The world's in rough shape right now, and according to all the experts and projections, it's going to get worse before it gets better. So let's take five minutes for a quick smile courtesy of Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich and a kid in need of a catch.
The kid is the son of Tommy Spaulding, an author and professional speaker who wrote about his run-in with the former MVP on his personal website and blog. His story doesn't exactly start sweet: Due to a boogie boarding accident over Christmas break that left him with "two broken ribs, concussion, sprained neck, cut up face and a trip to the hospital," a bruised and neck-braced Spaulding sadly had to turn down an offer to have a catch with his son, Tate. So his son found somebody else – somebody significantly better at baseball than Spaulding. (Sorry, Tommy.)
"Another hour goes by and my daughter visits me again…making sure I’m still alive and taking my pain meds. I asked her again, 'Where’s Tate?' 'He’s having a catch with some guy,' she replies. The 'some guy' comment got me a little worried. No problem with Tate having a catch with 'some kid,' but 'some guy' got me thinking of the worst-case scenario. So, I mustered up the strength and walked out of the cabana over to the field where my son was having a catch with 'some guy.'
"I introduced myself to this man. 'My name is Christian,' he said as he extended his hand to me. 'You have a great kid. And he has a killer arm for a 12-year-old. You mind if I can take him to get a milk shake?' Christian seemed harmless. He looked like quite the athlete, so I gave Tate my blessing and went back to my cabana so I could drown in my pain."
I'll leave the rest of the story to Spaulding on his blog – but without spoiling, just know that it comes to a lovely and heartwarming conclusion that will only make you happier that Christian Yelich is going to be a Brewer for a long time. (Remember all those years ago when Yelich signed his nine-year contract extension, all the way back on ... March 6? We were all so young.)
Have a smile – and then return back to staying home, staying healthy, staying informed and staying hopeful that we'll get baseball of some kind when life goes back to something resembling normal.
As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.
When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.
