FUNDING FOR GREATER CHATTANOOGA IS PROVIDED BY EPB FIBER OPTICS WHEN I WAS IN NINTH GRADE I WOULD SAY I PLAYED FOR HOWARD BASEBALL THEY WERE LIKE "THEY GOT A PROGRAM?"

IT SHOCKED THEM.

SEND IT BACK TO THE PITCHER BIG DOG.

PRACTICE IT WAS LIKE UNORGANIZED.

WE WOULD COME TO THE FIELD, WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO PRACTICE.

WE WERE JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE.

EVERYDAY YOU GOT A CHANCE OF GETTING SMACKED BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY BIG ROCKS IN THE GROUND WHEN YOU'RE HITTING A GROUND BALL IT MIGHT JUST POP UP ANY TIME.

OTHER COACHES BRINGING THEIR PLAYERS AND SEEING HOW THE FIELD WAS, SLICK EMBARRASSING YOU KNOW CAN'T EVEN PLAY OUR OWN HOME GAMES BECAUSE YOUR FIELD LOOKS A MESS.

WHEN I CAME TO HOWARD IT WAS JUST A SPORT THEY PLAYED JUST TO DO.

THEY DIDN'T TAKE IT AS SERIOUS.

WE FELT LIKE WE WERE GOOD ENOUGH WE JUST NEEDED OTHER PLAYERS WHO'S WILLING AND COMMITTED AND A COACH WHO'S WILLING TO INVEST IN US, AND WE CAME UP ON COACH JOHNSON LUCKILY.

HAVE FUN AND WHAT?

BE ENCOURAGED ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER, ENCOURAGE YOURSELF.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON YOU'RE GOING TO TALK TO IS YOURSELF TODAY.

WHEN I WAS 16 YEARS OLD I REMEMBER HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MY FRIEND ON THE FRONT PORCH AND HE ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO DO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.

I DIDN'T KNOW BUT I KNEW I WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE AND I WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF YOUTH.

I'VE HAD A LOT OF COACHES INVEST IN ME THAT MADE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE AND I WANTED TO DO THE SAME FOR OTHERS.

AND SAW HOWARD HIGH SCHOOL AS A PLACE ALSO THAT NEEDED A BASEBALL PROGRAM TO BE REVIVED AND START A FIELD, SO A PERFECT MATCH.

TYPICALLY WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF HOWARD ATHLETICS REGGIE WHITE IS PROBABLY THE FIRST NAME THAT COMES UP.

WE HAVE A GREAT HISTORY OF FOOTBALL PROGRAM AND BASKETBALL AS WELL.

GREAT ATHLETES IN BASKETBALL AND I THOUGHT "WHY NOT BASEBALL?"

STARTING A BASEBALL FIELD FROM SCRATCH WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING I'VE EVER DONE BUT THE MOST EXHILARATING.

THINK ABOUT THIS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A FIELD YOU CAN'T PRACTICE.

YOU CAN THROW.

YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO SOME TYPE OF HITTING BUT YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE A WAY TO DO PRACTICE.

IT'S LIKE TRYING TO PLAY BASKETBALL WITHOUT A HOOP.

YOU GOT TO FIRST UNDERSTAND THE DIMENSIONS TO THEN HAVE PRACTICE.

WE'D PRACTICE FOR A LITTLE BIT THEN WE'D WORK MAN IT WAS CRAZY THE FIRST YEAR WAS A SHOVEL IN ONE HAND AND A BAT IN THE OTHER.WE'D GO TAKE BP AND THEN WE'D GET A SHOVEL OR RAKE WE USED ALL TYPES OF TOOLS.

I GOT INTRODUCED TO LIKE THREE DIFFERENT TOOLS WHEN WE FIRST STARTED ON THE FIELD.

SHOW UP AROUND 8:00 IN THE MORNING ON SATURDAY AND WE'D GO MOST DAYS UNTIL IT WAS DARK AND THEN ON SUNDAY I'D GO TO CHURCH IN THE MORNING AND THEN MEET THE BOYS DOWN HERE.

WE'D EAT AND GET TO WORK.

GOING TO GET GRAVEL AND STUFF LIKE THAT OR JUST BRINGING MULCH, FAKE GRASS, STUFF LIKE THAT TO LAY DOWN.

EVERYTHING WE DID BY HAND OUR FIRST YEAR.

NO MACHINERY OR NOTHING LIKE THAT JUST THE WANT TO DO IT.

GET ME ON THERE GOT YOU, CLOSE YOUR EYES.

NO ONE IS GOING TO HELP YOU UNTIL THEY KNOW YOU WANT TO BE HELPED.

US BEING OUT HERE EVERYDAY EVEN ON THE WEEKENDS, GIVING UP OUR WEEKENDS AS TEENAGERS YOU KNOW.

THAT REALLY JUST SHOWED THEM OH YEAH THEY REALLY WANT IT SO LET'S HELP THESE KIDS AS MUCH AS WE CAN.

