Cards' Barton emphasizes brains over baseball

St. Louis — They've heard it from parents and teachers, counselors and preachers.

On Friday afternoon, out of consensus that they simply can't hear it enough, the honor roll students at the Construction Career Center again heard the message about perseverance being its own reward.

This time, the gospel on the virtue of believing in one's self was delivered by Brian Barton, who — reflecting the ambitions of his audience — emerged from an urban environment to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering, a path he still sort of hopes will one day launch a career in the astronaut corps.

Barton told the students he has no illusions about why he, as opposed to any other 25-year-old success story off the streets of South-Central Los Angeles, should spend a portion of his day offering motivational advice.

"You know me as an outfielder for the Cardinals," he deadpanned, drawing a laugh from his audience at the charter school, governed by the Association of General Contractors of St. Louis and the St. Louis Public Schools.

Be that as it may, for a full half hour, baseball was reduced to subtext as Barton — one semester short of earning a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Miami — thrust education and the power of self-esteem into the center of the conversation.

"I had the same life coming up as you guys," said Barton, who entered Miami on an academic scholarship and proceeded to struggle through personal and athletic tribulations after arriving on campus. "I came up the same way, I'm no different than you are."

Tenth-grader Felix Cooley walked into the charter school's all-purpose room thinking that a Major League baseball player was, in fact, a lot different than him and his classmates.

Afterward, Cooley felt differently.

"He had to struggle just like we do, but he didn't let the bad stuff keep him down," said Cooley, planning on the college education that will lead him into a career in science engineering. "There's such a slim chance that any of us will be able to do everything we want. But when you hear someone who did it, it gives you hope."

To Gina Washington, the school's principal, Barton's message helped dispel the notion that beating overwhelming odds by becoming a professional athlete or entertainer is the truest path to success.

It's true, Barton said following an autograph session. "There's more than one road to get you to a goal," he said. "It's OK to get there by entertainment or by sports. But there are whole other avenues you can take and, no matter what you do, you have to use your brain, so you don't limit yourself to one thing."

Like most of his classmates, Cooley came to school Friday wearing a Cardinals shirt. He's a big baseball fan.

Still, he acknowledged, there was nothing in Barton's discourse that inspired a trip to the nearest indoor batting cage.

To the contrary, Cooley said, "It made me want to go to college."

(stltoday.com)bri