The Success So Far Is No Success At All

The moment our hands met for a handshake, I knew Aaron Judge and I were going to be good friends.

And in fact, we were.

“Family is everything to me. Same for you, right?”

“Absolutely. Family comes first.”

“Knew you'd say that.”

It's a widely known fact, but Aaron Judge was adopted just two days after he was born.

Judge's parents, Wayne and Patty Judge, were wonderful people who held humility and restraint as their virtues, and before Aaron, they had taken in one other adopted child as well.

A man named John Judge, who was born in Korea and, to this day, still works there.

The reason Judge was the first to send me a DM and willingly extended his hand in friendship probably owed a great deal to that background.

“Korea is special to our whole family.”

“For me too. I try to honor Korean traditions.”

“That's a very good thing.”

“Roots matter, after all.”

“See? You and I just get each other.”

“Haha.”

When I heard a superstar was throwing a dinner and cocktail party, I expected something extravagant, so the complete opposite of that was a refreshing surprise.

Present here were Aaron Judge's family and relatives, along with a handful of Yankees players and friends.

The atmosphere remained warm and familial from start to finish.

“Come watch one of my games sometime.”

“I absolutely will. How about you come see one of mine? I can get you a bowl game ticket or even a National Championship ticket.”

After he answered that he'd do it for sure if our schedules lined up, we deepened our rapport with all kinds of conversation.

“You'd have made it in baseball too, you know.”

“Hard to say.”

“What do you mean? You were what, thirteen? Weren't you already throwing 99 back then? That's flat-out insane. I'm telling you, you'd have been comfortably hitting 107.”

“And then my elbow would have exploded.”

“Looking at your build, I'm not so sure about that?”

Aaron Judge is a genuinely enormous man.

But I'm no pushover in that department myself.

Judge, after running his hands over my shoulders and forearms, said I'd clearly have been something special as a baseball player too, and that I might even have pulled off a two-way career like Shohei Ohtani, pitching and hitting both.

Hmm—

He was probably right.

If I'd truly followed a whim into baseball, I would have without question done both—pitcher and hitter.

And what would my life have looked like then?

A rather entertaining thought.

“Heeey. Don't you two think you're hogging each other a little too much?”

“Haha. You remember Tony, right?”

“I do.”

“No idea what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you two are talking about, but I want in.”

The man claiming the empty chair right beside us was a player named Anthony Rizzo.

He'd come over to the Yankees this year, and the two of them had apparently become best friends almost instantly. The catalyst? They both owned dachshunds.

“What about you? Any thought of getting a dog?”

“If I put down roots somewhere, I'm considering it.”

“Hope that somewhere's New York.”

Come on— Aaron. That's a curse.”

“Why? It's close and it's great.”

For the record, back in high school, Aaron Judge received football scholarship offers from Stanford, UCLA, Notre Dame, and more.

Entering high school, Judge was already a conspicuous kid at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, and he tried out at quarterback for the football team before ultimately settling in as a wide receiver.

In his own words, as he tells it now:

“I was genuinely terrible at throwing a football.”

“It is a different animal from baseball.”

“Right. You'd know all about that.”

Reminiscing on old times, Aaron Judge had become a player etched into Linden High School's history books by the time he was a senior.

Having grown into 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, Judge made his name as the biggest, thickest wide receiver in the region.

The team's quarterback simply looked for Judge and threw.

He recorded 969 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in a single season—on just 54 catches.

“This was the play we ran the most.”

Whenever the offense entered the red zone, Judge—who lined up beside the O-line like a tight end—would simply slide off and slip into the end zone.

Then the quarterback only had to loft the ball high, and Judge, who was also the best basketball player in the school, would rise up with an easy leap and make it his.

Football must have been awfully easy for him.

Just like it was for me.

“Now let's hear about you, Tony.”

“Me? I never had athletic gifts like you two. Basketball, I couldn't even dribble right, and football was a pipe dream. I've always hated being in pain, honestly. Baseball was the only thing for me, all the way back.”

“And yet somehow you're still worse than me. There's the catch.”

“You son of a—get out of here!”

Watching the two of them banter so comfortably, I found myself wondering who I'd end up hanging out with like this once I made it to the NFL.

As a quarterback I'd naturally grow close with the O-linemen across the board, but I figured I'd still have a best friend somewhere in there.

Of course, before any of that, I'd have to get drafted first.

Aaron Judge told me to come to New York, but I hoped—sincerely—that the day I came to this city would never arrive.

Though if I was chosen, that would be that.

“Want a slice of pie-na?”

“What on earth is that accent?”

“That's Parkland, Florida dialect!”

“Bullshit. No such thing exists.”

“Haha. No, no. First time I've ever tried it.”

“DUDE!! You're supposed to be on MY side!!”

