Seventeen Inches!

Don't get alarmed . . . but do read on.

This might be a little long, but VERY worth it.
An aged, beloved baseball coach was asked to speak and the room was packed.
He approached the podium dressed to kill, but with home plate strapped around his neck.
He rambled on about baseball and then said, "You're probably wondering why I've got home plate around my neck."
He inquired of the crowd, "How big is home plate in little league?"
Someone finally muttered "Seventeen inches?"
"Correct!" the old coach bellowed. "How about in high school, the minors and in the big leagues?"
The answers came back quicker each time. "17 inches!" "17 inches!" "17 inches!"
He smiled broadly and then continued.
"Now, what happens if a pitcher cannot throw the ball over those 17 inches?
Do they widen home plate? And what if the player shows up late to practice? Or uses drugs? Or violates curfew? Do we change the rules to accommodate the player? NO! We hold him accountable."
The crowd hushed as he went on to explain that that is the problem with the world today. No one is held accountable to the rules. The rules are manipulated to accommodate the situation. We don't teach accountability and there are no consequences. If we continue to widen home plate, we lose the values we should be instilling in our children. The teachers have lost the ability to teach because they have to oblige everyone. Our leaders do not command respect, they command the widening of home plate and they lose the core of where we started.
Let's get back to the basics.
Let's hit a home run and get our kids back to home plate.
Respect, Honor, Accountability.
Seventeen inches worth!