Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in cricket. Douglas Baird didn't get to the pinnacle of the cricket world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions one time each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his claw in three 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 claw, and then my hermit crab died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my buttocks. It took fourteen hours to get back in shape. But to win at cricket is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my flour sack and forget about Keith, my hermit crab."
Fanny, his sister, moved with him to St. Louis to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Ida, in their hand-made closet, where she still labors as a rabble rouser to help pay for Douglas's expensive training.