Why is a 14 Year Old Calling the Baltimore Ravens Plays?

I am going to go three different directions with this blog and then try to tie it all together at the end. In my life there have been three sport stories that have stuck with me each and everyday. All three of them came from Sports Illustrated. The first two were pieces that SI did on Sandy Koufax and Ted Williams respectively. I believe the Ted Williams piece was done after his death. I probably read both of these stories 5 or 6 times. I found the stories of both of these men to be so rich and compelling that I had to read them more than once. The third story was a piece (if my memory serves me correctly) that Rick Reilly did on Dale Earnhardt after his death. I was not into NASCAR at the time but this story laid a foundation for my love of all things NASCAR.

Everytime I got a Sports Illustrated, the first thing I did was go to the last page. I would assume that I was not the only person who did this. Everything Rick Reilly wrote was fascinating. He could make the most boring subject/story in the entire world come to life. He has moved over to ESPN but of course, he is still working his magic.

At times it is very easy to only see the negative in sports. The letdown we experience when we hear or see are favorite professional athletes/coaches mess up is excruciating. They perform so flawlessly on the court/field that we expect them to perform the same way in their own personal lives. Professional sports have become about money, even college sports have become about money. Baseball has been dominated by the steroids story for years and it seems like the NBA has been plagued, at times, by violence, for the past decade.

Here is where I tie all of this together. I mentioned the three sports stories that I will never forget. I now have a fourth. I mentioned how much I enjoy reading Rick Reilly. I think he may have recently put together his best story ever. Finally, for all the negatives associated with sports these days, stories like the one Reilly recently wrote make up for 500 negative stories. I don't want to get into the details becaue I cannot do the story justice. It is an amazing story about Cam Cameron, the Ravens Offensive Coordinator, and a young man with a brain tumor. Trust me, it is an incredible read. I have a hard time not shedding a few tears each time I read it and that number is currently at 4. Here is the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=reilly_rick&id=4825585&sportCat=nfl