The Rest of the Story

As promised, I will add the rest of the story to my last blog post just in case someone was unable to link to the website that covered the story. I hope you were. It is much more impactful than what I can write here. That being said here is the...

SPOILER ALERT! If you have not read the previous post about Good Sports, stop now and read that one first.

To recap, the story was of El Paso, Texas' Coronado high school's basketball team whose manager was mentally challenged.  Before the game, the coach, Peter Morales, had the manager, Mitchell Marcus, suit up and knew that tonight he would give the boy his chance. As the game neared the end, the team was 10 points ahead. The coach put the manager in and let him play. Unfortunately Mitchell missed throw after throw. Finally, with seconds left the ball went to the opposing team.

At that point the scenario changes.  Franklin High School Senior, Jonathan Montanez, gets the ball. Instead of throwing it to one of his teammates, he calls out Mitchell's name and throws him the ball. In the final seconds of the game Mitchell throws.....and the ball goes IN!

The stands erupt in cheers and students flood the floor. It can be noted here, that Coronado High School was still in the lead, and was going to win. But that really has nothing to do with the story.

• The coach was prepared to lose as long as Mitchell had his chance to shine.
• Jonathan Montanez was ready to step back to give another player the chance of a lifetime.
• The whole student body was ecstatic for Mitchell when he made the basket.

Sometimes it just feels great to step back and let someone else be the star. That's really the whole point of being a good sport, isn't it?

I Love a Good Sport

Teaching our kids to be good sports when playing games can be a difficult thing. Some kids are born to be naturally competitive and even people who aren't naturally driven to win, don't like to lose. Lately, the news too often covers parents who go a little crazy trying to urge their kids on in a game. So this month I was delighted to find two truly great examples of people being good sports.

The first was a contestant, Jean-Claude from Ottawa, Ontario, who was on The Price Is Right. On one of the challenges he was told that IF he won that game he would also be awarded a check for $20,000.00. Well, Jean-Claude guessed correctly, and when they presented him with the check he was almost overcome.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, his hands covering his face. Then he collected himself, and thanked Drew and the models presenting him with the prize. It was heart-warming to see such a grateful person. Fast forward to the end of the show.

Jean-Claude made it into the showcase and gave his estimate of the prize value. Jean-Claude was over by $5,000.00. (That automatically means he has lost.) The other contestant was nervous, but Jean-Claude kept saying "You're ok. You're good. You'll get it." And he stood back and clapped for her while Drew was revealing the value. When she won Jean-Claude could be heard shouting for her..."I told you it was good!" He shouted, he cheered, he whistled for her as she won the final showcase.

Jean-Claude wasn't just a good sport. He was truly grateful for his prize, but just as happy when he lost. He was a joy to watch.

The second story was totally different but even more heartwarming.

We have heard wonderful stories of coaches who put in bench warmers or even disabled kids for the final play. Usually they have a Cinderella ending where they make the final goal or basket. This story didn't play out that way.

Even though the team was ahead by 10 points when the coach put in the team manager, who was mentally challenged, his attempts at scoring time after time were futile. What happens next is where the story becomes beautiful, and where you meet a young man who understood true sportsmanship. I won't tell you the ending. Instead, click on the link to see it unfold.
http://www.kdcountry94.com/2013/02/27/good-news-high-school-basketball-player-passes-ball-to-mentally-challenged-player/

And just in case you can't make the link work my next post will give you the 'rest of the story'.

March Madness

March is here and if you are a basketball fan that means March Madness is about to begin. I am not a basketball fan and if you are reading this blog in hopes that it is about basketball, you might as well stop here and look elsewhere. In fact, to me there is probably nothing that could drive me to the bottle (vodka, that is) faster than February in Pittsburgh, except watching endless games of basketball in March. That is true March Madness for me.

However, March is also a rather schizophrenic month. For instance;

One day the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. That night I was star-gazing. The next morning I awoke to 7 inches of snow. It was still falling so hard I could hardly see the neighbors. By noon, the sun was shining. The sky was blue. The snow that had covered the deck railing had melted off. And the temperature was in the 40's. March Madness.

 Or the day it was 38 degrees outside. On the ground the snow was melting. In the air the snow was falling...Hard. Ten minutes later the sun was shining. March Madness.

The birds are feeling spring is in the air even if I can't find it. A bluebird has come to check out the birdhouse. A house sparrow has taken up residence. Papa Sparrow perches on top. Mama Sparrow sits inside, guarding the door. Papa Bluebird demands entrance. Flutters!...Twitters!...Squawks!; the Sparrrows prevail. The bluebirds fly off in a huff. March Madness.

The weather warms up. Across the street the snow has melted. A couple of women jog by in colorful, springy, outerwear and wave at me. I am bundled up in a sweatshirt, puffy vest, warm hat, giving my hydrangeas a spring trim. I have my snow boots on because the front of my house gets more shade than sun and I still have 3 inches of hard, crusty snow in my flower beds. March Madness?

In the midst of all this craziness today it is gorgeous! Sun! Blue Sky! 60's! Windows open! As Maggie and I go for a walk the breeze feels wonderful in my hair. Kids are all over the place.This is the kind of crazy I like! I love looking at how people dress on the first 'warm' day after living in the 20's. Shorts, T-shirts, flip-flops. Mind you, there are still piles of snow laying around. The ground is soggy and wet and cold. Who cares?

I'll just ignore the blizzard that Denver and the mid-west are getting today and that will pass through here in a couple of days. In March, you take what you get and join in the madness.