WU softball players show compassion beyond sportsmanship
By George Vecsey
New York Times
Something remarkable happened in a college softball game Saturday in Ellensburg. At least, I am conditioned to think it was remarkable, since it involved an act of sportsmanship, with two players helping an injured opponent complete the home run she had just slugged.
Why this generous act should seem so unusual probably stems from the normal range of bulked-up baseball players, police-blotter football players, diving soccer and hockey players and other high-profile professionals.
The moment of grace came after Sara Tucholsky, a diminutive senior for Western Oregon, hit what looked like a three-run homer against Central Washington. Never in her 21 years had Tucholsky propelled a ball over a fence, so she did not have her home run trot in order, gazing in awe, missing first base. When she turned back to touch the bag, her right knee buckled, and she went down, crying and crawling back to first base.
Pam Knox, the Western Oregon coach, made sure no teammates touched Tucholsky, which would have automatically made her unable to advance. The umpires ruled that if Tucholsky could not make it around the bases, two runs would score but she would be credited with only a single. ("She'll kill me if I take it away from her," Knox thought.)
Then Mallory Holtman, the powerful first baseman for Central Washington, said words that brought a chill to everybody who heard them:
"Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?"
The umpires huddled and said it would be legal, so Holtman and the Central Washington shortstop, Liz Wallace, lifted Tucholsky, hands crossed under her, and carried her to second base, and gently lowered her so she could touch the base. Then Holtman and Wallace started to giggle, and so did Tucholsky, through her tears, and the three of them continued this odd procession to third base and home to a standing ovation.
"Everybody was crying," Knox recalled Tuesday. "It was an away game, and our four fans were crying. We couldn't hit after that."
The extra run made it easier for Western Oregon to win the second game, 4-2, and sweep the doubleheader. More important, all involved realized they had taken part in an event they would always remember.
Commentary:
1. It was a two-run game! This represented the winning run!
2. She tore her ACL going back to touch first base?
3. Giggling? Crying? FUCK YOU.
4. Ty Cobb would have stepped on her face and yelled a racial slur at her. That's sports, goddamnit.
2 comments:
It's not like softball is a "hard" sport. Just look at the name. I can't believe the NYT picked up this story. The tone of the article is sickeningly sentimental as if it were written for the Learner News.
i love this shit. this is lesbian porn, right? then they all 'showered together' and 'giggled' through it, right?
also, for all of alvy's dick-swinging, he:
1) would have been the first to help carry her if he was on the fielding team
2) would have written an extremely harsh blog post had this made news if the girl had been called out
3) would have been first in the stands to cry AND giggle.
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