Second baseman Robert “Speedy” Lopez may be a Little Leaguer in stature, but the 10-year-old has a genuine Big League heart.
While he’s excelled as a two-time Southside League All-Star, the fact that he can take the field at all is no small miracle.
When he was just 18 months old, doctors discovered Robert had a brain tumor in his frontal lobe. Surgeons were only able to remove part of it during a several-hour operation. Robert’s parents were told their son would be completely paralyzed on his left side due to nerve damage.
A subsequent surgery to remove the extra fluid from his brain left Robert weak, but not paralyzed. As if that wasn’t enough for one young lifetime, he’s since lost all his front teeth to an accident, had a hernia removed, and suffered a broken arm.
Growing up, Robert’s life revolved around sports, but his parents were hesitant to let him play. After therapists told them athletics would help Robert heal physically and mentally, they reluctantly agreed to allow him to try out for baseball. His mother, Gloria, now says that decision was the best thing they could have done for him.
“We’re just very grateful. There’s no way to express the feelings that we have,” she said. “In one day, he accomplishes so much.”
At age 7, he made the Santa Maria Southside Indians, where he worked himself into the leadoff position and helped the team to two League Championships and last year’s City Championship.
His former coach, Eddie Navarro, called him a “firecracker” and a team leader who wasn’t afraid to tell the bigger players to keep their heads in the game.
“He plays really hard. When you see him take a hit or slide hard you get concerned about whether he’s going to stand back up again. But he gets right back up and brushes himself off,” Navarro said. “He’s never wanted to be taken out of the game.”
With dreams about making it to the pros someday, Lopez said he enjoys hitting and stealing bases and doesn’t let his condition affect his play.
“I don’t think about it,” he explained. “I just have fun.”
Navarro, who also coached Lopez in Boys and Girls Club basketball, said the boy has been an inspiration in his own life.
“He’s taught me to never give up, no matter what condition you have,” Navarro said. “I gripe about the aches and pains that I have now and then, but all I have to do is think of Robert and I think, ‘You know what? I can make it.’”
This article appears in Jul 9-16, 2009.