(rap music)

♪ I'm always ready with a straight sign ♪

♪ Hustle in my blood, I'm a make mine ♪

♪ Where I'm trying to go,it's gonna take time ♪

♪ You deny your respect,I'm gonna take mine ♪

♪ I made my name my own, I'm in the zone ♪

- Hello, and welcometo Going the Distance,

where we talk faith, sports,and everything in between.

I'm Shawn Brown, and let's get to it.

The MLB season is in full swing,

so we're gonna show a littlebaseball in today's show,

and I'd be remiss if I didn't take time

to remember one of baseball's greatest,

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson,

who passed away on February seventh.

As a player, Robinsonwas a 14-time All Star

who amassed 586 home runs,two World Series championships

with the Baltimore Orioles,and later became the

first African-American field manager

in the history of the game.

He was a husband, father, and a voice

during the Civil Rights movement.

He was 83, and he will be missed.

Well, our first story is about the

smallest player in Major League Baseball.

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve was told

he would never make it to the big leagues

because he lacked the sizeand the strength to succeed,

but when opportunity presented itself,

he proved to the world that

big things can come in small packages.

(powerful music)

He's a six-time All Star, athree-time batting champion,

the reigning American League MVP,

and a World Series champion,

but that's not what's most impressive.

Standing five foot six,Houston Astros' Jose Altuve

is the smallest playerin Major League Baseball.

- [Announcer] Back atthe wall, Benintendi.

- You don't think of your sizeas a negative at all, do you?

- No, I'm really happy thatI'm 5'6" and I can play ball.

- [Shawn] Well, why you say that?

- Because.

(laughing)

- [Shawn] The average height of a

Major Leaguer is roughly six feet,

so when Jose blasted hisway into the majors in 2011,

he rocked the baseball world with a smile.

- I think the biggest reason why I'm

always happy is because, just the fact of

waking up every day having my family

and having the opportunityto come to the ballpark

and do what I love to do as my job.

I thanks God every day because of that,

because He gave me all of this.

(bat striking ball)

- [Shawn] Jose is from Maracay, Venezuela,

where he was taughtChristian values as a boy.

- I always gonna believe inthat because I grew up knowing

He went to the crossfor us, He died for us.

- [Shawn] In Venezuela,baseball is everything.

Jose's father began teaching him

the game when he was seven years old.

- I remember he was always happy to

take me to the ballpark and play,

even when we only have one ball and

we have to go back andforth to hit many times,

but it means a lot, andnow I see my dad and

I'm very thankful for himtoo because he gave me all

his time, all his love toteach me how to play ball.

- [Shawn] When Jose was 16 years old,

baseball scouts told him he

was too small to play professionally.

- They let me go out there and play.

There was 50 guys and it wentdown to 20 or 15, I think,

and I wasn't one of those guys,

but I just decided tocome back the next day.

The big boss was there at that time,

and he just decide to letme join the organization.

- [Shawn] The big boss he's referring to

is then-Houston Astrosassistant Al Pedrique,

who noticed Jose's driveand passion for the game.

- I remember him saying something about,

okay he really enjoy playing baseball,

and that is better thanhaving all these tools

because you really wantto see inside the plate

and really want to find outif you want a place or not,

and he thought about me maybe having

the right attitude togo out there and play.

- [Shawn] Jose signed with theAstros organization in 2007.

Four years later, he wascalled up to the big leagues.

- What I really wanted to do,

and if God gave me the ability to play,

it was because He wanted meto go all the way through.

It's a lot of emotionsgoing off in the beginning.

I couldn't believe I was getting the call

from the minor league team.

Then, all of a sudden, I was here

playing against guys thatI used to watch on TV.

I still look around and Ithanks God for everything

because sometimes, it's hard to believe

that what you dream as akid, it's real life now.

- [Shawn] By 2012, thelittle giant was an All Star.

As the smallest player in the league,

he says he has to work thatmuch harder in order to compete.

- It was always hard.

It still is hard, and since day one,

when I was 16 years old,

my first game as a professionalminor league player,

it was real tough.

This game is getting harder every day

and the day you stop working hard,

the day you feel comfortable,

you might be out of here really soon.

- [Shawn] So how does he do it?

How does someone who'snot supposed to be able

to play in the majors competeconsistently every day?

Well, Jose's answer is simple.

Prayer.

- Before I leave myhouse every single day,

I ask God for health formy family and for me,

and then when I'm about to play the game

I just pray and I ask Godto keep every single player

and every single peopleon the stands healthy

and we just can go out thereand compete in a good way.

- [Shawn] Jose Altuve is oneof baseball's biggest stars.

As a husband and father,he hasn't allowed the game

to completely define who he is.

