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When I was 11 years old I was on an amazing little league baseball team. The Giants had earned a winning reputation from the past few years, and my 11 year old year was no exception. That season we actually went undefeated with no real competition. Of our sixteen games of the season our closest game was within four runs. We were good. We knew it. And every other team knew it. And they hated us for it.

The overall feel of the entire National little league organization was that the Giants need to be beat! Even as an 11 year old I was able to feel the competition between Giants’ parents and other team’s parents.

One of the main reasons that the Giants were so good this particular year was a 12 year old boy on our team named Shawn Thomas. The star hitter averaged one homerun a game. He intimidated every pitcher in the league with his big bat.

The final game of the season was the Giants vs. the Braves. The build up to this game was intense. Every coach and their teams were there to support the Braves, because everyone wanted to see the Giants go down. Over an entire season of winning so well we had gained very faithful enemies. The contempt for our team was real and we could feel it.

We started the game true to our reputation. By the end of the second inning we were up 6 to 1. We were confident to win and our opposition was increasing in their attempt to thwart us of victory.

Shawn Thomas, who had already hit a homerun for the game, stood up to bat. The feeling in the crowd was becoming hostile because their hopes of beating the Giants were being crushed. Parents were encouraging the pitcher to do mean things to Shawn, “Bean him!” “Break his arm!” Just as Shawn was stepping into the batters box, the head coach of the Braves stood up to give instructions to his outfielders.

He used his loudest yelling voice to be heard above the screaming parents as he yelled, “SHAWN DEFENSE!” Obedient to their coaches command, the three outfielders ran to the gate in the middle of center field to go take their positions on the other side of the fence.

The reaction throughout the park was something I’ll always remember. Parents who were over the top angry began to laugh. The hostile feeling in the crowd relaxed and a feeling of good sportsmanship overcame everyone.

That simple act from the coach of the Braves taught everyone there that day a lesson. It taught the boys and their parents that it was not acceptable to treat anyone the way they were treating Shawn and the Giants. He didn’t shrug it off like it didn’t matter. He didn’t demand a microphone to lecture the fans. He simply stood to show others how to live the Golden Rule.