Arkansas Online

Sportsmanship

Or sportsboyship, or sportsgirlship

IT WAS 2008 if faulty memory and not-so-faulty archives are right. A softball player at Western Oregon University did something she’d never done before. Not in high school or college. She swung her bat just right and the ball cleared the fence. Her first home run.

As Sara Tucholsky rounded first base, she collapsed with a knee injury. She crawled back to first, but couldn’t walk. The rules said she must circle the bases without help from teammates, or she’d be called out. As she kneeled there, in the dirt, her manager and the umps talked it over. It would be possible, they decided, to call in a pitch runner. But then the hit would be scored a single, not a home run.

Then two members of the opposing team, Central Washington University, spoke up. The infielders wanted to know if they could help Ms. Tucholsky around the bases. The umps decided they could.

The two infielders created a seat with their arms, and took their opponent to second base. Then to third. And by the time they got to home plate everybody was laughing and crying. And not just on the field.

The Western Oregon/Central Washington play still holds the first spot in our hearts for best sportsmanship ever. But a close second happened this past week; it’s making the rounds on TV, and not just ESPN. (We first heard of it on a broadcast network at 5:30 p.m. one evening.)

‘Twas a Little League game in Waco, Texas. The pitcher for Texas East sailed a pitch high and inside to an Oklahoma batter. The pitch knocked the helmet off the kid, and preteen Isaiah Jarvis hit the dirt. He gripped his head, shook it off, and the crowd cheered as he made his way to first.

But the pitcher for Texas East, Kaiden Shelton, was still on the mound and didn’t throw a pitch for a few minutes. It became apparent that the pitch had upset him. Completely.

So young Isaiah stepped off the bag and walked to the mound. And gave Kaiden a good hug.

“I wanted to go over there and spread God’s love and make sure that he’s OK, and make sure that he knows that I’m OK and that I’ll be OK,” he told CNN. Sometimes we weep for the future. And sometimes we are satisfied that all will be right.

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2022-08-11T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-11T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.arkansasonline.com/article/282299618944909

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