《小飞侠彼得•潘》的作者巴里曾写道:“上帝给了我们记忆,所以我们在寒冷的十二月也有玫瑰。”一段段美好而难忘的记忆,就像一朵朵玫瑰,装点着我们心灵的花园。
By Herb Appenzeller, Ed.D.
Coaches more times than not use their hearts instead of their heads to make tough decisions. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case when I realized we had a baseball conference game scheduled when our seniors would be in Washington, D.C. for the annual senior field trip. We were a team dominated by seniors, and for the first time in many years, we were in the conference race for first place. I knew we couldn’t win without our seniors, so I called the rival coach and asked to reschedule the game when everyone was available to play.
“No way,” he replied. The seniors were crushed and offered to skip the much-awaited traditional trip. I assured them they needed to go on the trip as part of their educational experience, though I really wanted to accept their offer and win and go on to the conference championship. But I did not, and on that fateful Tuesday, I wished they were there to play.
I had nine underclass players eager and excited that they finally had a chance to play. The most excited player was a young mentally challenged boy we will call Billy. Billy was, I believe, overage, but because he loved sports so much, an understanding principal had given him permission to be on the football and baseball teams. Billy lived and breathed sports and now he would finally get his chance to play. I think his happiness captured the imagination of the eight other substitute players. Billy was very small in size, but he had a big heart and had earned the respect of his teammates with his effort and enthusiasm. He was a left-handed hitter and had good baseball skills. His favorite pastime, except for the time he practiced sports, was to sit with the men at a local rural store talking about sports. On this day, I began to feel that a loss might even be worth Billy’s chance to play.
Our opponents jumped off to a four-run lead early in the game, just as expected. Somehow we came back to within one run, and that was the situation when we went to bat in the bottom of the ninth. I was pleased with our team’s effort and the constant grin on Billy’s face. If only we could win..., I thought, but that’s asking too much. If we lose by one run, it will be a victory in itself. The weakest part of our lineup was scheduled to hit, and the opposing coach put his ace pitcher in to seal the victory.
To our surprise, with two outs, a batter walked, and the tying run was on first base. Our next hitter was Billy. The crowd cheered as if this were the final inning of the conference championship, and Billy waved jubilantly. I knew he would be unable to hit this pitcher, but what a day it had been for all of us. Strike one. Strike two. A fastball. Billy hit it down the middle over the right fielder’s head for a triple to tie the score. Billy was beside himself, and the crowd went wild.
Ben, our next hitter, however, hadn’t hit the ball even once in batting practice or intrasquad games. I knew there was absolutely no way for the impossible dream to continue. Besides, our opponents had the top of their lineup if we went into overtime. It was a crazy situation and one that needed reckless strategy.
I called a time-out, and everyone seemed confused when I walked to third base and whispered something to Billy. As expected, Ben swung on the first two pitches, not coming close to either. When the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher Billy broke from third base sprinting as hard as he could. The pitcher didn’t see him break, and when he did he whirled around wildly and fired the ball home. Billy dove in head first, beat the throw, and scored the winning run. This was not the World Series, but don’t tell that to anyone present that day. Tears were shed as Billy, the hero, was lifted on the shoulders of all eight team members.
If you go through town today, forty-two years later, you’ll likely see Billy at that same country store relating to an admiring group the story of the day he won the game that no one expected to win. Of all the spectacular events in my sports career, this memory is the highlight. It exemplified what sports can do for people, and Billy’s great day proved that to everyone who saw the game.
J. M. Barrie, the playwright, may have said it best when he wrote, “God gave us memories so that we might have roses in December.” Billy gave all of us a rose garden.
上一篇: 正式书信写作八步指南
下一篇: 法总统萨科奇为保持身材逐奶酪出宫
江苏省泗阳中学2017届高三英语三轮语法专题十六-倒装
广东省2017届高考英语一轮复习必修模块3 unit 9-2 Wheels《Lesson 2 On the Move》课件(北师大版)
2017届高考英语语法专题复习教案:英语方位表示法
广东省2017届高考英语一轮复习必修模块5 unit 15-2 Learning《 Lesson 2 Different Schools》课件(北师大版)
(湖北省专用)高考英语总复习 模块2-完形填空课件(大纲人教版)
2017届高考英语语法专题复习教案:特殊句式解题综合训练
江苏省泗阳中学2017届高三英语三轮语法专题八-时态和语态
高考英语总复习 模块1 单项填空课件(新人教版)
2017届高考英语语法专题复习教案:定语从句
2017年高考冲刺总复习:第4模块-信息匹配专题课件
2017年高考冲刺总复习:第6模块-读写任务专题课件
2017年高考冲刺总复习:第1模块-单项填空专题课件(湖南专用)
广东省2017届高考英语一轮复习选修模块7 unit 20-1 New Frontiers《 Lesson 1 Futurology》课件(北师大版)
2017届高考英语语法专题复习教案:状语从句最新模拟题
高考英语总复习 模块2 完形填空课件(新人教版)
(湖北省专用)高考英语总复习 模块3-阅读理解课件(大纲人教版)
2017年高考冲刺总复习:第1部分-单项填空专题课件(课标专用)
2017年高考冲刺总复习:第5部分-短文改错专题课件(课标专用)
高考英语总复习 模块3 阅读理解课件(新人教版)
2017届高考英语语法专题复习教案:单元综合训练(二)
重庆市北大附中重庆实验学校高三英语《高考英语语法:形容词和副词》课件
(广东省专用)高考英语总复习 模块4 信息匹配课件(新人教版)
(广东省专用)高考英语总复习 模块6 读写任务课件(新人教版)
(湖北省专用)高考英语总复习 模块5-短文写作课件(大纲人教版)
2017年高考冲刺总复习:第5模块-书面表达专题课件
2017届高考英语语法专题复习教案:词汇have用法大全
广东省2017届高考英语一轮复习必修模块4 unit 12-2 Culture Shock《Lesson 2 Mind Your Manners》课件(北师大版)
2017年高考冲刺总复习:第6部分-书面表达专题课件
2017届高考英语语法专题复习教案:特殊句式2017年模拟题
重庆市北大附中重庆实验学校高三英语《高考英语语法:被动语态》课件