My dad was passionate about baseball.
As a young boy, I remember listening to my dad telling stories about the year he played for the Detroit Tigers. As I mention in my book FINDING HOME, there are two reasons why it’s a bit difficult to prove whether or not Dad actually wore the Tiger’s uniform for a season.
First, he’s dead. This, of course, complicates asking him any follow-up questions on the subject.
The second issue has to do with my last name. My siblings and I have discovered that “Daly” may not, in fact, be our real last name. (Read the book for the more complete story!) That said, Dad was as good at playing the sport as he was passionate for the game.
For years my father coached Little League baseball. He taught my brothers, Mike and Dave, how to properly hit and field a ball. By the time I was old enough to play, however, he’d lost interest in showing me the ropes. We never even played catch. Still, I refused to let that keep me from trying out for the local Little League program. I discovered that I, too, enjoyed playing sports.
I share all of that background because I’m still a big sport fan. Baseball. Softball. Football. Hockey. You name it, I love watching or participating whenever I get the opportunity. Over the years, however, I’ve been bummed by the rash of abuses by athletes engaged in pro-ball: there’s illegal steroid usage by players; behind-the-scene betting on the outcomes of games; to alcohol-related abuses (such as driving under the influence). Toss in melees and shootings at strip clubs, to participating in dog fighting hobbies.
No wonder the sporting world’s image has been tarnished.
Which is why I was captivated by the drama that unfolded during a NCAA softball playoff about a week ago in Portland, Oregon. Here’s what happened. Sara Tucholsky, a senior at Western Oregon University, stood at the plate with two runners on base. Her team was trailing Central Washington University by a score of 2-1. She needed a big hit. She needed to bring home the runners. But she was down in the count. Swinging for the fence, Sara slammed the ball over the center-field fence for the first homerun of her career.
Sara’s three-run homer pulled her team ahead on the scoreboard 4-2. One problem. In her excitement, Sara failed to touch first base as she started to make her way around the infield. Doubling back to tag first base, she twisted her knee and crumpled on the dirt. The umpire ruled that if she couldn’t round the bases, a pinch-runner would be permitted. However, her homer would be reduced to a single.
That’s when an amazing display of sportsmanship stunned the crowd. First baseman Mallory Holtman, who happened to be the Great Northwest Athletic Conference career home run leader, asked the umpire if there was a rule against carrying Sara around the bases. That was a first. Evidently, the ump conceded there wasn’t a rule against it. The homerun would stand with their help.
Joined by shortstop Liz Wallace, Mallory and Liz carried the badly injured opponent around the diamond, stopping long enough for Sara to ease her good leg down to make contact with each base. Mallory told the Associated Press, “We started laughing when we touched second base. I said, ‘I wonder what this must look like to other people.'”
By the time the three ladies crossed home plate, the fans were weeping at the display of kindness. Keep in mind, Mallory and Liz’s act of goodwill meant their team would fall behind in the score – and eventually lose the game. It also meant that Central Washington was eliminated from advancing in the postseason playoffs.
Why did a competitive ball player like Mallory Holtman behave like a Good Samaritan in a playoff game? Mallory told USA TODAY“At the time, we never thought it would be that big a deal. It just seemed like something anyone would have done.” Really? I’d say she and Liz acted in an exceptional manner. Speaking with the Associated Press, Mallory adds, “In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much. It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run.”
I can’t help but recall the words of sports journalist Grantland Rice, who said, “It’s not that you won or lost but how you played the game.” Indeed. And, while Mallory’s decision to do the right thing ultimately cost her team the game, imagine what a different world this would be if each of us followed her lead.
By the way, you might enjoy watching the ESPN video piece, Touching Them All in which Sara, Mallory, and Liz add their perspective on that incredible day. {NOTE: Referral to Web sites not produced by Focus on the Family is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites’ content.)
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