Am I ever glad I came.

It seems that today, I've picked up two good friends.

December 10, 2021 — New York City, United States. The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue.

“Is it too much?”

“No. It's perfect.”

“Good.”

My Heisman ceremony outfit today was a striking red suit provided by Armani.

A white shirt matched with a black bow tie to bring out Georgia's team colors, and over it all, the necklace Quavo had gifted me at the SEC Championship.

So this is what it ends up being used for.

And here I thought I'd never wear it in my life.

You really can't jump to conclusions about anything.

“Ta-da! What do you think?”

“Absolutely handsome.”

“Auntie, does it look okay to you?”

“The necklace sticks out a bit, but the suit's red, so it works. What shoes are you wearing?”

“Armani for those too.”

I set the black shoes down beside me.

Then I picked up the shoehorn.

“Flawless.”

“YES!”

Mom gave the seal of approval, then my aunt followed suit, and when Dad emerged from the bathroom, he gave a satisfied thumbs-up.

“I like that it carries Georgia's colors.”

“Yep—that's exactly why I went with Armani.”

“You had other options?”

Of course.

Naturally.

For players invited to the Heisman ceremony, or attending the green room on day one of the NFL Draft, countless brands come flooding in with sponsorship offers.

Both are among the biggest, most-watched events in the entire country, so the advertising value wrung out of a single outfit is enormous.

Which is why, when Trevor Lawrence politely declined the green room invitation last year and announced he'd watch the draft from home, I hear quite a few companies were left sorely disappointed.

“The car will be here in twenty minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ever since I went to the airport around two in the afternoon to pick up my family, I'd been getting ready here the whole time.

A hairstylist had even come by to do my hair.

“Much cleaner. Suits you. You should wear it like this more often.”

“I'll take that under advisement. By the way, where's Kala?”

“Sleeping in the back room, I'd guess?”

“Shouldn't we start waking her up soon?”

Probably because she hadn't gotten used to flying yet, Kala always took long naps whenever we came to the mainland.

Dad went into the bedroom, woke her, and carried her out into the living room in his arms, and Mom immediately took my little sister off to the bathroom.

“…You've really become a full-blown star, haven't you.”

“Huh? Where'd that come from?”

“Oh, nowhere. Just felt that way looking at you.”

“Auntie, have you thought about coming out to the mainland yourself?”

“Why would I?”

“I'd support you. I mean it.”

“Well, that's reassuring. I'll think about it.”

“You absolutely should.”

“Hehe.”

Given my aunt's age, this would be her last real chance to come to the mainland and do something with it.

She's long since overcome those painful memories from the past, and frankly, letting her talents sit idle would be a waste.

More than anything, these days I might well be on the mainland too, and as my fame grows, anyone trying to treat her carelessly is going to find it a great deal harder.

And if she chose not to come, I'd understand that too.

Hawaii really is a wonderful place to live.

Recently, I launched a crowdfunding drive to protect the coral reefs surrounding the island of Hawaii, and it hit its $1 million goal in just three hours, letting me complete the donation outright.

Even after coming to the mainland, this is how I keep chipping away for my home whenever I find the time.

“They say the car arrives in five minutes.”

“One moment. Mom!”

Mom brought Kala out of the bathroom, all dolled up in record time, and after taking my little sister off her hands, I waited for my parents and aunt to finish getting ready for the ceremony venue.

Before long, my aunt, who finished first, stepped outside.

“Doesn't this make us look like some rich family?”

“We ARE rich, Auntie.”

“Hahahaha!”

After standing in front of the mirror with my aunt and snapping a few photos together, we all filed out of the room and walked toward the elevator.

The venue for the ceremony was Jazz at Lincoln Center.

About a ten-minute drive from here.

When we came down to the lobby and stepped out of the building, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a large black limousine was waiting up front.

“You've been riding in style a lot lately.”

“You'll see a lot more of it going forward.”

The success I'd had so far wasn't success at all.

Naturally. Of course it wasn't.

The limousine carrying our family pulled slowly away from the hotel, and I gazed out at the familiar New York streets, looking forward to a wonderful night.

And a few hours later—

“The winner of the 2021 Heisman Memorial Trophy is…”

“Dwayne Moi Stone.”

Before a crowd of the greatest Heisman winners in history and the entire football establishment, I became the Heisman Trophy's centerpiece for the second consecutive year.

December 13, 2021 — Detroit, Michigan, United States. Brad Holmes's house.

Being booked as a Monday guest on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show carries a special weight in America.

The Tonight Show, with a history stretching back nearly seventy years, has hosted only those recognized as the very best in their field, and a handful of legendary football players have received the invitation as well.

But tonight, Dwayne Moi Stone became the first Heisman winner in the show's history to appear on the Tonight Show while still a college student.

