By Rick Morris
(EDITED TO FIX LINK)
For those of us used to reading Charles Krauthammer's insights on politics, the Middle East and other such matters, it was a bit unusual to see him tackling a sports subject. But it's very well-written and demonstrates a keen grasp of baseball, particularly the part about tracking a baseball in the outfield.
The subject matter of the article is none other than Rick Ankiel, the man who arguably is redeeming the sports world during this dark summer (NBA ref fixing, Michael Vick, steroid freaks in baseball getting over, Chris Benoit offing his family -- if we extend the concept of "sports" to rasslin' here). His meltdown in the 2000 National League Playoffs was shocking and sad and signaled the end of the pitching career of one of baseball's greatest young stars. So to see him make it back to the big leagues as a slugging outfielder and help his Cardinals get back into a playoff race that they have no business being a part of -- there are no words for that. Regardless of what happens from here, this might well be the greatest "Rocky" story I have ever seen in professional sports, and probably second only to the wonderful story of Jason McElwain, the autistic youngster who was team manager for his high school basketball team and scored 20 points in a shocking flurry when he got put in one time by the coach (do yourself a favor and watch the video if you've never seen it before). Ankiel's story is very uplifting and needed not only by the sports world, but America at large at a time when we are besieged by war, domestic tragedies in Minnesota and Utah and troubling markets. May Ankiel continue onward and upward and kudos to Krauthammer for doing his story justice.
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