by Monsignor Jim Lisante

The simplest lessons of life have a way of turning up where you least expect them. Even something as basic as learning how to say, "I’m sorry." Or, conversely, "That’s okay; all is forgiven." That’s just the kind of message that turned up in a recent newspaper story that appeared, of all places, on the sports page. And quite a story it is.

The story was about the blockbuster baseball trade that sent All-Star second baseman Roberto Alomar from the Cleveland Indians to the New York Mets (occasioning shouts of joy, it should be mentioned, from Met fans). All the stories in the New York papers mentioned the glowing statistics that Alomar has compiled at the plate and in the field. But on the negative side, they referred also to the unpleasant incident for which Alomar is too often remembered: his 1996 confrontation in Toronto with umpire John Hirschbeck, which ended in an uproar when Alomar spit in Hirschbeck’s face.

Most of the sportswriters took note, at least in passing fashion, of the fact that Hirschbeck and Alomar have long since settled their differences. But John Harper’s story in the New York Daily News went a step further. He took the trouble to call each of the principal parties involved. And what emerged was a true lesson in contrition and forgiveness.

The 1996 incident was a genuine donnybrook, one that left bad feelings all around - as sports altercations often do. There was a staged "reconciliation" handshake between player and umpire in 1996, but it was strictly for appearances. As Harper reported, Hirschbeck didn’t even make eye contact with Alomar, let alone talk to him, all through the 1997 and 1998 seasons. The big breakthrough finally came in May of 1999, when a clubhouse friend whom Hirschbeck respected said some kind things about Alomar.

"That got me thinking, and I decided three years was long enough," Hirschbeck said. "I was umpiring at second base so I decided I’d say hello that night. When he came out to his position, I was about 10 feet behind him and I said, ‘Hey, Robby, how you doing?’ Well, it was like opening the gates. He kept turning around. He couldn’t stop talking to me."

That was just the beginning. Not only did a friendship blossom, but Alomar began to help Hirschbeck regularly in fund-raising efforts to fight the disease adrenoleukodystrophy, which killed Hirschbeck’s son in 1993.

Let their own words, as reported by Harper, tell the rest of the story.

Alomar: "I was surprised that night when John started talking to me….I’m glad he did it. I’ve gotten to know him and John’s a great guy. I feel like he’s a lifetime friend now."

Hirschbeck: "He’s a good guy. We talk all the time now. I’m glad it worked out. . .It’s kind of like if you have an argument with your wife. You can kind of look at each other and know it’s just better to move on than rehash the whole thing. You kind of forget about it. I think he’s a good person. We all make mistakes in life. If he can look back toward the end of his life and that’s the worst thing he did, that’s not so bad."

It’s all there: Contrition. Forgiveness. And a new lease on life.

They crop up every day, these lessons for living, even on the sports pages. They’re there for the taking. All we have to do is take the lessons to heart.