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wolves111

Poignant Sports Moment and Finding Perspective

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Thought you might like to read a sports story with real meaning written by a Dad.

Normally people will send me an email with a good old fashioned clean joke, but not this morning. Read this as you won't regret it. Two Choices, What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice? At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.' Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As he pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'. Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces. If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process? A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them. May your day, be a Shay Day. MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE 

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There's a competitive game going on with established teams and team uniforms and people cheering in the stands and they just let some kid walk in off the street and join a team in the 8th inning--and it's all up to the boys on the field, no coaches, no adult supervision anywhere to be found?

I call nonsense.  It was all made up to get likes and shares and make people feel like human beings really aren't the evil selfish little creatures that we really are.

And if nothing else, his premise is flawed--

22 minutes ago, wolves111 said:

When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection.

Most random mutations are not beneficial and do not help organisms evolve to a higher state--most random mutations are detrimental to the survival of the organism.

And I'm not sure what would even qualify as "outside influences"; even alien creatures would still be a part of the universe's "nature."

AND... this is a football board, not a Little League board.

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11 minutes ago, jrokh said:

Cliff notes?

Little League Team lets a disabled kid join their team in the middle of the 8th, and the other team throws the game just to make him feel special.

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2 hours ago, AxeElf said:

Little League Team lets a disabled kid join their team in the middle of the 8th, and the other team throws the game just to make him feel special.

Oh didn’t South Park do an episode like that?

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17 minutes ago, jrokh said:

Oh didn’t South Park do an episode like that?

I don't know, I don't watch South Park, but if they did, it would probably be more believable.

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3 hours ago, AxeElf said:

I don't know, I don't watch South Park, but if they did, it would probably be more believable.

You really are a cowardly, piece of .

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6 hours ago, jrokh said:

Oh didn’t South Park do an episode like that?

No, Randy Marsh got in a fight at the state championship game and got the team DQed, so kind of the opposite 😄

They were all trying to lose though because they thought playing little league was boring

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On 6/13/2022 at 12:19 PM, jrokh said:

Cliff notes?

The dad tells a b.s. story to try and make a point about "look at me, as this is how the world should operate".

I don't think for a second that story is true.  To be fair, I stopped reading at the conclusion of the first paragraph of "the story".

 

Update... I went back and read the whole thing, then saw what @Axe Elf wrote and I was shocked.  I think it's the first time I agreed with everything he said.  See that, miracles to happen.  Makes me re-think the story being b.s.  Well, not really.

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I dont care if its BS or not.  

Its a nice story.   and if more people had this kind of compassion for their fellow man this world would be a better place.

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Would the world REALLY be a better place if you paid $600 for your tickets to the Chiefs game in Vegas, and the Chiefs were up 23-10 in the 4th quarter, but then Vegas scored a TD and got the ball back with a minute to go, and they put in this kid from the stands who had leukemia and probably wouldn't live to see Christmas, just so he could live his dream of playing in an NFL game, and they give him the ball and the Chiefs are all diving on the ground and missing him on purpose so that he scores the winning TD and then the Raiders carry him off on their shoulders.

If only the world was more like that...?

  • Haha 1

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On 6/13/2022 at 7:57 AM, wolves111 said:

Thought you might like to read a sports story with real meaning written by a Dad.

Normally people will send me an email with a good old fashioned clean joke, but not this morning. Read this as you won't regret it. Two Choices, What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice? At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.' Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As he pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'. Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces. If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process? A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them. May your day, be a Shay Day. MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE 

God did Bless everyone, God sacrifice His Son Jesus. Now it’s up to each individual to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  

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1 hour ago, AxeElf said:

Would the world REALLY be a better place if you paid $600 for your tickets to the Chiefs game in Vegas, and the Chiefs were up 23-10 in the 4th quarter, but then Vegas scored a TD and got the ball back with a minute to go, and they put in this kid from the stands who had leukemia and probably wouldn't live to see Christmas, just so he could live his dream of playing in an NFL game, and they give him the ball and the Chiefs are all diving on the ground and missing him on purpose so that he scores the winning TD and then the Raiders carry him off on their shoulders.

