Imagine being a professional baseball player and not being able to hear the crowd cheer, the crack of the bat, or even the umpire calling balls and strikes right behind you. If you can imagine that, you will begin to understand what life is like on the field for Curtis Pride, outfielder for the Detroit Tigers. Born 95 percent deaf, he played 95 games for the Tigers in 1996 and batted an even .300. The young outfielder is living proof that it is possible to overcome obstacles, even when other people tell you it's not.

Growing up

Growing up deaf

Curtis John Pride was born December 12, 1968, in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his mother, Sallie, a registered nurse, and his father, John, a consulting firm executive. When Pride was 5 months old, his parents began to worry that their son was not responding to the sounds around...