A Lesson for Pards
With Charlton in desperate need of a cluster of three points, today's Sunday Times reminded me of an inspirational tale.
I don't know whether this heart-warming sports story from Feb 2006 received much coverage in the UK at the time, but you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by it. Even President Bush said he wept when he saw it, and he is probably not prone to regular emotional outbursts.
Previously considered too small for the team, Jason McElwain an autistic 19-year old, was given a four-minute cameo in a non-descript high school basketball game in recognition of his hard work for the team behind-the-scenes.
In those four minutes McElwain provided the script for a perfect Hollywood tear-jerker, and his extraordinary performance was subsequently voted as ESPN's 'Best Sports Moment of 2006'.
To put his achievement in perspective, it is worth noting that the very best NBA pros only manage a 3-point attempt success rate of 40-50%. Admittedly McElwain's opponents were not exactly doing their level best to stop him from shooting but even so, why let a minor technicality get in the way of such a touching story.
A total of twenty points plucked out of nowhere. It can be done. Believe.
posted by New York Addick @ 2:24 AM
5 comments
A truly heart-warming story. Thank you for posting it on your blog.
Blimey had me sobbing like a baby...fantastic story, I feel very confident now, I think we're gonna do it, that last ditch equalizer is gonna spur us on and Man City look like a team in freefall.
I think we might find Pards let our very own Jason McElwain on (Lisbie) and he blew it. Any chance we can sign the real Jason McElwain for the last few games??
I've been inundated with it for the better part of a year, since I live in the Rochester area. But the cynicism brought on by the local media attention is definitely swept aside when I read people's reactions to J-Mac's exploits, even a year later. ESPN did a follow-up story a few weeks ago that was almost as good, and the local paper followed suit.
And to see this mentioned on a Charlton fan's blog (despite the fact that said blog is based in Manhattan) is just surreal. Small world, indeed.
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