Sportsmanship at Its Finest

I usually don’t talk about sports as I believe most sports “stars” do not present the proper role models needed for today’s youths, however this story is the exception.

On Wednesday April 30, 2008 with two runners on base and a strike against her Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon stepped back up to the plate against Central Washington and did something she has never done before, hit a home run over the center field fence. But when she missed tagging first base the unthinkable happened.

While turning to tag up and continue on her way she suffered a debilitating knee injury causing her to collapse on the field. She crawled back to the plate, and tagged up, where the first base umpire notified her that by rule she would be called out if her teammates helped her, or a pinch runner could be called in and the home run would be called a single. A paradox ensued.

Then the unimaginable occurred:

"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.

Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.

The umpire said there was no rule against it.

So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky's legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg."

What makes this occurrence even more intriguing is that this act by the Central Washington players caused themselves to lose the game and be eliminated for the playoff race.

Giving up a win to help a fellow player, if that isn’t the epitome of sportsmanship I don’t know what is. Many of our “professional” athletes could take a lesson from these fine ladies.

Steroids, Baseball & Congress - Part II

While replying to Lt. Nixon's comments on my previous post about this subject I found my reply becoming so long that I decided it needed its own thread.

The good Lt. stated:

Seriously, steroids in Baseball, like that's something new. Next on the agenda for congress is probably something about video game violence. What do we pay these people for? Congress needs to get off their duffs and figure out funding.

Thanks LT.
I couldn't agree more.

Congress it seems regardless of party is infected with the disease of PC. It must only talk about issues and never really take them on for fear of failure.

Well I have news for you...I didn't elect anyone to represent me at the talking talk, I elected you to go to Washington and protect my views and fight for me, even if that means you fail in the process.

Congress will waste days at the hearings table wondering who had the audacity to lie to them, while you and the rest of our men and women in uniform begin to scrape for money to continue the fight and hard working defense contractors go home because their services are no longer being paid for.

Congress is crying about how the families and wounded of our serving men and women are being treated now, just wait until the tri-care employees aren't there for two or three weeks! If Congress was truly the august body it presents itself as being they would never waste our money on such stupid and non essential matters.

The Democratic Congress isn't a failure because of Republican obstructionism, they are a failure for the same reason the Republicans are, they are incapable of accepting the fact that they are nothing but two-bit hacks charading at being important. Denial is the first stage, and for decades they have never advanced any further, and for that: we the American people must suffer while they debate and whine.

Well, I'm tired of suffering because Congress is incompetent. I'm tired of paying more in taxes because Congress thinks its easier to charge us all for someone elses failure to thrive. I'm tired of listening to Congress talk and talk while men like Sgt. Stokely served and died for his country, so that "someone else wouldn't have to."

Congress is a failure, not the Democrats or the Republicans but Congress. If we can have term-limits for Presidents then by God we can have term-limits for Congressmen, and I don't want to hear any belly aching about how unconstitutional this idea is, its not, so get over it!

So that someone else wouldn't have to, that is a concept that Congress should take under their wing and run with, then maybe we won't have innocent shoppers being gunned down in shopping malls because they are too afraid to tackle the real issue, and they allow their fear of inanimate objects to drive their decision making process.

So that someone else won't have to die because they are incapable of funding our troops to the level they deserve and require, not only in theatre but also in garrison and after they've been wounded. Do you want universal health care, then lets start with our wounded warriors and ensure that we take care of them all the way to their grave at old age. Its despicable that Congress would turn their back on such fine men and women, who have given more of their lives and self than most in Congress ever has.

Congress will sit in judgement of people who are not deserving of judgement, and baseball will either be rewarded or punished by the fans. Congress should do us all a favor, pass a budget, go on recess and never come back!

Steroids, Baseball & Congress

So the Mitchell report (link to pdf on ESPN.com) is out, my thoughts: who cares.

If the League opted to look the other way for decades while its members broke the rules by which they were supposed to operate under, that's their issue.

The real question is, how can Congress find time to discuss this asinine issue while they can't get a budget out the door?

The failure of America played out in the soap opera that is sports.