Foul Ball - A Bastard's Take
The other day, Matt Starr, a fan at a Texas Rangers baseball game dived in front of a 4 year old boy, to grab a foul ball. Obviously, he got the ball and the kid didn't.
Fans at the game were angry at his hustle and began chanting "Give him the ball!" But, of course, he wouldn't. He did, after all, work hard to get the ball, as any fan does when the opportunity arrives.
The kids mother, reportedly, smacked Matt Starr with a cardboard box and called him a jerk because of his actions and refusal to give the kid, Nick O'Brien, the ball. Later, interviewed on "Good Morning America" she told them that he seemed proud that he got the ball.
The AP reported "Video shows Nick was standing up as the man dived across the boy's seat to grab the ball at Nick's feet. Starr's leg strikes the boy, and the boy is jostled a second time as the man stands up with the ball and appears to exchange words with the mother."
The two baseball teams engaged in the game decided to be good samaritans and gave the kid two bats and four baseballs. In fact, one of the balls was even signed by Nolan Ryan. Since then, they have gotten a couple of tickets to another ball game, as well as some more souvenirs from the teams.
In the time since then, Matt Starr has decided to give the ball to the kid and has said that he wants to buy the family tickets to another ball game.
Frankly, if the kid was a little faster on his feet and had shown a little hustle, none of this would have happened. Instead, everyone is mad at Matt Starr for doing what every baseball fan dreams of - grabbing a foul ball at a game.
And really, he didn't do anything that any other fan would not have done had he had the opportunity. Not only that, but he taught that kid that you have to be fast if you want to catch a foul ball at the game. So, he gave the kid a valuable life lesson to remember.
Unfortunately, that lesson will probably be overshadowed by the overzealous do-gooders wanting to make the kid feel good.
From that, he learned that if you are too timid to take what you want, people feel sorry for you and give you things that you have not earned. He learned that when someone else works hard to get something, and you don't, people will kiss your ass to make you feel better about yourself.
This is the same sort of thing that happens in our schools today; Schools teach our kids that losing feels good or that there are no losers, instead of teaching them about real life and that losing sucks.
Mark my words, in another 12 years, this kid is another welfare recipient with a pregnant 16 year old girlfriend who will pop out babies for the rest of her life.
Way to help this kid down the road to Loserville!
