Mo’Ne Is Pitcher Perfect

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Mo’Ne

Are we talking baseball or softball?  This was the question presented to a friend after mentioning I’d caught a few Little League World Series games & how much enjoyment watching the youngsters brought.  My friend had then talked about the awesome skills of a young pitcher on the circuit…drum roll please….a girl.  The reply was….baseball definitely baseball. 

So it began…my personal mission to see this young girl in action.  Luckily, the wait wasn’t long….the same afternoon I watched her team…led by her pitching finesse…shut out the team they were playing.  If merely watching her is any indication…it must be some kind of better than nice to BE Mo’Ne Davis. 

Let me go back a bit and say…by no means am I making light of all of the young ladies on softball pitching mounds from little league to college—an extra set of kudos to fast pitch….they are outstanding in their own right.  We’d be remiss however not to behold what is unfolding before our very eyes…girl power to the second if not third power…and it is nothing short of sensational!

Back in my playing days it was certainly unheard of for a girl to compete with…let alone dominate…her peers from the other gender.  Oh and the cover of “Sports Illustrated”?!  Are you kidding me…that was the stuff movies were made of—pure fiction! 

My heart is full when I think of all of the young girls who have either dreamt of doing the same as Mo’Ne or are merely reveling in a “take that” moment aimed at all of the naysayers.  Not only is Miss Davis a sight to behold atop the strategically place mound of dirt…she is a breath of fresh air off the field as well.  Mo’Ne hasn’t failed to give credit to her team…this a team sport after all…and because the word “no” is a part of her vocabulary, she is far from concerned about being overwhelmed by all of the attention coming her way.  Umm, the latter is a lesson she could give to no less than a roomful of professional athletes, but that’s a different show!

A national campaign for a beauty product sadly informs that by a young age, most girls have stopped participating in an activity they enjoy due to how they view themselves. I’d argue Mo’Ne should be a shining example to young girls of what doing what you love looks like. This remarkable thirteen year old has the type of cool confidence that exudes whether she’s throwing a 70mph fastball, sitting front row and center during a postgame television interview, or letting a well known women’s college basketball coach know she has eyes for his program.

Who she is and how Mo’Ne represents herself didn’t happen in a vacuum.  It is quite obvious she’s been on the receiving end of a lot of love and support.  That is a lesson for all of us to heed and use when we cross paths with young girls everywhere…dream your dream and be the best you you can be! 

As another school year is upon us, it is my hope that girls in classrooms from sea to shining sea, will think of a teenage girl from Philly…and raise their hand a tad bit higher and speak a tad bit higher when the teacher calls on them…and if it is a math or sciences teacher?  Why that’s even better!!

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