Major League Baseball’s two Texas teams are probably the classiest organizations in professional sports. Admittedly I am a die hard, old school New York Yankees fan (insert booing and hissing here) and I’ve always had a soft spot for the Los Angeles Dodgers. I’ve loved both teams since I was 7 years old, but as an adult I have started liking the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros more and more. Here’s one more reason to love Rangers and Astros, a humanitarian reason. The Houston Astros drafted Buddy Lamonthe despite his being paralyzed in a swimming accident prior to the draft. In fact it is readily apparent the Buddy will likely never play professional baseball as a pitcher again. The Astros organization are finding a spot for him on their roster and believe that he has more than just an arm to bring to the organization. The Texas Rangers have a similar story; Johnathan Taylor was injured in an on field collision with another player that broke his neck and left him paralyzed. The Texas Rangers had already stated their intentions of drafting him this season and decided to draft him anyway despite this injury.
Both of these players promise rehabilitation and to get back out onto the field and I’m sure everyone wishes them nothing but the best, but in the high stakes, extremely competitive world of professional sports it is refreshing, inspiring even, to see a team put individual people as their first priority. I don’t know how or if this gesture will ever lead towards either team raising another pennant or putting on a World Series ring but I do know that as far as the game of life is concerned, both of these teams just hit a home run in the eyes of their fans and I wouldn’t be surprised if God doesn’t throw a favorable breeze or two their way either. Either way I know I’m buying a hat from each franchise to show my support of the kind of commitment to the people and game of baseball that these two teams have shown.
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