seasons garnered him some interest from MLB teams. 

On July 14, Nate heard his name called. The Los Angeles Angels selected him as a third-round supplementary pick for competitive balance, the 105th player taken overall and the last on the opening day of the draft.

The whole situation was a lot to take in. Within minutes his life changed. By Thursday, the family threw a going-away party.

Now, Nate finds himself in Arizona, where he is competing with the Arizona Complex League Angels at the Rookie level. (The Rookie level is a minor league in baseball that doesn’t begin until after the draft and before players get moved up to either Class A, AA or AAA for their first full seasons.)

Nate got to feel that joy and nervousness for taking these giant steps in his life because he worked hard for it and earned it.

While Nate is a better player than I ever could have hoped to be, that in large part because of the countless hours he put in.

I stuffed my mouth with cheese curds and soda. He put time in the bullpen.

I got to feel the pain of inactivity. He got to feel the elation of success.

At the end, we both got what we earned.