[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$futwLfpHuULKxinuB70AfVdN28Zkz2s0eVYVjY8Hbvcc":3,"$fnW759yu-wbR8bZHGQO8t4-mC_Vwubo7veXq089vrcRg":48},{"author":4,"tags":47},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":10,"bio_jsonld":11,"slug":45,"image_url":46},164660,"Lee May","L",9,"Lee May was an American baseball player born on March 23, 1943, in Birmingham.\n\nMay attended A. H. Parker High School in Birmingham, where his early years took shape before his career in professional baseball. He went on to play the sport at the highest level, building a life shaped by the game he pursued from a young age.\n\nHis death on July 29, 2017, in Cincinnati, closed a life that had moved between two cities — Birmingham, where it began, and Cincinnati, where it ended — with baseball running as a constant thread through the years between.\n\nThe arc of May's life, from his Birmingham upbringing through his years as a professional baseball player, reflects the trajectory of a man whose occupation defined much of his public identity. He remained a figure associated with the sport throughout his life, and it is as a baseball player that he is remembered.","Lee May was an American baseball player born on March 23, 1943, in Birmingham.",{"@graph":12,"@context":44},[13,21],{"@id":14,"name":6,"@type":15,"sameAs":16,"birthDate":18,"deathDate":19,"description":20},"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6514493","Person",[14,17],"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_May","1943-03-23","2017-07-29","American baseball player and coach",{"@type":22,"author":23,"headline":26,"isBasedOn":27,"mainEntity":28,"reviewedBy":29,"articleBody":9,"dateCreated":30,"dateModified":31,"additionalProperty":32,"creativeWorkStatus":43},"Article",{"name":24,"@type":25},"Editorial Team","Organization","Lee May — biography",[14,17],{"@id":14},{"name":24,"@type":25},"2026-05-25T03:21:35.650154+00:00","2026-05-25T03:38:01.607414+00:00",[33,37,40],{"@type":34,"value":35,"propertyID":36},"PropertyValue","Q6514493","wikidata",{"@type":34,"value":38,"propertyID":39},"1.000","factscore",{"@type":34,"value":41,"propertyID":42},"claude-sonnet-4-6","draftModel","AI-drafted, auto-published","https://schema.org","lee-may",null,[],{"quotes":49,"pagination":153},[50,63,76,87,98,109,120,131,142],{"id":51,"quote_text":52,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":54,"author":55,"source":56,"quote_tag":57,"commentary":46},2047544,"But I'll always be a Red at heart.",4,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[58],{"id":59,"tag":60},5034336,{"id":61,"tag_name":62},1456,"heart",{"id":64,"quote_text":65,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":66,"author":67,"source":68,"quote_tag":69,"commentary":75},2047528,"I never thought I'd make it. I had given up on it. I really appreciate it.",true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[70],{"id":71,"tag":72},5034324,{"id":73,"tag_name":74},4054,"appreciate","**The Backstory**\nThis quote is likely from Lee May, an American football player who played for the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles. Given the tone of humility and appreciation, it's probable that he said this in a post-game interview or press conference after overcoming adversity to achieve a significant milestone in his career.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat's striking about this quote is the juxtaposition of \"giving up\" on a goal with the subsequent expression of gratitude for achieving it. On the surface, it seems counterintuitive that someone who had lost hope would be thankful for success. However, this paradox reveals a profound truth: that the act of giving up can actually be a necessary step towards appreciating and valuing one's ultimate accomplishments.\n\n**How to Use This**\nWhen faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge or setback in your own pursuits, consider embracing a \"pre-appreciation\" mindset. Instead of waiting until you've achieved your goal to express gratitude, acknowledge the value of the journey itself and the lessons learned along the way. By doing so, you'll cultivate a sense of humility and appreciation that will ultimately enhance your experience of success.",{"id":77,"quote_text":78,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":54,"author":79,"source":80,"quote_tag":81,"commentary":46},2047514,"I never had a good game against him because, in catching, Ellie talked too much. I asked him, 'Please give me one at bat, but just don't talk.' He gave me one pitch, (then it was) back to the conversation.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[82],{"id":83,"tag":84},5034301,{"id":85,"tag_name":86},1486,"against",{"id":88,"quote_text":89,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":54,"author":90,"source":91,"quote_tag":92,"commentary":46},2047496,"That might have been the worst point of my life in baseball. I had never played with anybody but the Reds. We had gelled together and all of a sudden I got traded, kicked out of the house. It took a while to get over it.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[93],{"id":94,"tag":95},5034286,{"id":96,"tag_name":97},25207,"anybody",{"id":99,"quote_text":100,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":54,"author":101,"source":102,"quote_tag":103,"commentary":46},2047467,"It's easy to get caught up in the fanfare, and you can really see that a lot of people get into all of that. But it helps bring people to the church.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[104],{"id":105,"tag":106},5034258,{"id":107,"tag_name":108},13003,"bring",{"id":110,"quote_text":111,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":54,"author":112,"source":113,"quote_tag":114,"commentary":46},2047449,"It's like you're born into a family -- you get up there in age, you leave home, but you're always part of the family. So I guess I'll always be a Red at heart.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[115],{"id":116,"tag":117},5034239,{"id":118,"tag_name":119},290345,"age-and-aging",{"id":121,"quote_text":122,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":54,"author":123,"source":124,"quote_tag":125,"commentary":46},2047432,"Ellie was a kind, wonderful person. He never met a stranger. I don't have enough words, I don't have enough time, to explain the greatness of this guy.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[126],{"id":127,"tag":128},5034223,{"id":129,"tag_name":130},9673,"explain",{"id":132,"quote_text":133,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":54,"author":134,"source":135,"quote_tag":136,"commentary":46},2047416,"We turn the Georgia Dome into a huge church. ... It is a production.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[137],{"id":138,"tag":139},5034206,{"id":140,"tag_name":141},44241,"dome",{"id":143,"quote_text":144,"author_id":5,"source_id":53,"has_image":54,"author":145,"source":146,"quote_tag":147,"commentary":46},2047407,"We could hit. We had a problem with pitching. We had pitchers nobody else wanted. We would score a lot of runs, but we couldn't hold them.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":45,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":46},{},[148],{"id":149,"tag":150},5034197,{"id":151,"tag_name":152},12689,"hold",{"currentPage":154,"totalPages":154,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":155},1,10]