Tommie Hudson’s Homerun
There is another landmark memory that stands out to me regarding the old Salem School. There was a ballpark just east of the school, where I played Little League baseball. I loved to play baseball as a youth and Little League baseball was a special time. I liked to pitch and play shortstop. I had some fairly good skills as a youth, where I had the opportunity to play on several All-Star teams.
Sometimes God will find a need to bring humility to someone that is getting a little too caught up in one’s self. That was the case for me when I was a pitcher for my Little League baseball team. I had found some good success in playing baseball where I had just pitched a no-hit baseball game in a tournament in Spanish Fork. I started to think that I was the best pitcher around, until the game we had with Goshen, Utah’s Little League team. Goshen always had a good team mainly because they had a couple of families who had young boys who were very talented in sports. I was pitching in this game and we were doing pretty well until a boy by the name of Tommie Hudson came to the plate. He was from one of those “talented families” and he was big for his age. Tommie came to the plate and took a couple of practice swings like he knew what he was doing. I decided to give him my fast ball, where I hoped that it would just wiz right by him. The ball did not do much “wizing” that day as Tommie swung the bat hard at the ball. I remember seeing the ball take off over the right fielder’s head towards the school. The boy who was playing right field turned to run after the ball, but then stopped as he saw the ball continue to climb. We all stood and watched the ball seemingly grow wings as it continued to climb as it traveled along its path. Suddenly we heard a crash as the ball broke the window on the second floor of the school. Tommie just trotted around the bases as we all stood in amazement. I had never seen nor have I since seen a ball that was hit so hard. I still have people today (more than 50 years later) who will come up to me and say, “Do you remember the day that kid from Goshen hit that ball into the second story window of the old Salem Elementary School?” I have to tell them, “Yes, I certainly do!! I was the one that delivered that one to Tommie Hudson who smashed it for good.”
That was a humbling day as we lost that game. I learned a great lesson that day. Some days you will do well, but there will be other days when someone will do better. On those days you have to accept the results and be prepared to make your next day better. Do not get too caught up in your own abilities, but remember any ability that you have has been given to you by God, so acknowledge God’s hand is in everything that you do and give thanks to him. I like Ammon’s response to Aaron when Aaron thought that Ammon was getting too caught up in his own abilities as a missionary. Ammon said, “Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things: yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.” God is the giver of all things and we are only temporary stewards of the talents that he has given us.
