By Mike Phillips
Contributing sportswriter
I was in the depths of despair when something happened to me late Saturday night that really lifted my spirits.
I had been taken in by a scam artist last week who I thought might have turned out to be Miss Right for me. Then I found out some things about her that caused me to delete her.
Anyway, I was waiting outside the Sacred Heart locker room Saturday night for Sacred Heart Boys Coach Steve Goodwin to come out for his post-game interview.
I heard someone yelling my name from the other end of the gym.
I finally noticed that it was Coach Goodwin’s daughter Gracie and she appeared to be running toward me. The little 10-year old Gracie ran up to me, jumped up in my arms and gave me a big hug.
It caught me by surprise and I almost dropped her. I hugged her tightly after the week I had. I don’t know why Gracie did what she did but it sure made me feel good and she may have saved my life the more I thought about it. I felt a lump coming up in my throat as she walked away.
It brought to mind another incident involving Gracie from last spring.
Randy and I went to a district baseball game out at Centennial Park. As the game ended, it was getting fairly dark. I slowly headed down the walking trail toward the parking lot. I felt someone grab me by the hand. I looked down and it was Gracie. She had a firm grip on my hand and she took me right to Randy’s car, stopped and hugged me and headed back to her Mom and Dad.
I watched as she headed back to meet her parents. I was not aware she knew I am blind in the dark, but she knew what she was doing.
Now I want Coach Goodwin and his wife Shaela, to know that they have done a great job with their daughter.
Now that folks is what sports are all about, not so much the wins and losses but the long-lasting friendships I have made through sports over the years.
Gracie, you will never know that what you did for me on Saturday night and last spring and how special those two incidents are in my heart. Makes me wish you were my daughter.
