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Safe travels for all this afternoon and evening. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Here's a little short fiction this time, story to get the emotions flowing. But like any short story, the lesson, like the game tomorrow - is real.
This story is about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. He tried out as a freshmen in high school, and was "technically" on the team. The public high school athletics dept needed the money. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But with his physical gifts, he got absolutely nowhere.
But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn’t want to, there were other sports and activities where his skills would be recognized. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to do his best at every practice, to be the best he could possibly be, every day, at everything he did. He was tough. He thought that perhaps he’d get a chance to play when he was a senior.
At all the games, this hopeful athlete took the field, and stood on the sidelines, and never played. This teenager lived alone with his father, after a tragic accident when he was a young boy, had taken his mother, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the sidelines during the games, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game. They knew mom was watching too.
This young man was still on the field, on the sidelines, as a senior in high school. All through high school he never missed a practice or a game. He never played as a senior in high school. His faithful father was always at the field, in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him after the games. After graduating, that kid went to the state college. He worked his way through tuition payments and studied hard, and it would show up in his grades.
He decided to try out for the football team as a walk-on the fall of his freshmen year. He was a long shot to make the team,by any measure, but he was sure he could make the cut, and he did.
The coach admitted openly that he kept him on the roster, and dressed him for games, not because of what he did on the practice field, which often wasn't great, but because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and by doing that, provided the other players that were blessed with the physical gifts he was not....... provided them with the spirit and hustle they sometimes, very badly needed. He was always there on the field, and they always knew what they would get from him.
When he learned that he had made the fall cuts, he called his father. His father shared the son’s excitement and purchased season tickets. The boy made the practice squad every year. His dad bought tickets every year, and came to the games.
This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game, standing on the field, on the sidelines. HIs senior year came, and so did the end of his senior football season. THe team had done well, adn there was one game left to play. The last game would mean a big January bowl game for the team. As he trotted out of the locker room to the practice field, coach walked toward him as he approached the field.
While he was in the locker room, the coach had received news from the football staff. A phone call had come in.
The coach gave him the news. Swallowing hard, coach mumbled to the now - young man. “Your father died this morning and you need to go home". THe young man knew he had to go, there was no one to take care of anything. Football was his passion, he was a senior in college now, the team's biggest game was on Saturday, but it was time to take care of things in real life now, and he knew what he had to do.
"Coach, I'll have to miss practice." The coach looked him square in the eye, and said, “Take the rest of the week off son. The way you play this game, you'll have no trouble handling anythign that comes your way now, you take care of things, and don't worry about anything happening here on the field on Saturday. Go take care of things that matter, focus on what you need to do every moment." He traveled home, and missed his first practice of his life. He would bury his father that Saturday morning.
Saturday's game arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points down, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear.
He walked out, and broke into a run toward the sidelines, all the football staff, knowing what had happened, and who he was - let him through to the field. The coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful team-mate on the sideline.
“Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted a practice squad player in on defense, in a game when they were down on the scoreboard, that meant so much to the entire team. He didn't even have a game uniform on.
But the young man persisted, and finally, feeling sorry for the kid, and knowing he had no family now other than his team, and that his dad had died without ever seeing him play on the field, the coach gave in. “All right,” he said. “22 You can go in.” ONE PLAY.
He went in, and on that play - made a play. He refused to come off the field when he was waived off. It was either time out or leave him on the field. The coach didn't call the timeout, they needed the time out, and stood there and fumed and told his players to drag the kid off after the next snap. But he made another play. The players, refused to take him off.
Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This unknown, who had never played a down before, in a beat up worn out jersey and dull helmet, who did not look like he belonged, was doing everything right.
Every bit of practice he had his entire life, everything he had ever been taught, he poured into that game. He ran, he shed the blocks of players larger, and tackled like a machine. His team began to swing the momentum. The score was soon tied.
In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran it in for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His team-mates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you never heard.
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team and coach was finished with their interviews, the locker room quiet - the coach went looking for his player who had disappeared in the post game celebration. He found this young man was sitting quietly in the corner of the shower rooms, hiding, still in his gear. The team had shielded him from the hoard. They had simply said he was one of the players on the team, and when they needed him, he came through. The coach had answered the same.
The coach came to him and said, “Kid, I can’t believe it. You were fantastic! You should be out there celebrating!! How come you're not out there?"
The young man looked at the coach, wiped the tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, I wanted to tell you something but I just couldn't do it out there in front of all them."
" You knew my dad came to all our games, and you knew knew he died, and I know that's the only reason you put me in the game right? Because he never got to see me on the field?"
The coach swallowed hard, the kid had nailed it. He hadn't said that out there in his interviews, because he didn't want the kid to have to answer questions about not ever getting to play in front of his father, and personally, he didn't want to answer questions about why a kid like that was on the bench in the first place........
The young man forced a smile and looked at his coach.
"Coach, my dad was blind. He was blinded in the accident when my mom died a long time ago. I'm graduating next week and have to go home. Today was the only day he would ever be able to see me on the field, and I had to show him I could play."
Author Unknown
(when you're done wiping your eyes, suck it up and get ready to cheer our team on to kick some Maryland turtle ass.)
