Q: Am I A Dick For Wanting To Bunt And Run All Over This One-Armed Catcher Kid To Prove His Might? A: Wait, Don't Answer That...
First off, this is awesome. Just flat out awesome. This kid is doing more on the diamond with 3 limbs than I ever did with all 4. And as a catcher, no less. The most demanding and arguably most important position in the game, and maybe all of sports. Good, no, GREAT for him.
But the real question is at what age does it not become a viciously dick move to try and take full advantage of the situation? Because I’ll admit that’s the first thing I thought of. Like, this isn’t T-Ball grab-ass over here. At a certain age, you play to win the game. Period. And I’m not alone. You KNOW there’s Big League Dad’s and High School Coaches living every glory day left through their sons and would send everyone stealing like they’re Ricky Henderson in his prime. Is that right? Meh. I’m not sure. I’d consider 12 or 13 the age to where kids need to learn for sure that everyone doesn’t get a trophy. At some point there’s going to be a third base coach who sends the game winning run home the second the catcher throws the ball back to the pitcher and his glove is out of reach. Is that fair? Probably not. But that’s life. It wouldn’t be the first time, either. You better believe they bunted the balls off of one-armed Jim Abbott back in the day before people were required played nice. And you know what? It only made him better. Kudos to this kid for not only fighting through the same adversity but excelling.
