Dugout bench is no place for athletic entitlement
ELIZA EVANS / Sports Writer



High school sports are winding down now. Teams are getting eliminated as the hopes for a state title either get dashed or become one step closer to reality.

Wow. That does not seem fair at all. Not everybody gets to keep playing. I think I'll jump on the fairness bandwagon. So, here goes:

Here is a shout to all of those bench warmers out there: Deal with it or deal without it. Your choice.

If you truly love the game, stick with it. Go to practice and work hard to improve yourself. Playing time will come.

If you don't love the game and you don't want to put forth the work and the effort to get better, then get off the bench and hand in the uniform.

Folks, it really is that simple. You either love it or you don't.

Two years of varsity softball and I was the last person off the bench each season.

My cleats saw time on the field only when the team was ahead by 20 or more runs.

Did my pride get hurt? Very much so.

Did I love the sport enough to suck it up and go to practice every day and hang out with my teammates? You better believe it.

What's better when you're in high school than being accepted by your peers? Absolutely nothing. At that age, it is basically all you want.

Those two years of sitting on a bench in temperatures at or above 90 degrees or below 30 degrees are days I will never trade.

Those two years of playing in horizontal rain, blinding wind and scorching sunlight are memories I cherish to this day.

Lessons learned then are ones we all need to be taught. I would, and will always, have to work for what I got.

That's life. It's not always fair. Get used to it.

Moving on ...

In fairness to those parents wanting to know why nobody ever takes up for the "little guys,"? have I got a response for you.

Esteemed members of the Court of Sports and Public Opinion, I submit to you words of defense for those of smaller stature.

After speaking with several acquaintances of the thin and/or short mold, it has come to my attention in recent months that nobody has stood up for those called "bean pole, skinny-mini, short stuff,"? or various other names with similar meanings.

What I offer in their defense are a few examples of big heart in a small package.

First is a college team with more than its share of "short stuffs"? and "shrimps."?

The UVa-Wise softball team has six players who are 5-foot-5 and under, including an NAIA All-American freshman in Maddi Ridenour.

As for male role models, always remember former NBA star Mugsy Bogues and current Major League Baseball pitcher Billy Wagner, a Tazewell native.

Bogues tipped the tall-meter at a whopping 5-foot-3 in a sport of giants. Look up his career stats and see how he fared. If you don't know about him, they will astound you.

Wagner is a bit taller, but growing up was one of those kids who didn't cast a shadow if he turned sideways. He was very slight of build, but look at what he has turned into now.

What I submit to you in closing, ladies and gentlemen, is a simple reminder: The tale of the tape is not always the end of story.