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  1. #1
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    Would you have made the same choice

    My question to all of you is: Would you have made the same choice?

    At a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled
    children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

    After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question.

    "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

    The audience was stilled by the query.

    The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay comes into
    the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."

    Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a
    park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.

    Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?"

    Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like
    Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were
    allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.

    The boy looked around for guidance and, getting none, he took matters
    into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

    In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but
    was still behind by three.

    In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the
    outfield.

    Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be
    in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.

    In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with
    two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

    At this juncture, let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
    game?

    Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all
    but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

    However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few
    steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make
    contact.

    The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher
    again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

    As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
    right back to the pitcher.

    The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

    Instead, the pitcher took the ball and turned and threw the ball on a
    high arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman.

    Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!"

    Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

    Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

    By the time Shay rounded first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

    Shay ran toward second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously
    circled the bases toward home. Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!"


    As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay, run home!"

    Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

    "That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
    "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."

    Doc
    www.doctorhill.com.au
    Need help? just ask The Doctor
    House calls a specialty
    If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy ?

  2. #2
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    What is with the sad stories today?

  3. #3
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    Doc, that was a great story.
    Don't know if it's true, but if so, kudos to the guys who let him win.

  4. #4
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    Good story their Doc

  5. #5
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    Originally posted by ilyash
    Doc, that was a great story.
    Don't know if it's true, but if so, kudos to the guys who let him win.
    Actually I am starting to wonder if I should have posted it. I mean I don't want people to get the wrong idea about me, and start thinking I'm human, even worse that I'm a good guy.

    Doc
    Last edited by TheDoctor; 04-15-2005 at 01:57 AM.
    www.doctorhill.com.au
    Need help? just ask The Doctor
    House calls a specialty
    If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy ?

  6. #6
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    Jan 2005
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    Kennesaw, GA
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    I hate to say it, but no I wouldn't have made the same choice.

    Maybe I'm too cynical, but undeserved praise irritates me. I admire their motives and it was from a good heart, but he did not win the game. The other team lost on purpose.

    Have you ever won something that you knew you didn't deserve? Or worse, that you knew was given to you out of pity or for some other reason than the fact that you were the best or performed the best in the competition? It feels cheap.

  7. #7
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    If I knew I won due to a dive I'd be mad, but I'm not a learning disabled child either. My son is 4 he's showing signs of being an incredibly smart child, and we sometimes let him "win" when we play Kids Uno, it is subtle and it makes him feel good. When he and I race playing networked NFS:U2 (he has his own computer and wheel setup) I often start driving backwards or making doughnuts so he can catch up, sometimes I let him win, sometimes I go ahead and beat him anyway (gotta remind him he doesn't win all the time). It isn't healthy for me to beat him at everything just because I can, if he always loses, he just gets discouraged and quits, this learning disable child is likely on the same emotional and mental level as a much younger child, and sometimes you need to let them win. As he gets better at the game I find myself having less and less time to "wait" on him and I find that sometimes if I give him a head start I won't be able to catch back up and win even if I wanted to.

    Now if the son were to go out there and play ball with those kids every day, day after day it'd get silly always "letting" him win, but for a one time shot like this it was absolutely beautiful that they did (assuming this isn't some sappy fake story then someone should be beaten for making it up). When I was young my older cousins would let me play ball with them and while they'd throw fast overhanded pitches to the bigger kids I'd get mine underhanded (softball style) most of the time, so I had a chance to at least compete and get a hit or two, as I got older they quit that and made me earn my runs like everyone else but had they always thrown them hard when I was 5 and 6 by the time I was 8 or 9 and able to halfway hit a ball, I'da gave up trying to play at all long before that.

    You can't always let them win but you can't let them always lose either. Learning disabled children lose a lot already and it really is good for them and those around them to see them "win" once in a while even if it's only a gimme.
    Gary Harris - the artist formerly known as Dixiesys
    resident grumpy redneck

  8. #8
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    Originally posted by Dixiesys
    If I knew I won due to a dive I'd be mad, but I'm not a learning disabled child either. My son is 4 he's showing signs of being an incredibly smart child, and we sometimes let him "win" when we play Kids Uno, it is subtle and it makes him feel good. When he and I race playing networked NFS:U2 (he has his own computer and wheel setup) I often start driving backwards or making doughnuts so he can catch up, sometimes I let him win, sometimes I go ahead and beat him anyway (gotta remind him he doesn't win all the time). It isn't healthy for me to beat him at everything just because I can, if he always loses, he just gets discouraged and quits, this learning disable child is likely on the same emotional and mental level as a much younger child, and sometimes you need to let them win. As he gets better at the game I find myself having less and less time to "wait" on him and I find that sometimes if I give him a head start I won't be able to catch back up and win even if I wanted to.

    Now if the son were to go out there and play ball with those kids every day, day after day it'd get silly always "letting" him win, but for a one time shot like this it was absolutely beautiful that they did (assuming this isn't some sappy fake story then someone should be beaten for making it up). When I was young my older cousins would let me play ball with them and while they'd throw fast overhanded pitches to the bigger kids I'd get mine underhanded (softball style) most of the time, so I had a chance to at least compete and get a hit or two, as I got older they quit that and made me earn my runs like everyone else but had they always thrown them hard when I was 5 and 6 by the time I was 8 or 9 and able to halfway hit a ball, I'da gave up trying to play at all long before that.

    You can't always let them win but you can't let them always lose either. Learning disabled children lose a lot already and it really is good for them and those around them to see them "win" once in a while even if it's only a gimme.

  9. #9
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    Wow … that was a really touching story.

  10. #10
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    I think if I were the pitcher I would have hesitated long enough to make it sporting, and then would have thrown to the catcher to make it a fair contest to try to tag the opposing team member who has to run from third to home.
    It's nice that they gave Shay a chance to participate and even hit the ball and make it to first. Still he is going to have to find his niche with the abilities available to him in a competitive world that normally won't drop all its self interests to fake a home run for him.

  11. #11
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    Aug 2000
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    Tacoma, Washington
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    Remember this?

    "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game".

    Good on them for doing so (false story or not).

    However, and I admit it's probably condesending to the story above, my own kid is pretty bright. We teach her that life can be pretty unfair, and winning feels pretty darn good. Losing sucks, but it's just a part of life.

    The condesending part is that sometimes life isn't fair for some people, and throwing them a break isn't all that bad.
    Former Webhost... now, just a guy.

  12. #12
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    Nov 2002
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    Thats a sweet story, i had some input but most of it is cleared above, i agree its nice to throw them a win once in a while, but again making it a usual thing would really be bad, but again this was probably his one and only chance to play, and it was really nice of them if they did that
    All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.

  13. #13
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    I want to know who took over Doc's account and made this post.

    It has distinct overtones of human feeling and generosity. These are not Doc characteristics.

    Should we send a search party to see if Doc is OK?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    1,366
    Originally posted by blue27
    Should we send a search party to see if Doc is OK?
    Nah, I like this guy better.

    Anyway, Doc was that story real or faked?
    - Matt

  15. #15
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    Jun 2004
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    Originally posted by akashik
    Remember this?

    "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game".
    Yes Yes and yes...the story tells how you played the game and how a feeling of challenge was maintained during the game. Really nice refreshing story...
    <<snipped>><<snipped>>
    why?

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