Sportsmanship more important than score

I rarely write a column about sports. Not that I have no interest in sports. In fact, I love sports and follow my favorites like any other fan.

But something odd happened at this week's All-Star game and it speaks more to sportsmanship than sports.

This year's All-Star fest was actually a tribute to Derek Jeter of the Yankees. Jeter has been a star in the Big Apple for years and is a certain Hall of Fame inductee when he becomes eligible.

Jeter is retiring after this season and every team in both leagues has heaped praise and tributes to his impact on the game.

So in the first inning of this year's game, Cardinal starting pitcher Adam Wainwright was on the mound and Jeter at the bat. Before his first pitch, both Wainwright, the catcher and the umpire stood away from their positions to give the crowd an opportunity to applaud Jeter for his remarkable career.

Then Wainwright - out of respect for the future Hall of Famer - "grooved" a fastball right down the middle of the plate at a slick 91 mph.

Now in major league baseball circles, that is a very hittable pitch that you would not use in a crucial situation.

But little is on the line in the All-Star game. It was clearly Jeter's night. And to Wainwright's credit, he wanted to give the Yankee star a chance to have one final highlight in his career.

Jeter did what Jeter does. He smacked a double and the fans went wild.

But a minor brouhaha started when Wainwright later "admitted" he grooved the fastball down the middle out of respect for Jeter.

Some fans erupted that Wainwright had thrown a "softball" pitch and not his best effort.

Those same fans were disappointed that Wainwright had not brought the heat and tried to strike out the All-Star Jeter.

Well, those fans can stick a baseball where the sun don't shine.

Wainwright was the epitome of sportsmanship. He knew full well the significance of Jeter's last All-Star appearance. He knew Jeter's value to the sport. And it's not like he threw a Little League pitch underhanded.

Sometimes - and fortunately we've seen it more than once - sportsmanship trumps the sport itself. Respect and admiration for the game, the player and the fans is held above the final score.

And nowhere should sportsmanship play a greater role than in a game like the All-Star match-up.

Adam Wainwright displayed the best the game has to offer. He was willing to give one of the greatest players in modern day history one final shot at doing what he does best.

Jeter got his final moment in the sun, the fans got the memories they came for and Adam Wainwright proved to have the class we all hope our sports heroes possess.

Whether it's a Little League game or a high school football game, the final score is always important - despite what the liberal crowd would have you believe.

But sportsmanship is far more important than the final score.

And in life, it should be the same. We should be defined by the respect we show more than the outcome.