thoughts on the news of the day: home run

hmmm…..

            OK, I admit it, I am a Texas Rangers baseball fan.  I REALLY want them to win the World Series.  So naturally I was pretty mad at David Freese when he hit the game winning home run in the bottom of the 11^th (yes, I said 11^th) inning of Game 6.  The Cardinal fans went wild and the Rangers were left to play one more game which will hopefully lead to victory.

            That’s one story from last night.  But there is another story about Freese that occurred yesterday evening.  As Freese rounded the bases, some fans in center field managed to catch the ball.  One in particular hid the ball in his clothes to allay the risk of having the ball snatched from him.  After safely retaining the ball, the fan agreed to go to the Cardinals Clubhouse and return the ball to Freese.  Now that’s generosity.  There’s no telling how much the ball was worth; but he must have felt that Freese had a right to it.  In return, the fan received an autographed bat and a ball with all the Cardinals’ signatures on it; which is admittedly is a cache in itself.  The fan said he made a good living and didn’t need any money but asked to meet the players.  So he and his friend were shuffled into the Cardinals clubhouse.

            Maybe that’s not the best example of generosity.  We want generosity to be all about helping the poor, the needy, the helpless.  None of the players in this scenario fit in that category.  But nevertheless, if you were in the same situation, would you have returned the ball, knowing that it meant the world to Freese, but meant bunches of money for you?

            We all have opportunities to do the right thing every day.  We can respond to those opportunities or ignore them.  So I imagine that Freese was grateful for someone who responded to his higher self and didn’t ignore the chance to make the right decision.  Whether Cardinal or Rangers fans, we can all hit a home run when we learn from the generosity of this fan.

            hmmm…..