It was a close game, and my son’s Little League baseball team “The Hot Rods” was holding on to a narrow lead out in the field.  An opposing batter rapped a ball to shortstop and ran to first, just barely beating the throw.  But as the runner’s foot hit the bag, her helmet flew off, and we could see her pigtails flying.

Everyone froze, and the opposing coach on the mound looked at me in shock.  As my son’s team coach, I could have called a forfeit, and put a much needed “W” in our column.  Instead, I made the sign for “safe” at first.  The coach gasped out an apology.  “She wanted to play, and they don’t have a softball league yet.”

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in Georgia. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is @JohnTures2.