In baseball there is a pitch called the knuckleball.
To throw a knuckleball, you hold the baseball like this:
And a good knuckle ball does not spin. At all.
It floats and dances towards the plate.
Like this:
The problem is, almost no one can throw a knuckleball.
But Tim Wakefield could.
And that knuckleball kept him in the major leagues for 19 years.
When he started playing baseball, he wasn't even a pitcher.
He was a first baseman.
But he didn't have what it takes to make it to the big leagues.
So in an act of desperation to keep playing baseball, he learned the knuckleball.
And it worked.
He made it to the major leagues as a pitcher.
And then he stayed there.
He stayed so long that when he retired, he was the oldest player in the major leagues.
During that time, he ended up getting the third most wins in Red Sox history.
A few weeks ago Tim Wakefield unexpectedly passed away.
After the news came out, no one talked about his baseball achievements.
They talked about all the people he helped.
Because Tim Wakefield was big into helping people.
He was a chairman of the Boston Red Sox charity foundation after he retired.
He developed programs to bring sick children onto the field for Red Sox games.
He was a regular at Boston's children hospitals meeting with sick patients.
And when someone who has a long and successful career in professional sports is better known for helping people, that makes them a poster worthy person.
Rick @ PosterBurner