- No, it's, okay baseballis good and all this,

things are good, butthen when you go home,

and you have your family,that's when you find out

this is the most beautiful gift from God.

I think everything is connected because

my daughter, my wife, and my whole family,

they help me to do better on the field.

Even if I do good or not here,

I go home and I try to be thesame husband, the same dad.

- [Shawn] Last season,Jose helped the Astros win

their first World Serieschampionship in franchise history.

As he heads further into this season,

he understands he's a blessedman because of his fame,

so he's making sure to keephis priorities in order,

with baseball holding the third spot

behind his family at second and

his faith in Christ at first,

which he says helps him bringeverything home and in order.

- I think God has blessed me,

only because I let Him controleverything that is around me.

My faith in Him and mylove for Him is just,

not worry about little things and just

worry about my faith in Him and that way,

He's gonna put in ordereverything around me.

- Did you catch that?

Jose said he just trusts in the Lord

and He controls everything around him.

Jose's work ethic islike none that I've seen.

I'm pretty sure he showed upin training camp ready to go,

but what happens when everythingyou've done isn't enough?

Well, according to Jose,that's when you trust in God

and believe that He willmake up the difference,

and that will ultimatelybring you success.

We'll be right back withmore Going the Distance,

after this.

(hip hop music)

(funky music)

- Well, welcome back.

Here is a Going the Distance newsbreak.

Well, the NBA is headed to Africa.

In February, the NBA announced that it is

building a pro league in Africa,

and former President BarackObama is among those said

to have direct involvementin the league's development.

Here's a clip that they posted on Twitter.

- Great program, they've been doing it

for 15 years here already.

I just think there's so much potential

here in this continent,

and getting the best out ofit, it'll be fun to watch.

(cheering)

- [Announcer] Eating time, and he blocks!

Nkene Michel outlet,Qanqom to the hole, and in!

What a sequence for theAfrica/Middle East team!

(cheering)

Aminu will lob, Embiid waits,

finishes across the back!

And a chance for a three-point play

as Embiid celebrates.

(sobering music)

- [Presenter] Such a honor tohave two great leaders here.

- Let me just say to theyoung folks here from Rwanda,

it's an honor to be here in Kigali.

It's my first time in Rwanda,

it's a beautiful country youhave here and let me just say,

take advantage of this opportunity.

- You've got to invest a lot of your time

and energy and those who work hard,

put a lot of hours into it,

a lot of thinking into it, passion,

have option will be very nice.

- [Coach] Defense!

(clapping)

Two, three.

- [Team] One up!

- This is my team back here, isn't it?

(screaming)

All right, I like this thing.

(laughing)

I hope you know through sport that if

you put in effort, you will be rewarded.

I hope you learn throughsport what it means

to play as a team and that evenif you are the best player,

your job is not just to show off

but your job is to makeyour teammates better.

(cheering)

- Well, that is exciting.

Former President Obama showinghe can still drain the three.

We'll be right back after this.

(electronic music)

(zestful music)

Well, welcome back to Going the Distance.

Our next story is one of redemption.

Rich Donnelly's dream wasto coach in the big leagues

and when he finally made it,

he was willing to doanything to stay there,

including abandoning his faith,

his wife, and three small children,

but one of them, his daughter Amy,

gave him a wake-up callthat changed everything.

(somber music)

Some say that time waits for no man,

and for Rich Donnelly, a 28-year old

veteran coach in Major League Baseball,

he didn't find out how precioustime was until it ran out.

He was a husband andfather of four children,

Bubba, Amy, Mike, and Tim.

When he wasn't on the field, he was home

spending time with hiskids, especially his boys,

but when it came to his only daughter Amy

she had to compete for his attention.

- I was prejudiced for the boys.

My kids were gonna grow up and be players,

basketball or whatever.

Amy, she was my daughter,maybe a cheerleader,

maybe something, nothing sports.

Sports wasn't big back then.

So, I spent most of my time with my boys.

If they asked me,

"Dad, come out and let's hit,"

I'd go out with them.

If Amy would have asked me,

"I'll be out later,"

and I'd watch the game, never go out,

and never knew how much thatmeant to her until later.

- [Shawn] Amy so desperatelywanted her father's attention

that one day she wrote him a note.

- And she said, Dear Dad,

did you think you weregonna have four boys?

She says, no, us girls rock too.

- [Shawn] But Rich was too busy to notice.

As his kids got older, baseballbecame all he cared about,

and he slowly began todrift away from his family.

He even abandoned his faith in God.

- I don't need you no more.

I got to where I wanted to be,

got everything I want, Igot to the big leagues.

I was ashamed because I thought,

if they saw me going to church I would be,

that was not tough,that was not big league,

that was, no you're one of them?

They were tough, they drank,they ran around with woman,

that's what all big leaguers did.

