Thank you all for being here today – your presence at this dedication ceremony means a lot to me, to the Hero family, to the Hill School community and baseball program, and to all those who had the pleasure of knowing Alex Hero.
I want to personally thank Mr. Neese and the Advancement Office for all of their help and planning over the past few weeks. Without their help, this beautiful dedication ceremony would never have been possible.
Thank you to Coach Drowne, for your friendship and guidance for the past 6+years – and especially over these last 6 months. When I came to you with the idea of creating a memorial for Alex on this field, you never once hesitated or failed to answer any of my calls and texts. Your suggestion to renovate this hitting facility in Alex’s honor was more fitting than I ever thought would be possible, and I want to thank you today for everything you have done as a friend, mentor, and coach to turn this idea into a reality.
I want to extend my most heartfelt gratitude to all of those who donated to the Alex Hero Memorial Fund. The overwhelming generosity of the family, friends, girlfriend, teammates, and even some who never knew the joy of meeting Alex is a true testament to the character of the Hill School community and the people whom Alexander surrounded himself with. These batting cages are standing here now as a living tribute to Alex and useful facility for future Hill athletes because of your kindness and compassion – and for that, I am forever grateful.
Finally, I want to thank the Heros for all of their love, strength, and support – not just over these past months, but since the day I met Alex here on the Hill School campus. I want to thank you – Mr. and Mrs. Hero, and Gabrielle – for opening your home to me on countless occasions, for always making me feel like a part of your family, and for giving me the opportunity to become your son’s friend and teammate playing this game we love so much.
Alex and I first met during the preseason of my 6th form year. He was a new to Hill and to the soccer team, but that didn’t matter much. He was loud, outgoing, and unapologetic about letting you know his opinion. He was also a tremendous competitor and a ferocious defender. We quickly bonded over our passion for winning and our abhorrence of Lawrenceville, bad officiating, and running long distances.
Our friendship only grew stronger during the 2009 baseball season that we shared on this field. Every day we walked up the hill to this diamond was another day we could forget about classes, or seated meals, or demerits, or girls, and just have fun playing the game we loved. It was a chance for us to work on what we really thought mattered – for Alex, it was mastering his smooth left-handed swing, tracking down fly balls in the gaps, making his teammates laugh, and, of course, making sure he had enough “swag” on game day.
More importantly, we understood that every day spent on this field was a chance for us to chase our dream of playing this game in college and - as we believed we could - for the rest of our lives. We talked about it daily – playing at a D1 school or getting drafted and going pro. Even as recently as this past September, Alex was still persuading me to not give up on the dream of playing professionally, and he reminded me of all of those spring afternoons where that dream of ours had started. He truly is the reason why I am still playing this game as I give this speech to you today.
Looking back, I suppose it’s funny that it was the game so wrought with failure that brought two people who hated nothing more than losing so close together. But if I have learned anything during my career, it’s that baseball is a crazy game. It’s a game that will torment you on far greater occasions than it will reward you. It will humble you and then allow you to succeed when the odds are stacked against you. It’s a game that reminds you of who, and what, is important in life. And it’s a game that reminds you no matter how many times you fail, there will always be someone there to pick you up – or at least in the case of Alex and I, someone there to complain about the umpires with.
I realize now how truly lucky I am – how lucky we all are - to have had the chance to play a game or pursue a passion that we love. Baseball has given me everything – best friends, new families, pride, education, success, growth, and life lessons. But I am convinced now that there was more than just luck involved to be able to play a game with the people you love. The Hill gave me a chance to play this game with some of the people I love the most. This place has given all of us that chance in some way. I owe everything I have, every opportunity to play the game of baseball, to this place, and I can’t help but think that Alex would agree. Baseball brought the two of us together, but Hill gave all of us ties that will never sever.
Now, it is my hope that every Hill athlete who uses this hitting facility will share this realization. That this facility will serve as a reminder of how blessed you are to have the chance to play this game with those who are most important to you. That these nets and poles will serve as more than just a designated space to shape a baseball swing; that they will serve as a designated place to shape the dreams, friendships, and futures of Hill Baseball players and the Hill School community.
And, it is my most sincere hope that this facility – made possible through the generosity and kindness of the Hill community and those close to it– will serve as a living tribute to a dear friend who embodied so perfectly everything that the game of baseball has to offer.
#PlayLikeAHero