If only the world was more like that...?

Would be nice to see more goodness in this world today, I hope to see that happen. 

Good story.  

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I have a story that is almost as heartwarming as that.

One day me and some friends were in the back of our restaurant shooting some dice on our break when a father and son approached.  The father asked if his son could play.  I told him it was a $100 to shoot.  To my surprise he threw down a c-note and we passed him the dice.  The son had a bit of a hard time throwing picking up the dice.  It looked like he was disabled in some way, but I'll be damned if he didn't get those dice and shake em up shake em.  I could see the pride in his father as his son threw those bones.  And I tell you what.  That boy rolled a damn 7 entitling him to scoop the pot.  Our usual crew were dismayed until I realized neither the father nor the son knew the rules of craps, so I said, "Sorry you lose and grabbed all the money and went inside."  God truly blessed me that day.

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37 minutes ago, nobody said:

I have a story that is almost as heartwarming as that.

One day me and some friends were in the back of our restaurant shooting some dice on our break when a father and son approached.  The father asked if his son could play.  I told him it was a $100 to shoot.  To my surprise he threw down a c-note and we passed him the dice.  The son had a bit of a hard time throwing picking up the dice.  It looked like he was disabled in some way, but I'll be damned if he didn't get those dice and shake em up shake em.  I could see the pride in his father as his son threw those bones.  And I tell you what.  That boy rolled a damn 7 entitling him to scoop the pot.  Our usual crew were dismayed until I realized neither the father nor the son knew the rules of craps, so I said, "Sorry you lose and grabbed all the money and went inside."  God truly blessed me that day.

I don’t believe you.  Cause if I was that dad , I would have chased you down , and beat the 100 dollars out of you, and then told you how truly blessed I am today.  

 

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I forgot to mention that everyone in the restaurant was chanting my name when I came went back inside.  Unfortunately, I died that winter.

#BLESSED

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3 hours ago, AxeElf said:

Would the world REALLY be a better place if you paid $600 for your tickets to the Chiefs game in Vegas, and the Chiefs were up 23-10 in the 4th quarter, but then Vegas scored a TD and got the ball back with a minute to go, and they put in this kid from the stands who had leukemia and probably wouldn't live to see Christmas, just so he could live his dream of playing in an NFL game, and they give him the ball and the Chiefs are all diving on the ground and missing him on purpose so that he scores the winning TD and then the Raiders carry him off on their shoulders.

If only the world was more like that...?

A more personal example would be anyone on this bored telling @weepaws he made a great post…

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34 minutes ago, nobody said:

I forgot to mention that everyone in the restaurant was chanting my name when I came went back inside.  Unfortunately, I died that winter.

#BLESSED

So was the world.  

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20 minutes ago, jrokh said:

A more personal example would be anyone on this bored telling @weepaws he made a great post…

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, not here to make a great post, just here to be of some help.  

Thanks. 

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6 minutes ago, weepaws said:

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, not here to make a great post, just here to be of some help.  

Thanks. 

Great post Champ! You help everyone here every day. Don’t let anyone tell you any different Simple Jack…

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16 minutes ago, jrokh said:

Great post Champ! You help everyone here every day. Don’t let anyone tell you any different Simple Jack…

I know, and I don’t.  You’re welcome.  

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On 6/14/2022 at 4:24 PM, TBayXXXVII said:

The dad tells a b.s. story to try and make a point about "look at me, as this is how the world should operate".

I don't think for a second that story is true.  To be fair, I stopped reading at the conclusion of the first paragraph of "the story".

 

Update... I went back and read the whole thing, then saw what @Axe Elf wrote and I was shocked.  I think it's the first time I agreed with everything he said.  See that, miracles to happen.  Makes me re-think the story being b.s.  Well, not really.

See, you're not so different after all!  😄

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