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For Rays All-Star Chris Archer, the road to success began with rejection

ST. PETERSBURG — The fire that burns so deep within Chris Archer, the one that grows bigger and hotter and brighter with each step he takes during his career was lit long ago on a spring afternoon when he was told he was not good enough to make his seventh grade baseball team.

Crushed, Archer returned home and turned to his dad, Ron, for help.

“Is there anything you can do to get me on that team,” Chris asked.

“Son,” Ron replied, “we’re Archers, and we work for what we earn.”

Soon, Donna Archer found herself driving her son to every game the seventh grade team played that season.