This Is How You Do It

Major League Baseball always does a great job of fighting for the cure to cancer.  But there was one particular moment I wanted to mention.

Towards the end of Spring Training, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics met for a game and featured a segment in between innings entitled "Home Run For Life."  Arnie Bishop, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, was celebrating the fact that his cancer was in remission.  The A's all lined up on the first base line while the Dodgers were on the third base line.  Even the umpires got into the act and waited for the brief ceremony to commence.

Bishop stood in the batter's box and took a pantomime swing, sending an imaginary fly ball over the fence.  He started his home run trot and met every single person for a high five, beginning with home plate umpire John Tumpane and ending with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.  Every player, coach, and personnel member offered words of encouragement.  Roberts took the time to congratulate Bishop and celebrate his new lease on life, taking pictures and offering hugs and kisses to Bishop and his wife.

It was another great reminder of sportsmanship and acknowledgement of what really matters in life.

Oh yeah, Tumpane also gave Bishop and his wife each a game ball.