SCVNews.com | Opinion/Commentary: Rough Diamond | Doctor’s Diary with Dr. Gene Dorio

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Rough Diamond | Doctor’s Diary with Dr. Gene Dorio

SCVNews.com | Saturday, Jun 20, 2020

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Playing Little League baseball was out. My family could not afford it. A few in our neighborhood could, so they got that opportunity.

Our friend, “Jimmy James Barber Junior the Third,” played on a baseball team at Queen Anne Park near Los Angeles High School. One day when we were 9 years old, he invited me along, on his way to practice. His coach allowed me to shag balls in the outfield.

At the end of practice, the coach let me take batting practice, and I started hitting the ball over the fence.

“Who do you play for?” “No one.” “Want to play for us?” “Can’t afford it.”

The coach reached into a box and pulled out a hat and uniform.

“You’re on our team.”

Recognition of my abilities were honed for the next 17 years, and I didn’t have to pay anything.

So, I ask: How many out there have a talent, but it is never recognized? We all have abilities. Keep your eyes open for athletic or academic diamonds in the rough, as they might have the potential to glisten.

Thank you, coach, and Jimmy James Barber Junior the Third, for giving me an opportunity.

Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D., is a geriatric house-call physician who serves as president of the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults and Assemblyman to the California Senior Legislature. He has practiced in the Santa Clarita Valley for 32 years.

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