OT: SPORTSMANSHIP....It still exists....
 

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ap...-1/SPORTSFRONT

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You folks in the pacific Northwest should be very proud of these girls.

This was featured on a program here in Chicago this morning.

I thought it was a heart-warming case and kindness personified too, so very unselfish. And yet this program brought up another whole premise that it was not sportmanship, that it was nice, but not sportmanship. In sportmanship, what happens on the field, fairly to the spirit of the rules, determines who wins.

They played it back to back with a film clip of Tom Hanks in the "THERE IS NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!" scene. It was funny, and as far as I have ever heard it has never, ever happened in male baseball leagues or academic teams.

I think it was so unselfish and a wonderful gesture, but it actually, when I thought about it, WAS nearly the very opposite of what sportsmanship means- and that was what this program was about.

Sportsmanship in the program's scenario (within game rules) would have determined the team that lost, would have won- and the team that won, would have lost- and yet the entire winning team would have come to see her in the hospital- rather like the Gipper. It's not like they were carrying her to go get treatment, but to win the game for her side.

The team that did that lost the tournament. Assisting a member of the opposite team being forbidden, is so very understood that it isn't put into print.

And some insist that male and female perceptions are the same. That never had to be detailed as a printed rule for a male baseball team!

And I bet the rule- printed rule- gets altered, now for their league.

I saw that on the Today Show this morning. Good for them!

T & G - thanks for posting. Great to see ultimate great sportmanship. Our local headlines are unfortunately filled with a local HS baseball team whose "hazing" of younger players has turned into felony sexual abuse charges agt several players and child neglect charges against the coaches, who are also teachers. Not a pretty picture.

I also saw this story on the Today Show - very nice to see something good like this!

ttt

This was in our local paper here in Portland yesterday, and of course the talk of the town. Very cool! It definitely is a great example for everyone, and I hope coaches and parents everywhere talk about this with their kids.