Oct 26, 2007 10:08 pm US/Eastern
Ellsbury's Parents Proud Of Son Living His Dream
by Lisa Hughes
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
This World Series is a very special series for the parents of a rising star with the Red Sox who has won the hearts of Red Sox Nation.
Jacoby Ellsbury's biggest fans have been watching him his whole life.
"We just told him to be the best that he could be at what he was doing," said Ellsbury's father, Jim Ellsbury. "We played baseball when he was 3 years old."
"He'd have me film when he was throwing the ball. He wanted to see what techniques were working and not working," said Ellsbury's mother, Margie Ellsbury.
"Parents would say, 'The season's over. Thank god!' We didn't want it to end. I loved every minute of him playing," Jim Ellsbury said. "What else is there as a parent? It's exciting."
They love that he's living his dream.
"I have a passion for baseball, and to see my son playing in the World Series is unbelievable," Jim Ellsbury said "As a rookie, it's even more spectacular."
He's also making history.
Jacoby Ellsbury is the first Navajo to play in the major leagues.
His aunt carried a banner all the way from his native Oregon from the Head Start Class on the Warm Springs reservation.
"A lot of the northwest Native Americans are really proud of him," Margie Ellsbury said. "He knows he's a good representative for the Indian nation, I guess."
And for Red Sox Nation. The Ellsburys leave Boston with great stories for friends back home.
"I just tell them that they haven't been to a baseball game until they've been to one at Fenway Park," Margie Ellsbury said. "When they cheer, it's deafening. It's huge."
Even as a toddler, Ellsbury had his eye on the ball.
"When he was 2 years old, a teacher asked the kids what they wanted to be. He told the kids he wanted to be a professional baseball player," Jim Ellsbury said. "They laughed. He got the last laugh, I guess."
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