by Mo'ne Davis
The ceremony started when they showed this big video of everyone who was going to appear. I was sitting next to one of the dads of the Fifth Harmony girls.
“Hey, I wasn’t in the video!” I told him. Just when I said that, the video announcer said, “And special guest Mo’ne Davis!” and I heard the crowd cheer.
When the president and the First Family came out, we counted down, and red and green lights came on. One of the cool things about the tree-lighting ceremony is that they got all these girls to code the design of the main tree and fifty-six other trees all around the White House grounds.
After the tree was lit, a bunch of the different artists performed. Fifth Harmony sang the song “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
While I was waiting to go onstage, Mrs. Obama told me to come sit on the couch next to her so we could talk.
“We were watching you in the office,” she said. “You were amazing.” Then she asked me about school and whether basketball had started yet.
A little while later, Tom Hanks introduced me to read ’Twas the Night Before Christmas with Mrs. Obama. Fortunately, by now I was used to big crowds. And since I had read for Malala, I wasn’t that nervous.
Mrs. Obama gave me a high five when we finished, and I went back into the talent tent. Then Ne-Yo performed.
Right before we were going to go back onstage to be in the finale, I was talking to another Fifth Harmony dad.
“You throw seventy miles per hour?” he said.
“Yeah. . .”
“That’s so cool to be throwing against guys that fast!” he said. “That’s amazing!”
I never realized how many people knew about me!
During the finale everyone was on the stage singing and dancing to “Jingle Bells.” The First Family came up on the other end and walked down the line, hugging everyone and shaking their hands. Sasha and Malia came up with them.
“Oh my gosh, that’s amazing what you did,” they said. “You’re an inspiration. We were watching you. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
Their whole family is super tall. I didn’t know that President Obama or Mrs. Obama was that tall. Sasha and Malia are tall, too.
After we came down from the stage, one of the Fifth Harmony girls was like, “Where were you? We were looking for you. We were going to dance with you on the stage.”
I was standing way down at the other end, dancing next to Santa Claus.
After the show was over, we couldn’t leave the tent because people were protesting nearby, plus the First Family had to leave, so the streets were blocked off for a while. It was late and I was ready to go home.
But while we were waiting to go to the train, good things happened. One of the Fifth Harmony moms got her daughter to follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Then I got to dance with one of them to their song “Sledgehammer,” and one of them made a video of us. I got to dance with Ne-Yo, too.
When I went back to school the next day, I told my friends about everything that had happened. When I told them that the president wanted to play H-O-R-S-E, they laughed.
“He’s the president,” they said. “You have to let him win.”
“But Mrs. Obama said don’t,” I said, “so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
I have gotten to do a lot of things and meet a lot of famous people since I played with the Taney Dragons in the Little League World Series. I hadn’t expected any of it, but I wouldn’t trade a single moment.
CHAPTER 16
A GOOD PATH
IF SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT THIS WOULD BE MY life, I never would have believed them. I still don’t always really understand what is happening and why so many people are inspired by me.
I’m super, super excited that so many good things are happening to show me how all the risks I’ve taken, sacrifices I’ve made, and hard work can pay off. Because it hasn’t always been easy getting up at two and three in the morning to do homework, or to scramble all around town to get someplace in time for a game. It’s not always fun to have to take the bus for almost two hours to school and almost two hours home. I don’t always like to miss birthday parties, water parks, and other family events in the summer and on the weekends because I have to go to practice or play in tournaments.
It’s hard to believe it’s paying off like this, but I know that experiences like this will not go on forever.
I’m learning a lot. For one thing, I’m learning what a big difference it makes to have people like Coach Steve in your life, who see your talent and take an interest in you. I hope that my teammates and I have shown the adults that inner-city kids want to play baseball and can be as good at it as kids who have a lot more money than we do. We deserve to have opportunities to play sports and get a great education.
It’s also important to have role models and people who inspire you, especially when you’re a girl. From my mom to Miss Mamie Johnson to my favorite WNBA stars, Maya Moore and Skyler Diggins, to Mrs. Obama, I’ve met a lot of girls and women who have inspired me and who I’ve always dreamed about meeting. They have all been very nice to me and have encouraged me to keep going.
I had always hoped to be on TV, but I didn’t expect to become a role model at such a young age. I hope that I can keep encouraging other girls.
It’s sad to me, but a lot of girls haven’t played sports. If you haven’t played sports, I think you should just try to see how you like it, and if you like it, keep doing it. Try different sports, so you can find out what you like and what you’re good at. But don’t just try it for a day and say, “I don’t like this.” Try it out for a few months. Even if it’s hard or you’re not good at first, just focus on the fun you are having with each one of your teammates. And if you find out you don’t like sports, just try to be active, so you can stay in shape.
For girls who play sports, I think that girls should be able to play sports with the boys, especially when there’s not a girls’ team. A girl can be as good as the boys, or even better. I think that boys should be nice to girls who play against them, and play fair—they might learn something. Girls can even make boys want to learn to “throw like a girl.”
