The Monday Rant: Sports And Family

I’m a big anti-Internet guy. The Internet to me is human society’s version of Mos Eisley; there’s little redeemable qualities, anonymous cowards snipe and snark from the safety of their NSA-tracking devices, and it is the most wretched hive of scum and villainy.

But every once in a while – every once in a while – videos circulate social media and brighten my day. They’re the obvious ones: military personnel surprises family member, dogs, and mom and dad celebrate the sports accomplishments of their son or daughter.

Last week gave us two great family reactions to their sons’ accomplishments.

First, Arizona Diamondback rookie Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter in his first career start. Sure, why not. His dad sums up everything you need to know about his emotions from the fist-pump “Let’s Go!’ prior to the final at-bat (with a possible expletive), followed by the hugging of everyone he can find and the crying because his boy just did A Thing. What a moment.

Next was New York Yankees rookie, and Bronx native, Andrew Velasquez hit his first career homerun, in Yankee stadium, with his mom and (presumably?) grandmother front and center. Mom and grandma’s bawling faces in the screen shot are perfect.

Imagine the joy, pure joy, they’re experiencing as they’re watching their boy who grew up minutes from the stadium, dreaming of wearing pinstripes, hit a homerun in that very stadium.

These clips reminded me I haven’t watched my all-time favorite sports and family video in a while.

Former Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams earned a win in his major-league debut back in 2016. Williams, who has since been traded to the Mets, was lucky to have his wife, his newborn son, and his dad in the stands to see it all happen.

What I didn’t know until I was writing this is that Williams’ dad Richard, 10 months prior to this game, was diagnosed with Stage 4 B-cell lymphoma and given 60-90 days to live. I’m reading the story of this now, tearing up.

If Richard’s reaction to Trevor’s first win doesn’t hit you in the feelings button you’re dead inside. The only thing that matters in this life is family. Too often in today’s society we hear about who all the heroes are with nary a mention of the only “heroes” there truly are, and the only ones that matter: parents.

Parents make sacrifices, protect from the unwarranted, protect from the unknown, guide without guiding, fight without their kids knowing there’s a fight to be had, give without anything more to give, and bawl with overwhelming amounts of pride and joy when their children accomplish their dreams.

And it makes the best content on the Internet.