Updated 4:42 p.m. ET, Wed., April. 30, 2008
PORTLAND, Ore. - With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.
But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.
She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.
Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count — an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.
Wow...The rest of the story is available via the link below.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/...
I am a middle school soccer coach who has stressed to my players for many years what it means to be a good "sport" as well as a team player.
Stories like this make me happy from the standpoint of its good to see the basic goodness of humanity in ordinary people.
Now..This started me thinking about politics. A bit of background.
I am a 43-year-old white male catholic, who was non-religious while being raised, but became a Catholic 11 years ago. I was raised in the south (Florida) by two white parents, neither who completed college. Both of my parents are from the mid-west, my Dad from Ohio, my Mom from Kentucky, but we moved to Florida when I was 3.
I enjoyed the American dream, and with loans and hard work. I have a college degree, and now drive over 100 miles every day to teach math in a poor, rural community as a teacher. I could make more money if I did not make this drive and found a job locally, but I feel very fulfilled at the end of everyday. I worked with children. I made a difference in someone’s life today.
Politicians should learn that winning is not everything, but making a difference in someone’s life is. Regardless of the outcome between the two democrats, I am voting in November for the Democratic nominee.
The point of this entire diary is this:
I am a former registered Republican. Yep. For 8 years, from 1986-1995. In 1996, I returned to the Democratic party of my early voting days, and decided that although I was not always happy with the outcomes & policies when Democrats ran things, it was better than when Republicans ran things.
Last year I, along with a few of my friends made a vow. We had been arguing about different candidates, as we had so many choices for the democratic nomination early on, that it was really 6 people at a dinner party, supporting 6 different candidates. WOW.
We agreed to disagree on who was the ‘best", and in a cold, rational moment agreed OUR team, was better than the other team. We also agreed that no matter what, we would support our team.
I am asking everyone to consider this and I am NOT asking you to change your preference. Heck, I was the John Edwards supporter in our group. I still am. But, the other team (Republicans) is not a team with good sports like in the story. They will do anything to win. Period.
Hillary Clinton is not my choice in November. Barack Obama is not my choice in November. One of them WILL have my vote.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.