"Family Matters"
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Fitting Role Models
By Ray M. Wong
School is out, and I’ve enrolled our children in a few sports
activities through the City of El Cajon Recreation Department. Our
nine-year-old Kevin will be playing indoor soccer and swimming, and
six-year-old Kristie will take part in gymnastics and swimming. As a parent, I
want to keep my kids healthy and active during the summer, but there are a
couple of other reasons I would like them to be involved in athletics –
sportsmanship and self-respect.
It’s easy to look at professional sports and be
disillusioned. Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeil, two Pro Bowlers on the San
Diego Chargers, are holding out because they don’t want to play for a little
over three million dollars each this year. Allegations of steroid use are
rampant in everything from cycling to Major League Baseball. And the name Tiger
Woods has become synonymous with something other than golf.
That’s the part of the glass that is half empty. I’d rather
look at the part that’s full. Armando Galarraga is a pitcher on the Detroit
Tigers. On June 2nd this year, a blown call by umpire Jim Joyce on
what would have been the final out cost Galarraga a perfect game against the
Cleveland Indians. Joyce admitted after the game that he got the call wrong and
sought out Galarraga to apologize. I commend him for accepting responsibility.
In this age of blame and excuse-making, it’s refreshing to hear someone say he
just plain messed up.
It was what Galarraga didn’t do that stands out. He didn’t
throw a tantrum or call Joyce every name in the book for robbing him of his
chance at baseball immortality. He simply went back to the mound and got the
final out to end the game with a one-hitter. Even after Joyce admitted his
mistake, Galarraga refused to take any shots at the umpire. Instead, he was
quoted in the “San Diego Union Tribune” on June 3rd, 2010 as saying,
“You don’t see an umpire after the game come out and say, ‘Hey, let me tell you
I’m sorry.’ He felt really bad.”
Both these individuals handled a potentially volcanic-sized
situation with class and dignity. Joyce came out and admitted his error, and in
doing so, showed us he was human. How can anybody fault him for that? Galarraga
refused to point the finger, and in doing so, won more respect from me than any
mention in a baseball record book ever would.
I want to bring your attention to another sports figure
deserving notice – legendary former UCLA college basketball coach John Wooden.
Wooden recently passed away at the age of 99. He coached UCLA to 10 NCAA
championships before retiring in 1975, and his team once won 88 games in a row.
More than any accolades afforded him for his coaching
wizardry, I applaud what he was about as a person. The lessons he taught as a
coach went beyond hoops.
Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for Wooden at
UCLA and said the following about his former coach in the “New York Times”
published on June 4th, 2010: “Coach Wooden enjoyed winning, but he
did not put winning above everything. He was more concerned that we became
successful as human beings, that we earned our degrees, that we learned to make
the right choices as adults and parents. In essence, he was preparing us for
life.”
Perhaps the best testament to Wooden as a human being comes
from noted Sportswriter Rick Reilly on ESPN.com. Reilly told of Wooden’s
devotion to his wife, Nellie, even after she passed away in 1985. Wooden
stopped the clocks in their bedroom at the time of her death. He kept writing
letters to her up until a few months before his death. In those letters, he
conveyed how much he loved her and kept her updated about their children’s
lives. He would put the letters in envelopes and bundle them in yellow ribbons
to place on the pillow of her bed.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to find role models our children
can be proud of. Armando Galarraga, Jim Joyce and John Wooden are three from
the world of sports I would be happy to have my children emulate.
Family tip: For those who live in the East County of San
Diego, please check out the activities for the City of El Cajon Recreation
Department at www.elcajonrec.org.
As a writer, I focus on stories about people making a difference in the community. If you know someone who’s making a difference, please e-mail me at ray@raywong.info
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/29785/ (Lesson Learned)
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/29988/ (Staying Above Water)
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/21539/ (Monopoly 08/09)
