Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in baseball. Royce Moreland didn't get to the pinnacle of the baseball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spine in two places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my spine, and then my orangutan died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my eye. It took fifteen weeks to get back in shape. But to win at baseball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my big red rose and forget about Jake, my orangutan."
Pearl, his wife, moved with him to Athens to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Bonnie, in their damaged A-frame, where she still labors as a fashion designer to help pay for Royce's expensive training.