All The Right Moves (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1: The Moment

The year was 1993, and America was changing. Bill Clinton had just been elected president. Rap stars Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre were climbing the music charts. Jurassic Park was the top movie of the year, earning millions of dollars. The Sony PlayStation had been released. In sports, Michael Jordan was leading the Chicago Bulls to the NBA championship. The Dallas Cowboys had just won the Super Bowl.

The changing face of America could best be seen from the streets of "The Big Apple." New York City has always been the center of sports, politics, and entertainment. In the early 1990s, a man named David Dinkins was serving as mayor. He was the first African American in the city's history to hold that office. Mayor Dinkins had won the election by defeating Rudy Giuliani. One day Mr. Giuliani would also be elected mayor.

During that same year, 1993, many things were happening. A producer from New York was forming a new record company. His name was Sean "Puffy" Combs, and he was twenty-four years old. He named his new company Bad Boy Records. Soon, Puffy's main artist, Notorious B.I.G., became a big star.

Superstars--in all fields--seem to have something in common. It's like a fire that burns brightly inside them. They are determined to achieve their goals. These people work hard to develop their skills. They refuse to give up until they come out on top. In New York, that's known as "making it big."

In 1993, things were also starting to happen for a young man named Najee McGreen. One day he would also be "making it big." Najee lived in a small house in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Although he was only five years old, this star was already beginning to shine...

"Whatcha' doing, Dad?" Najee asked, walking into the kitchen. In his hand was a toy train that he had built with Legos. Najee was always playing with Legos. He loved building things and pretending they were real.

Najee's father, Kofi McGreen, was sitting at the kitchen table. After a long day at work, he was relaxing with a hot cup of coffee. He was reading a magazine. Mr. McGreen smiled, placing his young son up on his lap. "I'm reading an article about a game called chess. I've never actually played it, but it sounds like fun."

Najee looked at the magazine, which had a color photo of a chessboard. The black and white pieces looked really cool. Mr. McGreen saw that Najee was interested, so he started reading aloud from the magazine. The article talked about the history of chess and how the game is played. As his father spoke, Najee couldn't stop staring at the photo of the chessboard. He was drawn to it in a way that was impossible to explain.

Mr. McGreen told Najee that chess is a game of strategy. Pieces are allowed to move in specific ways. For example, a pawn can only move forward. It happens to be the least important piece on the board. The knight is the one piece that is allowed to jump over other pieces. The object of chess is to move pieces forward. Along the way, a player tries to capture his opponent's pieces. Finally, a player tries to corner and trap his opponent's king. When a king is trapped and has nowhere to move, this is known as checkmate. That's how a player wins the game.

A game of chess is a tough battle, similar to a war. However, there are no tanks, long-range missiles, B-52 Bombers, or hand grenades. Chess is a game that is played with the mind.

Najee had been listening carefully as his father spoke. With a determined look on his face, he asked, "Can we play?"

"Sure, follow me," Mr. McGreen replied with a smile. He seemed to remember that he had once been given a chessboard as a gift. He wondered if it might be in the closet, along with the other board games.

Mr. McGreen reached up to the top shelf of the closet. He pulled down the Scrabble set, the Monopoly board, and a deck of cards. Finally, he found what he was looking for. Blowing the dust off a brand new, tiny chess set, he handed it down to Najee. Taking off like a rocket, Najee ran to the living room and began opening the game. Mr. McGreen laughed and joined his son.

Fifteen minutes later, Mr. McGreen was trying to understand the directions. He had set the board up with the pieces in the correct positions. Finally, he started reading aloud. He explained what each piece was called and how it was allowed to move. Najee, meanwhile, stared at the chessboard like it was a long-lost friend. As his father spoke, Najee nodded his head. He just understood.

It's not hard to imagine Derek Jeter holding a bat in his hand for the first time. Picture Spike Lee looking through his first camera lens . . . or Peyton Manning tossing his first pass. Like Tiger Woods ripping his very first drive, or Oprah conducting her first interview, another natural--Najee McGreen--was holding a chess piece in his hand for the first time.

"This is my move," Najee declared, pushing the white pawn forward.

Mr. McGreen said, "That's a very good opening move, Najee. Okay, my turn." He took one of his black pawns out from its starting position and advanced it forward. He picked up the directions so that he could help Najee make his next move. Before he could say anything, though, Najee made another move.

"Hold on, Najee. I'm not sure you're allowed to move that piece there," Mr. McGreen said. Looking at the directions, he was shocked to find out that Najee's move was legal. It was also a very good move. "How did you know to do that?"

"I don't know," Najee answered. "It just seemed to make sense to bring my knight out to protect the pawn." Mr. McGreen had explained the rules to Najee one time only. That was all it had taken. Najee had listened, and remembered them.

Mr. McGreen shook his head and smiled. Using the directions as a guide, he made his next move. Again, Najee wasted no time before making another move. Mr. McGreen couldn't believe it. How could a five-year-old be so good at a complicated game he had just learned? It simply didn't make sense.

Mr. McGreen would soon find out the answer to this question. This had been the moment when greatness first showed itself. It's likely that every star has a "moment" at some point in his or her life. For Najee McGreen, this was that moment.

But moments come and go. There are no shortcuts to success. Having a dream is a great beginning. After that, it's all about dedication, determination, and hard work--that's what "making it big" is all about.