Good News

[browngirl]

So, when I got to work, this is the news item I had wanted to write about, because it was an all-too-rare piece of good news. My post is going to be much shorter and less cheery due to being bummed out by the last news item, but otoh that means I need this good news all the more.

During a softball game that would gain the winning team a shot at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University hit a three-run home run, but tore her ACL doing it. Because of the umpires' ruling that a pinch-runner would diminish the gains of her hit, two players from the opposing team (Mallory Holtman & Liz Wallace) carried Ms. Tucholsky around the bases, allowing her home run to fully count, and WOU to win the game.

Now that's sportsmanship.

*cheers them all on*

Comments

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

That? Is SO FUCKING AWESOME.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Yep. I blogged this last week; there's even more awesomeness to it than you mention: it was Tucholsky's first career home run (and she is a senior), and Holtman, who is an offensive recordholder, was the one who approached the umpires, allowing Tucholsky's HR to stand. (Original article on ESPN here)

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed, a great story of individual achievement on one side, and on great sportsmanship on the other.

And the topper, that the great sportsmanship was dismissed by the person doing it as "anyone would have done this" and you really, really wish you lived in a world where that is true (and who knows, maybe this is indeed the best of all possible worlds).

For those who haven't read the article, if the hitter had allowed someone else to run in her stead, then it would not have been counted as a home run. She would have been equally disqualified if any member of her team (including coaching and medical staff) had helped her around the bases ... so it was the opposing team who offered to carry her around so she'd score her one (and only) home run.

As the article says, if this was a Hollywood movie, you'd have a tough call whether that should have been the winning home run, or whether the other team should win for their sportsmanship (I won't spoil the ending!)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I posted about this on my own lj yesterday, because how can one not pass along something *that* good?

Turns out the umpire was incorrect. Because the ball was dead, the rules permit a pinch runner to run the bases for the hitter, with the homerun and three rbi credited to the hitter.

This has absolutely no bearing on the true sportsmanship and honor that those two young women (who had no idea it was the hitter's first ever homerun) demonstrated.

Holtman wants to be a coach. :)

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Cool. Nice to know what the rules really would've said :)

[flabosib.livejournal.com]

It is clear that those young ladies have already learned the most important--that we must help one another.

Yeah team!

[cellio]

That is awesome.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Indeed, I loved seeing this story! Made me all weepy with pride for them.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

w00t! That is awesome. I bet they loved doing it too.