BY LEON B. CREWS

Sentinel Staff Writer

Elijah Dukes said when he was a teenager, and his father went to prison, that was the beginning of a series of bad decisions and displaced anger that cost him a career as a Major League ball player.

“Everyone knows about the problems I’ve had, and I know a lot of people have written me off. There was one person, however, who never gave up on me, and that person is God.

Dukes said right now, he’s trying to get more involved with his five children, coaching, and giving back to the community.

“I’m ready to move forward with my life, and I understand I must live by the laws of the land like everyone else.

“I’ve started attending church, and for the first time, I’ve had time to concentrate on what I need to do to get my life together.”

Dukes said he’s getting back into baseball, and trying to create a stress free life for himself and his children.

“We all have rules to follow, and everything will be fine if we can do that. I have matured tremendously over the past 10 years, and now that I’m able to take a step back, this is the time for me to be a father to my children.

“What I was going through with the mothers of my children caused me to withdraw from them, and that should have never happened. Now, I understand I can be a part of their lives in spite of the differences I may have with their mother.”

Dukes said as far as professional baseball is concerned, it’s on the back burner right now, but not totally out of the picture.

“I’m still young and in great shape. I plan to take a year to get things cleaned up in my life so I can move forward without all the stress.

“I realized I was my own worst enemy, and now I plan to stop that.”

Dukes has reunited with one of his former trainers, Joe Troupe, and he is mentoring Troupe’s son as a baseball player.

“I appreciate what Joe did for me with the opportunity to play professional baseball. Everything that happened after that was my own doing.”

Dukes said his siblings and mother are all riding with him in this growing process, and they’ve started communicating better.

“It’s been a real plus in my life that I can actually talk to them face-to-face now instead of over the phone.

“I realized I had pushed away from my family, and all they were trying to do is offer me support. With all I’ve been through, they’ve been there for me from the beginning to the end.”

Dukes said they are more personal now, and have the utmost respect for each other. He said he also understands that at the end of the day, family is all you have, so they should be the last people you turn away from.

“I’ve always respected my elders and family, and I plan to keep it going.

“Right now, I’m working on creating an organization called ‘Serving Wisdom In New Generations’ (SWING). I want to bridge the gap between the church and the community, because I feel our clergy have not done their part in rescuing our children.

“We need the wisdom of our elders, so we need them to get more involved with the youth so they can develop a personal relationship, and teach them to hold themselves accountable for the mistakes they make.”

Dukes plans to offer free baseball camps, tutoring, children activities, and a  youth ministry in the future, but said he will need the support of everyone to make it happen.

“We need to raise awareness that our young people are not alone, and there are people out there who want to help them. I’ll go door-to-door if I need to, because it’s that important to me and them.

“I want to help kids work through their problems, especially the ones at home, and teach them to love and care about each other.”

Dukes said he hopes that what he did in the past, will help kids having problems relate to him better.

“When they see I’ve made the same mistakes they’re making, I can show them what’s in their future, and turn them around.

“I want the kids to understand they have choices, and teach them how to make the right ones.”