MVN - Most Valuable Network

All The Negativity In This Town Sucks!

I was searching around the internets for blogging topics this afternoon, and found three sports-related stories that have a common denominator…they’re those mushy, feel-good news items that are kinda cool to hear every now and then.

Our first item: I know it’s a cliché to claim that someone “beat the odds,” but in this case, there couldn’t be more truth in that typically empty phrase. Meet Porter Ellett, a young man who is in the starting lineup for the Wayne High School basketball team, despite only having one arm (to see video of him in action, click here).

“It’s kind of fun to see people’s reactions when they doubt you and they see you walk out on the court and wonder why you are even playing; then you get to go out and prove what you are worth,” Ellett said.

Porter lost his right arm in an accident when he was a young boy. While having only one arm to compete with is a disadvantage, Porter likes the challenge, scoring 16 of his team’s 50 points, with steals, rebounds and a blocked shot. His coach, Kade Morrell, calls him a natural leader for the team.

This is one of those stories that you can’t help but be amazed by. I can’t even imagine competing in high school athletics with an arm missing — but then again, I’m sure his injury has forced him to have some of the best fundamentals and technique on the team. Still, it’s simply stunning that he appears to score in double figures on a fairly regular basis and is a key contributor for his team.

It takes a ton of guts to do what Porter’s doing, and for that, he deserves some tremendous respect.

The second item I spotted was some new television spots being done by NBA players such as Kobe and Grant Hill, which are aimed at increasing awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. This has been an issue that hasn’t received nearly enough attention in the United States, so these efforts by Kobe and Company are certainly commendable — here’s hoping their celebrity status can help bring increased attention to the atrocities occurring in Darfur.

And finally for today, here’s the story of Lt. Col. Greg Gadson:

The ball that Brett Favre threw on his last play in the NFL is owned by an Army officer who lost both legs in a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, who has been an inspirational figure for the New York Giants during their Super Bowl run, was given the ball by Corey Webster after the cornerback intercepted Favre’s pass in overtime in the NFC title game on Jan. 20.

I certainly don’t think Favre would have any objections to Gadson having the final ball he threw in the NFL…first, because it was intercepted and effectively ended his team’s chance at a Super Bowl bid, and second, because Gadson is a true American hero.

This quote from Gadson speaks volumes about the type of person he is: “I said [to Webster], ‘Just let me know and you can have it back,’ but he told me that he wanted me to keep it, and that really symbolized to me what this Giants team was about. That was such an unselfish act.” He’s someone who lost his legs in service of his country, and yet he’s commending Webster for unselfishness. People don’t get any higher-character than that.

Hat tips: Hugging Harold Reynolds, SPORTSbyBROOKS

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 5:35 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.