Here's a little short fiction this time, story to get the emotions flowing. But like any short story, the lesson, like the game tomorrow - is real.
This story is about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. He tried out as a freshmen in high school, and was "technically" on the team. The public high school athletics dept needed the money. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But with his physical gifts, he got absolutely nowhere.
But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn’t want to, there were other sports and activities where his skills would be recognized. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to do his best at every practice, to be the best he could possibly be, every day, at everything he did. He was tough. He thought that perhaps he’d get a chance to play when he was a senior.
At all the games, this hopeful athlete took the field, and stood on the sidelines, and never played. This teenager lived alone with his father, after a tragic accident when he was a young boy, had taken his mother, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the sidelines during the games, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game. They knew mom was watching too.
This young man was still on the field, on the sidelines, as a senior in high school. All through high school he never missed a practice or a game. He never played as a senior in high school. His faithful father was always at the field, in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him after the games. After graduating, that kid went to the state college. He worked his way through tuition payments and studied hard, and it would show up in his grades.
He decided to try out for the football team as a walk-on the fall of his freshmen year. He was a long shot to make the team,by any measure, but he was sure he could make the cut, and he did.
The coach admitted openly that he kept him on the roster, and dressed him for games, not because of what he did on the practice field, which often wasn't great, but because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and by doing that, provided the other players that were blessed with the physical gifts he was not....... provided them with the spirit and hustle they sometimes, very badly needed. He was always there on the field, and they always knew what they would get from him.
When he learned that he had made the fall cuts, he called his father. His father shared the son’s excitement and purchased season tickets. The boy made the practice squad every year. His dad bought tickets every year, and came to the games.
This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game, standing on the field, on the sidelines. HIs senior year came, and so did the end of his senior football season. THe team had done well, adn there was one game left to play. The last game would mean a big January bowl game for the team. As he trotted out of the locker room to the practice field, coach walked toward him as he approached the field.
While he was in the locker room, the coach had received news from the football staff. A phone call had come in.
The coach gave him the news. Swallowing hard, coach mumbled to the now - young man. “Your father died this morning and you need to go home". THe young man knew he had to go, there was no one to take care of anything. Football was his passion, he was a senior in college now, the team's biggest game was on Saturday, but it was time to take care of things in real life now, and he knew what he had to do.
"Coach, I'll have to miss practice." The coach looked him square in the eye, and said, “Take the rest of the week off son. The way you play this game, you'll have no trouble handling anythign that comes your way now, you take care of things, and don't worry about anything happening here on the field on Saturday. Go take care of things that matter, focus on what you need to do every moment." He traveled home, and missed his first practice of his life. He would bury his father that Saturday morning.
Saturday's game arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points down, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear.
He walked out, and broke into a run toward the sidelines, all the football staff, knowing what had happened, and who he was - let him through to the field. The coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful team-mate on the sideline.
“Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted a practice squad player in on defense, in a game when they were down on the scoreboard, that meant so much to the entire team. He didn't even have a game uniform on.
But the young man persisted, and finally, feeling sorry for the kid, and knowing he had no family now other than his team, and that his dad had died without ever seeing him play on the field, the coach gave in. “All right,” he said. “22 You can go in.” ONE PLAY.
He went in, and on that play - made a play. He refused to come off the field when he was waived off. It was either time out or leave him on the field. The coach didn't call the timeout, they needed the time out, and stood there and fumed and told his players to drag the kid off after the next snap. But he made another play. The players, refused to take him off.
Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This unknown, who had never played a down before, in a beat up worn out jersey and dull helmet, who did not look like he belonged, was doing everything right.
Every bit of practice he had his entire life, everything he had ever been taught, he poured into that game. He ran, he shed the blocks of players larger, and tackled like a machine. His team began to swing the momentum. The score was soon tied.
In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran it in for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His team-mates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you never heard.
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team and coach was finished with their interviews, the locker room quiet - the coach went looking for his player who had disappeared in the post game celebration. He found this young man was sitting quietly in the corner of the shower rooms, hiding, still in his gear. The team had shielded him from the hoard. They had simply said he was one of the players on the team, and when they needed him, he came through. The coach had answered the same.
The coach came to him and said, “Kid, I can’t believe it. You were fantastic! You should be out there celebrating!! How come you're not out there?"
The young man looked at the coach, wiped the tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, I wanted to tell you something but I just couldn't do it out there in front of all them."
" You knew my dad came to all our games, and you knew knew he died, and I know that's the only reason you put me in the game right? Because he never got to see me on the field?"
The coach swallowed hard, the kid had nailed it. He hadn't said that out there in his interviews, because he didn't want the kid to have to answer questions about not ever getting to play in front of his father, and personally, he didn't want to answer questions about why a kid like that was on the bench in the first place........
The young man forced a smile and looked at his coach.
"Coach, my dad was blind. He was blinded in the accident when my mom died a long time ago. I'm graduating next week and have to go home. Today was the only day he would ever be able to see me on the field, and I had to show him I could play."
Author Unknown
(when you're done wiping your eyes, suck it up and get ready to cheer our team on to kick some Maryland turtle ass.)
