Are you a hero or not?

I have been thinking about this as I have been starting an on-line store with my collectible baseball books from years gone by.  I have been reliving some of the stories I read when I bought the books and first read them.  I have books about Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson among others, and as I read these books again, it is obvious to me that the writer allows them to be heroes, in spite of flaws that exist in each of them.  Why do these players remain heroes even today as we learn more and more about them and their private lives?  How is this so different than the sagas we have watched so recently with Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire?  (I sure wish  it were different - I have the Topps cards of Home Run 73.  Could have been worth a fortune!)

I am also reading a book about young James Bond, which reminds of Sean Connery and Roger Moore and all that they stood for, while at the same time showing a lack of morality in a few key areas.  Why are we so intrigued by these guys when they are bedding every woman in the movie?

Here is my thought for the day.  And it goes back to what I tell my kids quite often.  "You are not a bad person, you just have some bad behavior."  See, deep inside, I know their character, and I know what a special person they are.  How do I know?  Because of what I have seen them be and do that I value.

There is a story about Babe Ruth that says he went to see a small kid in the hospital and promised to hit three home runs that day if the kid would get better.  I truly want to believe that when the Babe went to the ball park that day, his hitting was focused on that kid, not his contract or his personal glory.  Hey, I don't know for sure, but I am willing to believe it.  I want to believe that Jackie Robinson put up with the junk he endured not for his own glory, but for the future of integrated baseball.  That is why they are heroes to me.  Do you think Hank Aaron endured the death threats in order to please himself, or was his cause a bit greater?  I choose to believe in his purpose!

I always felt with the old James Bond movies they did a good job of not complicating things.  James was loyal to God and Country, and was willing to die to serve.   Yes he had issues, but his actions were selfless.  The newer ones make James Bond such a deep thinker and struggler with personal issues.  That is why Sean Connery will always be James Bond the hero!

Look at the stories that make the news in sports now.  Infidelities, contracts, steroids, holdouts!  We have a generation that is growing up distrusting those who could be heroes!  There appears through the media and through the actions we see and the words we hear to be such a selfishness - such an "I'm going to get mine!"  Our politicians show it even more clearly as they choose reelection over being a hero.

Think about your life and those around you.  Are you a hero to them?  Can they see past your flaws to the selfless person you are, or do they look at your behavior and think, "that totally makes sense based on what I believe their character to be?"

It is never too late, and the rewards of being a hero will always outweigh the benefits of money, fame or title!  Life is over before we know it.  A woman from my church died in her 80's this past week.  And yes, she was a hero.  How do I know?  Because she was personally a hero to me!  Who thinks you are a hero?  Is serving them more important than serving yourself?

Just remember though, from the movie THE INCREDIBLES - No Capes!