From when he first played tee-ball, it was clear Curtis Pride wasn’t a quitter.
One of the most compelling stories in Pride’s recently released autobiography—“I Felt The Cheers: The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride”— is about his parents’ attempt to sign him up as a 6-year-old with a league sponsored by the Wheaton, Maryland, Boys Club. John and Sallie Pride were as enthusiastic as their son as they awaited his chance to be treated as normal and get his first taste of organized baseball. But rapidly, during the sign-up and selection phase, Pride’s not being chosen by any team became an issue.
John Pride wasn’t going to stand for the coaches’ decision. Not allowing a black and deaf boy to play baseball with other boys for reasons having nothing to do with skill level wouldn’t be tolerated. The father wasn’t bluffing when he said that if his son wasn’t allowed to play in the tee-ball program, the league was in for a lawsuit. After reviewing its initial decision, the league backed down.
Wearing a hearing aid the size of a deck of cards tucked in a pouch made by his mother, as Pride describes it in the book, he began his trek that would lead to a major league career.
Pride enjoyed a successful high school baseball program, but with his father’s insisting that his son go to college, some scouts who were considering drafting Pride were scared off. When the New York Mets drafted him in 1986, a highly unique contract negotiation took place. Not wanting to affect Curtis’s basketball scholarship at The College of William & Mary in Virginia, the Mets and his father agreed that after each baseball season, Pride would be released. When the basketball season was over, and semesters concluded, then he would re-sign with the Mets for the upcoming season.
“My parents told me early on that there were no guarantees as a professional athlete. Going to college full-time was important to them. I think I was the first player to have that kind of deal with a major league team,” Pride said.
After eight minor league seasons, Pride got “the call up” to Montreal. He paints a detailed picture of just how he learned. From being in the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx visitors’ clubhouse in Rochester, New York, after a playoff game loss to the host Red Wings that ended the Lynx’s season, to manager Mike Quade giving Pride the news that he was headed to Montreal, with each turn of the page it’s easy to cheer on the newest Expos player.
“When our bus returned to Ottawa, I packed my bags, and began the drive to Montreal without much sleep. I was thinking about all the things that I had accomplished to have gotten me to that point. Yeah, I was nervous. I wanted to make the most of my opportunity. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect,” Pride said of anticipating his arrival at Olympic Stadium. “I was pleasantly surprised with the welcome I received. My manager, Felipe Alou, the coaches, and players were all so kind.”
When Pride made his MLB debut with the Montreal Expos in September 1993, he was the first deaf player in a lineup since Dick Sipek played with the Cincinnati Reds in 1945. Given that only 10 percent of all minor leaguers ever receive “the call” to the majors, Pride’s accomplishment is cheering material.
An amazing footnote to Pride’s introduction to the big leagues is his offense. Pride’s first four MLB hits were a double, triple, home run, and single.
Pride played parts of 11 seasons for six clubs, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels. He was a veteran of 421 MLB games, finishing with a career batting average of .250 and 20 home runs.
“I Felt The Cheers” is a story of hope, determination, satisfaction, and the results of what excellent parenting can produce. The book is one of those necessary reminders that people could use every once in a while that no excuses are necessary when chasing dreams. Determination combined with talent works in mysterious—and wonderful—ways.
Curtis Pride is a prime example of overcoming the odds.
