"If I can be half the man and half the father he was, I'll be very, very happy and have a great life...He was out there after work, and doing the things he did with one arm. We made do with what we had...to be given what he was given and never to bat an eye, never look back."--Joba Chamberlain

New York Yankee rookie phenom Joba Chamberlain was raised by a single father, Harlan Chamberlain, who was partially crippled with polio as a child and grew up in foster homes. Harlan also raised Joba's sister. Joba Chamberlain has made 11 appearances for the New York Yankees, and has yet to give up a single run.

According to Wikipedia:

"Joba Chamberlain grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. At age 3, his parents divorced, and his father Harlan, a counselor at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, took custody of Joba and his older sister Tasha. The family lived in poverty, with Harlan often pawning his possessions to buy things for the children...Chamberlain's father was born on a reservation for the Winnebago American Indian Tribe, but had to leave to be treated for polio. Harlan spent his childhood in hospitals and foster homes and now uses a motor scooter to get around."

As the Associated Press article below explains, Harlan was recently given a warm welcome by Yankee stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez during batting practice before a recent game.

Yankee Pitcher's Dad Sees Him in Person
By Doug Tucker
Associated Press, September 8, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Associated Press) - Sitting in his motorized scooter and beaming a smile which by his son's estimate could be seen "at least 35 feet away," Joba Chamberlain's dad met the New York Yankees one by one as they took the field for batting practice.

"It's great to see you, Mr. Chamberlain," Derek Jeter said.

"Nice to meet you, sir," said Alex Rodriguez. "Will you be here all weekend? You will? That's terrific."

Stricken with polio at the age of 9 months, confined to his scooter, deaf in one ear and without full use of his left arm, Harlan Chamberlain still raised his son as a single dad.

On Friday, only about a year after another health crisis, Harlan and "a ton" of friends and family made the three-hour drive from their home in Lincoln, Neb., to see Joba and the Yankees play the Kansas City Royals.

For the first time since Joba's quick rise to the big leagues this year, he saw the 100 mph rookie sensation pitch in the major leagues. With tears rolling down Harlan Chamberlain's cheeks, Joba entered in the seventh and pitched two scoreless innings to preserve the lead in the Yankees' 3-2 win.

"I'm just as proud as I can be of him, to have him be a part of this storied organization," Harlan Chamberlain said before the game. "This is great. I've watched him pitch hundreds of times. But on a stage such as this, this is awesome."

The two clowned around before the game, with Joba tenderly putting his arms around his dad's neck and mugging for cameras. It was clear this father-son combination is very close.

"If I can be half the man and half the father he was, I'll be very, very happy and have a great life," said Joba, who hasn't allowed a run in his first 11 major league appearances.

Despite his physical limitations, Harlan always made time to play catch with his son growing up.

"He was out there after work, and doing the things he did with one arm. We made do with what we had," said Joba.

"He's a good dude. To be given what he was given and never to bat an eye, never look back. He worked at a prison for 27 years. To have that respect in the community and in his workplace is special."

As he looked around at the stars, the elder Chamberlain admitted somewhat sheepishly that he used to give his son pitching tips as a kid.

"I don't say squat now," he grinned. "What I know about pitching will fit in a thimble. What I don't know will fit in the Smithsonian."

But when it came to disciplining a youngster growing up, the dad never hesitated to speak his mind. And Joba, he recalled with obvious pride, never failed to listen.

"I forbid him to throw a curveball when he was growing up," he said. "And he never did. He's always respected me."

How often do father and son talk now that he's with the Yankees, playing alongside All-Stars such as Jeter, A-Rod, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano?

"Every day," said Harlan. "We've always been close."

"There was a time when he was a sophomore in high school that he didn't like not making a higher-level team. I just told him you've got to be patient because all of his peer group was growing, and he wasn't. I didn't know if he'd stay with it. My word to him was you've got to be patient and you've got to work. And he did."

Read the full article here. Thanks to Bruce for the story.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 8th, 2007 at 11:06 am and is filed under Baseball/Sports, Fatherhood, Single Fathers, Teen Fathers. You can trackback from your own site.