THE CHATTANOOGA COMMUNITY IS INCREDIBLY GENEROUS AND IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR ME TO SEE THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS.

THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE SUPPORTING US WITH THEIR TIME THEIR INVESTMENT OF MONEY AND THEIR ENERGY.

PROBABLY 80 PERCENT OF EVERYTHING YOU SEE WAS DONE BY VOLUNTEERS.

AND THEY WANT US TO BE SUCCESSFUL TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A FIELD AND A PLACE FOR THESE BOYS TO PLAY AND HAVE SOMETHING TO DO AFTER SCHOOL.

ONCE WE GOT THAT, WHEN WE HAD OUR FIRST PRACTICE ON THE FIELD THAT WAS A SAFE PRACTICE BECAUSE YOU WERE ABLE TO SLIDE WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT BEING CUT UP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

THAT'S WHEN I FELT LIKE YEAH WE DONE IT.

WE REALLY DID.

IT WAS FUN TO SEE THOSE GUYS JUST JUMP IN AND SAY WELL LET'S GIVE IT A TRY.

LET'S TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

YOU'RE NOT JUST GOING TO WIN OVERNIGHT.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE LONG NIGHTS.

THE MORE PEOPLE SEE GOING ON THE MORE THEY COME AND THE MORE THEY GET INVOLVED.

GETTING USED TO THE PROGRAM CHANGING EVERYONE STARTING TO CATCH ONTO THE WINNER'S MENTALITY AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

I FEEL LIKE WE DID PRETTY GOOD.

I SEEN THE PROGRESSION OVERTIME THAT I WANTED SO LONG AGO, I JUST HAD TO WAIT FOR IT.

WE HAD TO WORK FOR IT.

ATHLETICS IS NOT JUST ABOUT THROWING, CATCHING, HITTING, SHOOTING A BASKETBALL, OR RUNNING IN FOR A TOUCHDOWN.

IT'S WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE.

THE CHARACTER THAT'S DEVELOPED.

THE DISCIPLINE THAT'S INSTILLED.

THE COMRADERY.

I MEAN THIS IS GOING TO SCALE AT A LEVEL TO WHERE OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY GETS BETTER AS WE LEARN THESE SKILLS AT A YOUNGER AGE TO NOW I CAN BE SUCCESSFUL LONG TERM.

WHEN YOU WEAR HOWARD BASEBALL YOU KNOW THE EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH.

THERE'S GOING TO BE CARE THERE'S GOING TO BE LOVE AND IF YOU GO ONE FOR FOUR ON THE DAY OR TWO OF FOUR THAT'S NOT BAD IN BASEBALL.

IT'S REALLY A SPORT WHERE YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO OVERCOME FAILURE.

WHICH TRANSLATES INTO SO MANY AREAS IN LIFE, THE PERSEVERANCE, THE GRIT, AND THE STICK-TO-IT-NESS OF NOT GIVING UP BEFORE SOMETHING IS FULLY REALISED.

THERE'S ALSO A PRIDE IN ANYTHING WORTHWHILE IS GOING TO REQUIRE A TON OF WORK.

LET'S GO LET'S GO.

HAVE A DAY BABY LET'S GO TIGERS ON ME TIGERS ON THREE ONE, TWO THREE TIGERS HAVE A DAY HAVE A DAY LET'S GO WE HAVE NINETEEN PLAYERS CURRENTLY.

I THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE IN A PROGRAM THAT HAS EXPECTATIONS AND STANDARDS, PEOPLE START TO MEET THOSE STANDARDS AND START TO UNDERSTAND HERE'S THE LINE AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE HERE THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO DO.

GOOD WIN BOYS GOOD JOB RIGHT THERE.

GOOD WORK.

GUYS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE EVER WON A DISTRICT GAME AT OUR PLACE.THE FIRST TIME WE'VE EVER HOSTED.

I MEAN IT'S PHENOMENAL TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT THE HARD WORK EVENTUALLY WILL PAY OFF AND THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TELLING THEM GUYS KEEP WORKING AND EVENTUALLY IT'S GOING TO HAVE THE CULMINATION OF A WIN OR TWO.

WE WON SIX GAMES THIS YEAR SO FAR.

MY FIRST YEAR WE WON ONE, SECOND YEAR WE WON TWO.THIRD YEAR WE WON SIX.

TIGERS ON THREE TIGERS ON ME ONE, TWO, THREE, TIGERS HOWARD IS A PART OF ME.

MY FAMILY WENT HERE I WENT HERE AND THEN JUST KNOWING THAT I HELPED CONTRIBUTE TO THIS I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE.

NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU GET THOSE PLAYERS FROM THAT YEAR WE'RE BROTHERS.

WE STILL TALK TO THIS DAY EVEN THOUGH IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS.

EVERYDAY I DRIVE PAST IT WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE LIKE YEAH I HELPED CREATE THAT.

NOT NOTHING SELFISH EITHER JUST SOMETHING I KNOW CAN HELP THE ONES AFTER ME