Hero of the Day

I need a hero every day, and I don't always get one. These days the hit rate is probably around 20 or 30 percent. Today I got lucky.

You know, I have a strong immunity to organized sports. I'm extremely not interested. So why does this impress me so much?

Girl Pitches Perfect Game Against Boys

Katie Brownell is in a Little League all her own. The 11-year-old -- the only girl playing in the Oakfield-Alabama Little League program -- pitched a perfect game Saturday for her Dodgers. She struck out all 18 batters she faced in the six-inning, 11-0 victory over the Yankees.

Oakfield-Alabama officials said they can't remember anybody ever throwing a perfect game in this western New York league between Buffalo and Rochester.

What impresses me most is when someone has ability and has the nerve to take action. I know what it's like to be the only kid in gym class who doesn't know the rules of football or basketball. And I know how kids can be when they think they've spotted someone's vulnerability. To be the only girl in a league? I can't imagine.

This isn't that different from the way my kids impress me all the time with their abilities. I think about how I was when I was their age -- hell, the way I am now -- and there's no doubt that they're eating my lunch in every respect.

[Via The Huffington Post]