Moving Day

I found out how to retrieve one of my lost blogs so here it is. Everything written is as true as it was a few days ago. . . Including the intro about moving.

Well I helped a friend of mine move out of his apartment tonight and to say that it took a lot out of me would pretty much be the understatement of the century. But anyway, the point of me saying that is, this isn't going to be the longest edition of Big O Sports Blog because I need to shower and then pass out. However its quality not quanity right? Let's set it off.





A Dream Come True



For as much crap as a lot of people (including myself) give ESPN, they have gotten one thing right and it makes me more willing to overlook, well just about everything else. The Worldwide Leader has picked up its "My Wish" series during daily editions of SportsCenter and the series continues to be emotional and moving. I am not an overly emotional guy but some of the things these kids go through and the things these athletes do just to give them one good day in the midst of endless battles against various diseases is enough to warm the heart of anyone with a pulse. If you don't know the premise of the "My Wish" program is this; a child with a life threatening illness gets their biggest sports related fantasy fulfilled courtesy of ESPN, Disney, and whichever athlete the child happens to be obsessed with.



A particularly good edition aired two days ago when a racing fan from Iowa who had battled through cancer, got to spend not just a day but an entire weekend experiencing what it's like to essentially be part of her hero Jimmie Johnson's pit crew. The strange thing about this series is not the way it makes you feel for the kids' involved, I mean your heart will go out to them no matter what, but the way it makes you feel about the athlete involved is fairly bizarre. It doesn't make any difference who is profiled in the "My Wish" series, it is simply impossible to root against those athletes after watching what they do for the kids. I realize it is only one day out of their lives, and maybe they only did it in an attempt to stir up some good will on their own behalfs, but what matters is they did it. The kids whose lives they brighten don't care what motives brought the athlete there, they just care that they get to spend a day with their hero. And really, isn't that the point? I mean, if A-Rod made an appearance on "My Wish" I would have a hard time rooting against him still. Don't worry, I would probably find a way, but it'd be tricky. I'm telling you, this is powerful stuff.

Maybe ESPN doesn't have it right most of the time. In fact I'm fairly certain they don't. They publicize people's personal matters as if it were our business. They seem to care more about the well-being of a horse than they do most people on certain occasions. However, sometimes they stumble backwards into a story that actually matters. When an autisitc team manager scores over 20 points in the only basketball game he will ever play in as everyone in his high school absolutely goes bonkers in the gym, that's a story that matters. When a former can't-miss prospect turned drug addict finally overcomes his demons to not just become the player everyone expected, but to find peace of mind, now that's a story that matters. When a child with a fatal illness gets to spend a day with their hero and just for that day feel like a normal kid; that's a story that matters. Way to go ESPN, you got this one right.