It may very well have been the worst call in baseball, but to this day I wonder what would have happened had I continued on, and where I might be today. I gave up that year and never played again. I sat in the dugout while my team did their best to console me. My parents told me that it was still a home run, no matter what anyone says. I thought I made everyone so proud, and my dad didn't get to see many of my games he was actually at that one. Even the opposing team said, "Let the kid have the run! It's a dead ball!" and, "Don't take this away from him, it's his first home run!" But the umpire's call prevailed. There was outrage amongst my teammates, as well as the coaches and parents. The pitcher tagged me, and the umpire called me out. I was standing so close to the pitcher that I knew it was no use, and he was blocking the plate. The umpire said that if I don't tag the plate and the pitcher tags me, I'll be out. The pitcher and umpire were standing between me and the plate, as I had already begun walking back to the dugout with my ebullient teammates. He was standing next to the talking umpire. By that time, the dead ball had been thrown back into the park, and the pitcher had it in his glove. When I got back up, of all things, the umpire said I hadn't actually tagged the plate. Well, no one else on my team had even hit a home run that season, and they got so darn excited they mobbed me at the plate. I can still remember the feeling in my hands from the vibration of the bat I knew it was gonna be out of the park. There were no words to describe how it felt. Lo and behold, I hit my very first ever home run that very game-and it was a grand slam! Joe Carter was my hero at the time for hitting the home run that won the World Series of '93. When I was just a bit older than that, I was at bat near the end of the last little league playoff game of the season. A message from The Foundation for a Better Life. I'm the greatest pitcher in the world! Yes! After all, you might just be The Greatest. ∼elebration by Kool and The Gang fittingly takes us from despair at strike three to euphoria and inspires us to embrace the value of Optimism as we face similar situations each day. The last scene was as strong as the first. After countless takes throwing the ball up and missingwhich is harder than you might thinkhe never lost his zeal. It is a very simple concept but the key, of course was finding the right young actor to play the part. Just when you think you are failing, when things seem to be going wrong a change of perspective shines a bright light of realization that you just might be succeeding in other ways.
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