The Chicken Runs at Midnight

I never thought I'd use that phrase as a Blogger title, nor did I ever think this phrase could be so uplifting. But, as the wonderful world of sports seems to do on a daily basis, I've learned something new and inspiring.

In 1992, Rich Donnelly, then-third base coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, lost his daughter to a brain tumor. Earlier that year, she asked her dad what Donnelly would always yell to the runners on second base. "Dad, what do you yell to the runner, 'The chicken runs at midnight?'" As it states in the article linked in my title, the Pirates began using this phrase frequently.

Four years later, the Florida Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series, winning in the 11th inning in Game 7 (Donnelly was the 3rd base coach). Craig Counsell, aptly named "The Chicken" in the Donnelly household because of the way he flaps his arm in the batter's box, scored the winning run. At midnight.

As Tim Kurkjian says, "The chicken indeed runs at midnight."

"There is baseball in the story, but it's not a baseball story," said Counsell. This is simply another of the endless reasons why I love sports; sports can be so much bigger than the outsider generally portrays it to be. Sports can make a phrase like "The chicken runs at midnight" touch millions around the Nation, which is evident in the midnight 3k run in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Sports can also save a city, as it did during the economic hell swarming Detroit. When Michigan State danced all the way to the Final Four in 2009, it lit a fire under the Motor City, a fire that seemed all but extinguished a month prior.

Sports saved our Nation in 2001. In the wake of 9/11, America felt lost, hopelessy looking for answers to why such a terrible tragedy could happen. When baseball returned 10 days later, it gave us something to get our minds off of the pain. Seeing Mike Piazza's memorable home run that night forever changed my outlook on baseball. It's just a game, but it's a game that can unite an entire country in its darkest times.

Sports have stopped wars. In 2006, the Ivory Coast was in the midst of a Civil War, dating back to 2002. When the World Cup began on June 9, the ongoing north-south battle ceased, and for one month, the Cote d'Ivoire came together as one to cheer on their beloved Elephants. "Thanks to soccer, the country is going to reconcile its differences." - Kata Kaba.





Thanks to the late Ernie Harwell, I'm beginning my own version of Ode to Baseball. And it begins with:

Baseball is a bright kid sprinting the length of Centerfield at Yankee Stadium after robbing a home run. Baseball is that same bright young man - with his cap backwards - flashing that contagious smile at the city that adores him, being carried off the field in the city that he adores.

Baseball is a young boy watching this young man play the game with ease, inspiring the boy to wear his cap backwards, smile his big smile, and play the game for the simple joy of playing the game. That's baseball.

Baseball is a chicken running home at midnight, capturing the heart of fans from New Jersey all the way to San Diego, including the boy from Colorado, with his backwards cap and foolish grin.