The Championship

In 1965, my softball team won its first Ontario championship. We almost didn’t even get past the first round.

We played our first series against another team in North York. It was supposed to be a best two out of three games. It actually went 5 games.

In the first four games, we had each won one. Another was called due to rain in the sixth inning with the score tied. The other was terminated, again in a tie score, in extra innings due to darkness.

The fifth game was just as close. They were the home team, which means they batted last. They were down one run in the bottom of the seventh, the final inning. They had runners on second and third with only one out. A fly ball would tie the game and a single would probably win it.

Up to bat came their best hitter. True to form, he hit a sharp line drive between the shortstop and the third baseman. In one stroke, it looked as is we were going to lose the game … except that our shortstop, Ally O’Quinn, speared the line drive somehow and ran over to third and touched the bag making the third out. Our greatest moment of peril was erased so suddenly. We had won the game.

Through the years, teams I played for won a few provincial championships. Each year there would be dramatic moments where a delicate thread held the balance of the season.

Life is the same way. There may be times when situations seem impossible. What I learned is that you play the best you can and accept the outcome, no matter what. However, you must not give up. Giving up only makes defeat certain. Staying in there and trying can potentially take you places you never dreamed of.