Saturday Morning Quarterback

Here's an item which came across my e-mail last week, with some fact-checking from Lebanon High football coach Bobby Brown:
A teacher at the Wilson County Vocational Center had some money, possibly $100, stolen from her purse at school. She had saved it to buy a Christmas present for her husband. It was obvious to her students she was upset about it.
Two of those students decided to do something about it and started an effort to solicit funds from their classmates to replace the money. When all was said and done, the students had raised more money than was stolen in the first place.
The players were linebacker Ty Cross and defensive lineman D.D. Lattimore, both juniors.
"They stepped up in a big way," Brown said of his two players. "It's showing they do have leadership skills and that's what it takes to be successful. I'm very proud of them.
"It's nice to know that during the holiday season, you have two young men step up like that."
Cross and Lattimore aren't the only area football players with the Christmas spirit. Mt. Juliet Christian's team collected some 50 toys to be distributed to needy children through Toys For Tots and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Wilson County.
The giving isn't limited to the holiday season, either.
Back to LHS, the Blue Devil baseball team will play at Greer Stadium for the second straight year in the spring to raise money for a worthy cause. Last year, the Blue Devils played Wilson Central with proceeds going to Craig Hutto. They'll face Franklin County on April 13 at Greer as part of their campaign to help Southside first-grader Nathan Nokes, who is battling cancer.
The team is selling Nashville Sounds ticket vouchers for the 2007 season for $10 each with proceeds going to the Nokes family.
Blue Devil assistant coach Charlie Lowery is the point man for the effort.
"I feel that this is the perfect time of year for everyone in the community to take a chance to help a child and his family," Lowery wrote in an e-mail. "I believe that it is important this day and time to teach our young boys and girls that play sports that there is more to life than the game itself and that they have so much to be thankful for. So I hope to continue to help a child/family in our community each and every year."
Lowery said he hopes church groups and businesses will buy in bulk for gifts for their employees and church trips.
He can be contacted by e-mail at clowery280@hotmail.com or by cell phone at 207-3576.
These are just the ones I know about. No doubt, other local athletes are performing similar acts of good deeds in our community which they prefer be kept under the radar. They don't do it for the publicity, but to help their fellow man.
While they don't want their efforts to be publicized, in an era when pro and major college athletes often appear in the news for showing up on the police blotter, we're often the ones who need to be reassured that the ones who play the games are good people who try to help others when the need arises.
So to those who play the games, those who cheer them on and all of you who read this column every week – Merry Christmas!
Sports Editor Andy Reed can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 17 or by e-mail at andy.reed@lebanondemocrat.com.