It was nearly midnight, and in a darkened living room, Detroit's general manager Brad Holmes sat with his eyes locked on the TV.

【“So, you've been waking up around 4 a.m. every single day since you were a kid? To go to school?”】

【“That's about the size of it.”】

【“How on earth did you manage that?”】

【“Welcome to Hawaii.”】

In the days since Saturday's Heisman ceremony, the internet had wrapped Dwayne Moi Stone in the most dazzling of packaging.

Heralded as the most expensive college sports star in history, the price tag attached to his valuation started at a minimum of $200 million.

Third in national jersey sales for 2021.

A record spanning both the pros and amateurs.

And on tonight's Tonight Show, as the sole guest, Dwayne Moi Stone was showing a side of himself far removed from all that glamour—the unadorned face of an islander.

He spoke about his unusual heritage as a three-quarters Korean Samoan, his thoughts on family, and centered the conversation on life in Hawaii.

His agency had probably requested the direction from the network to shape the script, but either way, the public was about to erupt over it yet again.

Americans have a tendency to go absolutely wild—a hundredfold more—when a college sports star turns out to be humble and unpretentious.

Bzzz—

“?”

The phone resting on the small side table beside the sofa rang, and Brad Holmes turned his head and reached for it.

The sender was the team's president, Rod Wood.

Brad Holmes fired off a brief reply, fixed his eyes on the TV once more, and kept his ear tuned to Dwayne Moi Stone's voice.

【“My family is my everything.”】

Listening to the story, Brad Holmes thought.

How large was the Korean community in Detroit, anyway?

The support that Korean residents and Korean-American immigrants across the U.S. held for Dwayne Moi Stone was absolute.

Bzzz—

Having checked Rod Wood's message a second time, Brad Holmes chose to ignore it rather than reply.

Not that it mattered.

But just as Rod Wood said, it felt like a flawless plan—the way Detroit had chosen to tank this year and aim for a rebound beginning next season.

Ever since they'd first begun sketching the acquisition of Dwayne Moi Stone a year ago, Detroit had drawn up the blueprint of landing the Georgia quarterback not through tanking in 2022, but in 2021.

Thanks to that, Detroit currently held the most tradable picks for the 2023 Draft, and had also banked as assets both young, capable players and a near-franchise quarterback in Jared Goff.

Detroit intended to complete the rebuild by trading for the 2023 first overall pick.

Built on a base of at least nine draft picks (first- through third-rounders spanning 2023 to 2025), they were prepared to throw in the young players drafted this year and next, plus whatever additional assets they secured in next year's free agency market.

No one knew which lucky team would clutch the first overall pick next year, but unless it was a division rival, refusing that package would be all but impossible.

Moreover, Detroit had already brought in Dan Campbell—whose ability had been proven in New Orleans—and stood ready to mold the team into the NFL's most fearsome offense.

They were sitting at a dismal 1-10-1 after losing to Denver the day before, yet even with the thin roster, flashes of brilliance were beginning to show.

Our direction is right.

Brad Holmes, one hundred percent certain of the team's plan and vision, painted a picture of the franchise's leap beginning in 2023.

Even the imagining of it sent a shiver running through his whole body.

【“You're also famous for dating a lot of women, you know. You've been out with famous TikTok and Instagram personalities, haven't you? What's your type? Are you the hard-to-settle-down kind?”】

【“I'll go ahead and let people think so, for now.”】

Photos of the women reportedly linked to Dwayne Moi Stone flashed across the screen, and as cheers and whistles crossed back and forth from the speakers, Brad Holmes decided that this side of him wasn't so bad either.

Dating beautiful women was, in a way, one demonstration of a man's confidence and capability.

Most astonishing of all, for all those famous celebrities and internet stars he'd been linked with, not a single scandal had ever surfaced.

It was an uncomfortable truth, but football was the league where assaults related to women, along with drunk driving and speeding offenses, occurred more frequently than in any other sport.

None of it could be excused with any words, and none of it should be forgiven—but with male hormones surging the way they did, such incidents kept happening.

Which was why the league itself suffered for it.

【“This might sound corny, but I believe in a destined person. Someday I'll meet someone I truly love and can make happy. I mean it. That's what I grew up watching at home, you see. My grandfather, and my father. Both of them told me: a man's worth shows when he treats a woman like a gentleman.”】

Thanks to Dwayne Moi Stone revealing all these sides of himself the public had never known, the internet was burning hot once again.

Within it, there were good takes.

And bad ones.

And, of course, pointless trolls too.

But one thing was certain: this moment would cement the public's habit of calling the 2023 NFL Draft the Moi Draft.

Past midnight, as the date turned—it was now early Wednesday morning.

Brad Holmes was still watching the TV.