It was spring of 1992 when I visited Bo in Sarasota, Florida that his football injury officially caught up with him. I saw him walk off the White Sox field in the middle of an at bat due to the debilitating pain in his hip. During this terrible trial in his life, I was his houseguest at Spring Training. That very night I cooked steaks and baked potatoes for those who came to his rescue, in particular Dr. Jim Andrews. I remember sitting at Bo’s dinner table when he was told by Dr. Andrews, “Well your injury is worse than I initially thought. Your hip has gotten the best of you. I’ve supported your comeback over everyone else and painted a glimmer of hope. You got your contract with NIKE and a contract with the White Sox. My butt is on the line now, so I’ll do the talking tomorrow at the press conference. You’re going to need a hip replacement.”
Sitting across from him in the private of his home, I watched Bo’s reaction to Dr. Andrews’s despairing words. Bo never complained. His face was calm, even stoic. He never became upset. He never cried foul or said, “Why me. I’m the greatest athlete in the world and it’s just not fair.” He took what was the worst possible news ending the career of the greatest athlete in the history of our lifetime with dignity. His calm displayed his belief that he would overcome. I watched how my friend rose to a higher level. It was a blessing for me to witness his hope in a better day. He was diagnosed with avascular necrosis and had hip surgery two weeks later.
Bo took that same attitude into his hip replacement surgery on April 5, 1992, and it carried over during his excruciating rehabilitation. His natural ability certainly served him well in his recovery. Yet, it was his attitude that made him even more renown when he finally returned from a hip replacement April 9, 1993, to play a home game at Comiskey Park for the White Sox. It was maybe the most special day in Bo’s storied athletic career when he homered in his first at bat against the New York Yankees. It was a long road, but he overcame. Bo’s inner drive helped him win the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year in 1993.
So, all of us, even those with exceptional ability, will have an attitude check during our careers. To be great, to be exceptional, you must have an attitude that will carry you through every trial in your life. Your attitude lasts longer than your aptitude and it is what ultimately defines what others think of you for the rest of your life.
