Feel-Good Story of the Year?

[2Chance]

This happened a couple of days ago, and who knows what rock I was under when it happened, but .....

A girl hit a homer over the center field fence during a softball game that would put her team in the playoffs. She is a college senior, and this was her first home run in four years (even in practice). But as soon as she rounded first, she blew out her knee.

Her coach told her she would have to crawl back to first, and under the rules, at that time they could sub a runner at first and she would be credited with a single. The umpire let her know that neither the coach nor her teammates would be allowed to touch her or give her any help or this girl would be called out.

Spontaneously, the girl playing first base asked if the defensive team could help her, and the umpire said there was nothing in the rules against that.

So the 1B -- who is the all-time leader in homers for their league -- and the shortstop picked this girl up and carried her around the bases, stopping long enough for her to touch 'em all.


There's something great in every bit of this story:

http://www.komotv.com/sports/18413159.html

[bailiff]

That is an outstanding story. True sportsmanship.

I think another great story in the making is Josh Hamilton. If he was playing for the Red Sox or Yanks, his story would be national headlines.

I wish him all the best.

[Captain Cold Nose]

This happened a couple of days ago, and who knows what rock I was under when it happened, but .....

A girl hit a homer over the center field fence during a softball game that would put her team in the playoffs. She is a college senior, and this was her first home run in four years (even in practice). But as soon as she rounded first, she blew out her knee.

Her coach told her she would have to crawl back to first, and under the rules, at that time they could sub a runner at first and she would be credited with a single. The umpire let her know that neither the coach nor her teammates would be allowed to touch her or give her any help or this girl would be called out.

Spontaneously, the girl playing first base asked if the defensive team could help her, and the umpire said there was nothing in the rules against that.

So the 1B -- who is the all-time leader in homers for their league -- and the shortstop picked this girl up and carried her around the bases, stopping long enough for her to touch 'em all.


There's something great in every bit of this story:
http://www.komotv.com/sports/18413159.html

Leave it to 2Chance to post something about human decency in a time when all we get are harsh story after harsh story.

Thank you, sir.

[2Chance]

My pleasure!

[ipitch]

There was at least one other thread about this. By the way, the umpire and coach were wrong. They could have put in a pinch runner to finish running the bases for her.

[The Splendid Splinter]

That story was similar to what I saw a few years back at my cousin's softball game. Long story short... A girl on the other team blew her knee rounding 2nd (one of the worst injuries I've ever seen-in person or TV... to give you an example it was like when Joe Theismann broke his leg on Monday Fight Football) in what should've been an inside the park homer as the OF still haven't gotten to the ball yet at the fence. The girl was crawling back to 2nd. My cousin was the 3B and saw how there's no way she would make it back. She went to the girl and picked her up and helped her get back to 2nd. The ball came back in and the SS was going to tag her out (I don't know why, it would be a crappy move to do that), but my cousin stopped her and put the girl on 2nd. My cousin and this girl were friends due to playing AAU softball together.

I later found out from my cousin that the girl had tore practially every muscle from the knee down. She broke her shin bone in 2 places. I forgot how many surgeries she had to fix it, but now she walks with a cane. My cousin won some big Sportman of the Year award in her state, a special kind where they don't give it out every year-only when rare occasions like that happened.

[The Splendid Splinter]

There was at least one other thread about this. By the way, the umpire and coach were wrong. They could have put in a pinch runner to finish running the bases for her.

No, I'm pretty sure you can't have someone else finishing the bases for you cuz that person wasn't in the game in the first place. The girl who hit it has to run around the bases or stop somewhere and be credited with that then put in a PR. It might be different rules in some places.

If I'm wrong and you're correct then I apologize. I'm just going from what I remember from the game I posted above.

[Captain Cold Nose]

No, I'm pretty sure you can't have someone else finishing the bases for you cuz that person wasn't in the game in the first place. The girl who hit it has to run around the bases or stop somewhere and be credited with that then put in a PR. It might be different rules in some places.

If I'm wrong and you're correct then I apologize. I'm just going from what I remember from the game I posted above.

No, it's ok to insert a pinch runner in case of injury, there is a no-helping rule when the play is not dead, though, which running the bases after a home run would constitute a live play. That would be for instances where a runner might accidentally pass up a runner on the bases ahead of them. She had already cleared first, which is why the umpire said what he did. They couldn't help her back.

[ipitch]

No, I'm pretty sure you can't have someone else finishing the bases for you cuz that person wasn't in the game in the first place. The girl who hit it has to run around the bases or stop somewhere and be credited with that then put in a PR. It might be different rules in some places.

If I'm wrong and you're correct then I apologize. I'm just going from what I remember from the game I posted above.

This columnist has confirmed that the umpire was wrong.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=3372631

"As one of the umpires involved in the game between Central Washington and Western Oregon confirmed in an e-mail to ESPN.com, the rule in question was misinterpreted on the field after Tucholsky's injury and later clarified by the NCAA. According to page 105, rule 8.5.3.2 of the NCAA softball rule book, "If an injury to a batter-runner or runner prevents her from proceeding to an awarded base, the ball is dead and the substitution can be made. The substitute must legally touch all awarded or missed bases not previously touched." "

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I wonder how this would have gone down in a major league game?

[Captain Cold Nose]

This columnist has confirmed that the umpire was wrong.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=3372631

"As one of the umpires involved in the game between Central Washington and Western Oregon confirmed in an e-mail to ESPN.com, the rule in question was misinterpreted on the field after Tucholsky's injury and later clarified by the NCAA. According to page 105, rule 8.5.3.2 of the NCAA softball rule book, "If an injury to a batter-runner or runner prevents her from proceeding to an awarded base, the ball is dead and the substitution can be made. The substitute must legally touch all awarded or missed bases not previously touched." "

Nothing like proof. That's why you're a Fever ROY candidate.

[ipitch]

I wonder how this would have gone down in a major league game?

MLB and the NCAA have the same rule. In 2005, Gabe Kapler was on base when his teammate hit a HR. Kapler then ruptured his left Achilles tendon while running, and a pinch runner was put in to finish trotting around the bases.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050914&content_id=1210004&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos

[ipitch]

Nothing like proof. That's why you're a Fever ROY candidate.

Thanks, but I don't post here to win individual awards. I just want to help my team win a championship. :cap:

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Thanks, but I don't post here to win individual awards. I just want to help my team win a championship. :cap:

Sure. And come arbitration time you won't mention winning the RoY Award to boost your salary demands?

[ipitch]

Sure. And come arbitration time you won't mention winning the RoY Award to boost your salary demands?

I won't. I'll let my agent do the dirty work.