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Similar feel good story from my hometown.
First game of H.S. baseball District play, local small town rivals that compete fiercely in every sport. Near the end of the game, local team is winning. Rival batter hits routine ground ball to F6, but high throw pulls 63 F3 to the back of the bag. He is fully stretched out, expecting the small (57) B-R to go to the inside. But the B-R doesnt deviate and a collision is eminent. F3 pulls his arm down to protect his ribs and, in doing so, clobbers the B-R on the head as they collide. The field umpire has the out; the plate umpire comes down the line and ejects F3 for M.C.
To set the story; F3 is a role model H.S. student all conference athlete, honor roll academics, Mr. Citizenship award winner, and team MVP. Not someone to deliberately injure another player. But the umpire made the call and it will stick, despite the strong protests of the home team. In Michigan an ejected player loses the rest of the day, and the next day of competition. The next game would be the District Championship three days away.
The visiting teams season is over; it is already past graduation, and time to get on with the summer. But they are so upset with the ejection that they come to the home team and offer to play another game the following day, thus using up F3s suspension and allowing him to play in the Championship game.
WMB
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