In sports and at my school, I’ve learned a lot about leadership, and how important it is to set a good example and do the right things so that other people can follow what you did. When you’re a role model, you know you’re on a good path to doing something special, and whatever that is, you’ll encourage more people to do it. When people keep telling you you’re doing something good, just keep doing it.
On top of being a role model for girls, I want to be a role model to tell people not to quit things too soon. I think you should hang in there a little longer, because you may find you like it after all. Look at all the things I would have missed out on if I had quit baseball way back when I was ten.
Life isn’t always easy, and sometimes you’re gonna fail. You have to fail in order to make it somewhere. Everything can’t be all success. If you only had success and you lost the first game ever in your life, you wouldn’t know how to handle it because you had never lost before.
But failure is actually a good way to succeed. There’s always gonna be the setback in sports and in life that will help you do better the next time. Like if there is a championship game and you lose, then next year you’re gonna work twice as hard as you did before because you want to win that championship.
When I grow up, if I play in the MLB, I would probably like to play for the Dodgers because they always seem to have a good team, and they’re in LA. LA is really fun. For one thing, there’s no snow.
On top of being a pitcher, I think it would be fun to play shortstop.
But my real dream is to go to the University of Connecticut and be the point guard on the basketball team, and then go into the WNBA.
All of this is a long ways away. But one thing I know for sure—hard work can take you anywhere.
PHOTO SECTION
Mo’ne Davis, one year old. “Mo’ne cried for about hal
f an hour before taking this picture in Walmart. She was such a crybaby,” her mom, Lakeisha, says.
Mo’ne at her older brother, Qu’ran’s, fifth birthday party at WOW skating rink.
Mo’ne’s second-grade picture at Francis Scott Key Elementary School, right before she transferred to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and started playing for the Monarchs.
Mo’ne with her mother on her mother’s wedding day in May 2011.
Photo courtesy of Steve Bandura
Mo’ne’s first season playing basketball for the Anderson Monarchs.
Mo’ne with her younger sister, Mahogany, playing outside.
Mo’ne with former Anderson Monarchs player Demetrius Jennings and Scott Bandura, her teammate and catcher for the Taney Dragons and the Anderson Monarchs, in Anderson Recreation Center in 2012.
Mo’ne’s first time playing baseball for the Anderson Monarchs in 2008.
Mo’ne and some of her best friends practicing basketball drills at Germantown Academy.
Mo’ne playing softball for the first time for Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in 2012.
Mo’ne, her sister, Mahogany, and their mother, Lakeisha, posing for a family portrait in 2012.
Mo’ne with her older brother, Qu’ran, and younger brother, Maurice, at Universal Studios in 2010.
Mo’ne on Blue and Gold Day with her friends Destiny, Nahla, and Ama at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in 2013.
Mo’ne and her best friends Nayyirah and Ruqayyah after winning the championship game for the summer leagues at Smith Playground in 2013.
Mo’ne and her mother goofing around taking selfies on the set of the Spike Lee documentary Throw Like a Girl, about Mo’ne’s rise to fame, in September 2014.
Mo’ne at Dodger Stadium with Queen Latifah in September 2014.
Mo’ne meets Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx in 2014. Maya Moore is her favorite former UConn women’s basketball player.
Coach Steve Bandura, Jeff Idelson (president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Mo’ne, and Mamie “Peanut” Johnson in September 2014. Mo’ne donated her shutout jersey to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Mo’ne at basketball practice with the Monarchs in 2014.
All photographs are courtesy of Lakeisha McLean except where otherwise noted.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Even though I have gotten a lot of attention, I couldn’t have been successful without my teams at home, at school, in my community, and in the Monarch and Taney dugouts.
To my mom and my stepdad: You have loved me, helped me, fed me, sacrificed, paid my entry fees, bought my shorts and T-shirts and uniforms, washed my dirty clothes, driven me all over the city and up and down the East Coast, stayed in boring hotel rooms, laughed at my cheesy jokes, stayed on top of my homework, sometimes yelled at me, and even indulged my sneaker obsession. I’m grateful.
My brothers and sister have shared my ups and downs, watched crazy Vines with me, put up with me studying for hours in the bathroom so I can get some peace and quiet, tolerated the fact that sometimes money was tight because it was used to buy me new cleats, and dealt with the times that Mom or Squirt wasn’t there because they were traveling with me. Thank you so much, I love you. Thank you, especially, to Mahogany for dealing with my messy bedroom.
I’m grateful to my grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family members and friends, who have come to my games and encouraged me—especially to my cousin Mark for taking me to Anderson and giving me the chance to meet Coach Steve in the first place.
