CORVETTE HOBBY 

Now , I Must Talk About The Naturals.

There were two outstanding athletes during my time that I would like to speak about and they  had two qualities in common .....  First , They had  Dynamic and Charismatic personalities and  secondly , sports seem to be a part of their true nature. Their skills and ability came to them  effortless.  Now , I must boast because they happen to be  a part of my family , my brothers Earl McNeill and  Joseph Gillespie.  What made them amazing was that these two guys could play any sport , better than anybody without any special  practice or special preparation..... They were Naturally  blessed with talent ...When God create these two  guys for the sports arena , he was just plain showing off. Now please don't get me wrong ,there were a few others that possess those same qualities , those that could be called Naturals ; Carl Galbreath , Jimmy Raye , Fuzzy Cole , Connie Boykins , Bishop Harris , Sporty Geralds , Lamb Cole , Howard Smith , Joe Harris and Charles Baggett just to name a few.

Now , let's start with Earl

This kid  started playing organized sports as a third grader. No , I'm not talking about No Damn Tee Ball ( Please excuse my french) .  Earl was the starting Center Fielder at 8 year old on the Allstars, a Midget Baseball team for  kids 10-12 years old. By the time he was 11 years old he was so good and so much better than anyone on the field ,that the other coaches  tried to bar him from the league and he had to produce a birth certificate before they would let him  continue to play. As a 12 year old , he was so good that he would pitch 10 to 15 strike-outs per game and at the same time he would hit a couple of homeruns to make the game interesting. This kid could  out hit , out run and out play any player at any position on the field. Now , that was when he was still a kid....Wait until later when I talk about his High School and College prominence.

Now on the other hand , Joseph was about 6'2" and about 205 lbs , but  played the game like he was 6'8" 250 lbs. , he was strong , fast and quick as a cat. This guy was good in all sports , football , basketball , baseball , tennis , bowling  ; you name it , he could play it. But, football was his real passion .

While at Fayetteville State he was an ALL-CIAA Safety in football. During the game ,  Joe would rather hit the receiver than knock down the pass . He would hit them so hard that for the rest of the game they would be more concerned about where he was than catching the football. I remember watching  Joseph play and watching the crowd quiver as Joseph inflict serious pain on  potential receivers....this guy would hit you and would  hit you hard. As I heard in the stands so often , "That Damn Joe ( Excuse my french) will knock your damn head off". Hey, that was just how he played the game . Joe had a natural instinct when it came to sports , during a different time in a different era , he would have been a professional football player. Black athletes in the sixites and early seventies had little or no opportunites to play pro sports, regardless of having  superior athletic talent like Joseph Gillespie. Joseph was  inducted  in the FSU Athletic Hall Of Fame in 1994.  

Now, back to Earl The Pearl..

Just as Joseph , Earl excelled in Football , basketball and baseball while at EE Smith High School , but Earl's passion was Baseball and Basketball. He was a two time  All-State selection in baseball while in high school and a three time All-CIAA selection in baseball while at Fayetteville State. While in High school Earl was a prolific scorer in basketball , he was team co-captain two seasons and a two year All-conference pick. He played basketball four seasons in college averaging 18 points per game while at FSU and led the team to the CIAA finals in 1972 his senior year.  Earl had a scoring high of 42 points during his final season at FSU , Also during his senior year , he was selected as The CIAA  Player of The Year  in baseball.  After an outstanding collegiate career , Earl coach football and basketball for the next 13 years , ending his career as head boys basketball coach at Williamston High School in Williamston , NC.

As I reflected earlier , during a different time and a different era , both Joseph and Earl with their unlimited talents  would have made a name in the professional ranks , but that was a time when very few  black athletes were given the opportunity to pursue professional careers...... So , why do I call these two guys The Naturals ?  Well, there are a lot of guys who practice long and hard and eventually became proficient in one sport or another. But, these two guys excelled  effortless across the board in all the major sports.

Now, let's face it , you do not have to play football and basketball to be a Natural.

There are Naturals in every area of our life. Take Obama for instant , a natural speaker and politician. TD. Jakes , born to preach and spread the Word of God. Chris Rock genuinely a funny guy and a Natural comedian .

Now , Jennifer Hudson this young lady never took a singing or acting  lesson in her life , but she was born with a voice and a level of talent that have not been seen in many years.  She is  definitely a Natural.

Well this leads me up to my third brother. If you looked in the Webster Dictionary for two words that describe a man who can cook , paint , build , garden , sing , speak , preach , teach , administrate and be a great father , husband and man of God at the same time.....the two words you would find would  be Calvin Gay. 

I seriously do not know anything this man can not do. He is the pillar of two families , he is the one we all look to for wisdom , advise , strength and support. If we were the Soprano's , he would be the Don. 

Aretha Franklin made a recording in the sixties call You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Women. Well , if she is the Natural Women ....Calvin Gay is unequivocally the Natural Man. If you are looking for a role model , a man you would like for your children to immaculate ,  look no further than  Mr. Gay.   

Now please don't get me wrong , Calvin is not all work and no play , he is a True Sports Fisherman. But he do not use his fishing hobby or fishermen Club for pure recreation only. He also uses this mechanism as a vehicle to help and mentor young kids.

So why do I call this guy a Natural ?  That is very simple ;

Genesis 18:19 . For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him , to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.

Calvin lives by the word , he will not deter or divert the truth for unjust  reasons . You see , Being an advocate for understanding , supporting , protecting  and  loving his family as he loves himself  is not a responsibility  that Calvin has to work at ,  It is simply  something that  just comes NATURAL.

     1972  CIAA  BASEBALL 

      PLAYER OF THE YEAR