Win or lose, a mother will always care

Johnny comes up to the plate in a very key moment of a championship baseball game.

In the ninth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, Johnny's Tigers trail 5-1 and need a big hit to cut into the deficit against the very tough Lions.

There is a big crowd watching at the park that day and one particular pair of eyes are especially focused on this particular moment.

The pitcher fires strike one, which was a perfect pitch on the outside corner, then Johnny swings and misses the next offering that was way out of the zone.

After taking ball one that was very close and a pitch the umpire could have called either way, the tension was beginning to build for Johnny and his team.

The fans are rowdy. One person can't sit still and is sweating with every pitch.

Johnny grips his bat and steps back into the box for the very important fourth pitch. He fouls it off and is beginning to make contact against the hurler who has been sharp and only given the Tigers one run up until that point.

On the fifth pitch, Johnny sees a pitch he likes, a fastball that looked like the size of a beach ball, and he hit a drive down the right field line that lands just fair.

Two runs score easily and a third run also crosses the dish to cut the margin to 5-4. Johnny reaches third base and could have settled for a triple. The Lion outfielder had trouble tracking down the baseball in the corner that was placed perfectly by Johnny for the extra base hit.

A triple was nice and the Tigers were now within striking distance of the Lions, but Johnny knew his run meant a tie game. Once he saw that he had a chance to score, he went for it.

The baseball came in from the outfield and Johnny saw

he was going to have to slide. It was close at the plate and the umpire was forced to make a call. The umpire shouted out and punched his fist. The Tigers lost the game 5-4.

There were many disappointed Tigers in the stands, but one person in particular had an emotional reaction.

Even though the out came at a critical time of the game was difficult, that wasn't the worse thing. Johnny was laying on the ground at home plate and not getting up.

The play caused such a collision that Johnny suffered an injury and he was not moving. The umpire and coaches were standing over Johnny to check on him.

One person came running onto the field and no umpire or coach was going to stop her from joining the huddle. Yes, it was a her.

It was Johnny's mother and she was going to check on her baby.

She kneeled next to Johnny and said, “it's going to be OK, momma's here.”

At that moment, it didn't matter if the Tigers had won or lost. The most important thing in the mind of that mother was the health of her son.

Of course other people cared too, but not like mother.

With the presence of his mother there and once hearing her voice, Johnny had reason

to overcome his pain. He got up, brushed himself off and left the field with only a bump and a bruise. His pride may have taken a blow that day because he couldn't score the tying run of the game, but having his mother by his side made all of the difference in the world.

The point of this little story that happens at baseball fields all across the country is the support and approval of a parent, especially a mother, is a very important thing.

During life's journey, an individual usually can bank on having their mother in their corner. Death and other circumstances may prevent it, but most of the time the bond between a mother and child is strong.

My mother Melba has been there for me for over 50 years now and it's a comfort to know that I have her near to bounce ideas off of and sometimes vent if I've had a had a bad day. Although I know I shouldn't unload on my mom that way, she's always there to listen and offer advice. I appreciate her for that.

Win or lose, happy or sad, healthy or hurting, a mother will always care about the welfare of their child.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there today.