It’s super, super important to have grown-ups in your life who can see the potential in you and help you reach your dreams. Everyone needs a Coach Steve who can love you, teach you, protect you, help you, and encourage you to try new things and to be your best. It really means a lot that you’ve been in my corner—I couldn’t have gotten here without you. Thank you for introducing me to Jackie Robinson, believing in inner-city kids, and showing the world what we’re capable of. Miss Robin, thank you for opening your heart and your home to me, Mo’ne, your second daughter. Stephanie, thank you so much for letting me sleep in your bedroom.
Thank you to Mr. Shawn, who runs Marian Anderson, for creating such a wonderful environment for kids to grow, develop, and explore our talents. I wish every young person had a place like Anderson to hang out and play sports at.
I want to express my appreciation to my other Anderson Monarchs coaches, Coach Charles, Coach Elliott, Coach Ike, and Coach John, who are important leaders of our team, but who I didn’t write about because it would have made my story too complicated.
Coach Alex, thank you for coaching the Taney Dragons and for believing in me in tough games, such as against the West. That meant a lot to me. It’s unbelievable to think that we made it to the top!
My teammates and I, we are like each other’s family. We help each other become better players, encourage each other, and keep each other calm when things are hard and we’re frustrated. Oh, and I can’t forget how much we joke, and laugh, and act silly, and prank each other, and just have fun! I especially want to thank my teammates on the Anderson Monarchs, who have been part of my extended family since I was seven.
Everyone knows that Scott has an incredible memory. Thank you for helping me remember some of the details I’ve forgotten. You have been my partner in crime in every big thing that has happened to me on the field. It’s been so much fun sharing those experiences with you. You sick about it or nah? Jahli and Zion, you always come through in the clutch, even for this book. Thank you so much.
I’m really grateful to Jack and Jared for having the dream of going to the World Series and for being determined to make your dream come true. I’m so glad I got to come along for the ride!
Every now and then angels show up in your life. Mr. Tony and Miss Jean Vernon, I thank you for providing financial support to allow me to get a great education.
Every kid deserves to go to a great school and have teachers who love them and make their day fun. Dr. Sands, thank you for seeing the potential in me when I first came to visit Springside, for coming to Williamsport, for throwing the watch parties during the World Series, and for protecting me now that so many people remember my name.
Thank you also to all of my teachers and school leaders—but especially, to Miss Posner, Miss Sakovics, Mr. Dreisbach, and Mr. Budde—for believing in the power of girls. Thank you, Miss McCrae, for helping to make me feel so comfortable when I first came to Springside.
Coach Brady, thank you for helping me to become a better basketball player. (Sorry to disappoint you about the lacrosse.) It was also so nice to see your face when I was retiring my jersey.
Miss Davis—I mean, Miss Jackson—thank you for protecting me.
Qayyah and Yirah, I love you even though you wake me up too early to go to the courts and play basketball. You have helped me sharpen my game and you’ve been my female friends at the court. Hope to see you in the WNBA!
Abby, Alexia, Destiny, and Nahla, thank you for being such wonderful friends and dealing with my big obsession with Fifth Harmony.
Thank you to all the members of my Springside Chestnut Hill Academy community who drove up to Williamsport, or came to a watch party, or the parade, or another event to cheer us on.
I am so grateful to all the people from Philly who drove all the way to Williamsport, came to watch parties, cheered us on, and created Taney-mania back home. I especially want to thank Mayor Nutter for being so supportive of me and my Taney teammates—from the watch party at City Hall to our welcome home celebration at LOVE Park to the victory parade.
It’s kind of unbelievable to know that so many people around the country rooted for us. Thank you to all of you, especially all the girls who I inspired and who now inspire me.
Thank you to all the MLB and WNBA teams and players who have motivated and spent time with me and my teammates, especially the Philadelphia Phillies.
What is left to say about Jackie Robinson?
Thank you for inspiring me to be my best, showing me how to ignore the bad things in life and listen to the good, for setting an example for how to be classy, and for teaching us how to steal home.
It always means a lot to know that someone who looks like you do and comes from where you come from can make it to the top. Marian Anderson, thank you for showing me what girls from South Philly can do, and for being a role model to show me how far you can go when people see your potential and open the door for you.
Thank you to Miss Mamie Johnson, for dreaming that I could one day be the first lady in the MLB. I never thought I would ever meet anyone like me, but then I met you. I am grateful for all your encouragement.
Thank you to the team at HarperCollins for believing that a girl like me would have something to say. Miss Pam, thank you for the pictures that you took of me in Washington—one of them is my background on my computer screen—and for helping me put my best foot forward. Miss Hilary, thank you for helping me organize my thoughts and find my voice in this book.
I don’t know very much about business yet, but thank you to my book agent, Larry Weissman; my manager, Dolores Robinson; my financial advisor, Edward Platcher; and my lawyers, Mark Aronchik and Jack Kinney, for managing it.
President and Mrs. Obama, I can’t believe I got to meet you and read with you. Thank you so much for the invitation and for spending time and encouraging me. It was a dream come true—actually, it was a dream I hadn’t even had yet. Mr. President, I’m ready for that game of H-O-R-S-E.