- [Shawn] With his moralcompass on the shelf,

Rich began having anaffair with another woman.

- I disregarded my family at that point.

I didn't care.

It's like I didn't careif they found out or not.

I'm in the big leagues.

Hey, it took me 37 years to get here.

This is my dream.

I'm not gonna do anything to hurt it.

I'm not gonna be a familyguy, or a Christian,

'cause that's not what big leaguers do.

- [Shawn] But his wife didfind out, and divorced him.

None of his kids were more hurt

and disappointed than 14 year-old Amy.

- Wow, my baby.

She wanted nothing to do with you,

and we didn't talk for a long time.

(somber piano music)

- [Shawn] In 1986, Rich joined the

Pittsburgh Pirates coaching staff.

Not having his family around

made him regret the choices he'd made.

He began asking God for forgiveness.

- I said, Lord I've failed you miserably.

I know you always say you will forgive me,

but man, you'll forgive me forthis, you are something else

'cause I really, I couldn'thave screwed this up any more.

- [Shawn] As time wenton, Rich slowly began

to repair his relationship with Amy.

Then in 1992, Rich got a callfrom her he wasn't ready for.

- Hey?

Dad, Ames.

Hey, what's up?

What you doing, Ames?

She goes, Dad I gotsomething I gotta tell you.

She said please don't be mad,

but I have a brain tumor.

I'm sorry.

I couldn't even talk.

- [Shawn] Amy had surgery.

Afterwards the doctorcame out with the results.

- He says, Rich, your daughterhas a malignant brain tumor

right behind her eyeand we can't get it out.

I couldn't take it.

I walked out.

I said, yeah you're a big tough guy.

You did all that junk, you did all this.

This is your fault.

You cheated on your wife,you cheated on your kids.

You did this, you did this, did this.

This is your fault.

- [Shawn] Amy endured six months of chemo.

On one of her off days, shealong with her best friend Cindy

were allowed to watch her father coach

during game five of the NLCSagainst the Atlanta Braves,

which the Pirates won,forcing a game six in Atlanta.

- I told her, if we get in thisWorld Series, you're coming.

Going back to the hotel, she reaches up,

puts her arms around my neck,

and she was my girl again.

- [Shawn] Then, somethinginteresting happened

when Amy jokingly asked him a question.

- She said, Dad whenyou're coaching third,

and you reach down and cup your hands,

what do you tell those guys on second,

the chicken runs at midnight or what?

And I went, what, where'dyou come up with that one at?

She said, it just came out.

- [Shawn] The chicken runs at midnight.

The phrase didn't makeany sense at the time,

but would later meanmore than they realize.

The Pirates won game six in Atlanta,

which forced a game seven.

Amy couldn't reach her dad to wish him

good luck for the game, so she asked

the team receptionistto give him a message.

- Dear Dad, the chicken runs at midnight.

Love, Amy,

and I'm going man oh man,

we're gonna win this thing

and Amy's going to the World Series,

and she's home with herpompoms and everything.

When they announce the starting lineups,

the big boom microphone was on,

and Chico Lind, I had,he saw the note, he goes,

Hey man what's this?

I go, chicken runs at midnight.

He goes, okay good,chicken runs at midnight.

He had no idea what it was, none.

So he's yelling it to the players.

You can hear it on national TV.

- Chicken runs at midnight, let's go!

(hands slapping)

Chicken run at midnight!

- She heard it, in Texas!

She heard it, her and Cindy.

They went crazy.

We're gonna win, we'regoing, blah blah blah.

- [Shawn] Unfortunately, the Pirates lost.

The family spent thenext few months with Amy

as she fought for her life.

Then in January, Amy lapsed into a coma,

and Rich was instructedto say his last goodbye.

- I just told her,

Amy, I know you can hear me.

I said, I'm so sorry foreverything I've done,

love you to death,

and it's just surreal thatyou have to say goodbye

knowing when you walk out of that room,

that's the last time you'll see her.

- [Shawn] Amy died on January28th, 1993 at the age of 17.

There was only one inscription

the family felt wassuitable for her tombstone.

- We go to the funeral home,

and they have all these beautiful sayings.

Oh, the Lord be with you, and all this,

and we go, no, chicken runs at midnight.

So they put chicken runs at midnight,

and it became our family motto.

- [Shawn] In 1997, Richjoined the Florida Marlins

coaching staff and that seasonthe unbelievable happened.

- Now, magically we getin the World Series.

So, we had a second basemannamed Craig Counsell.

When Couns hit, he held his hand up like,

he'd be flapping like a chicken.

So my two boys, Tim and Mike,were batboys all summer.

They'd call him Chicken.

They'd say,

"Hey, the Chicken wants totake some batting practice,"

"Hey, the Chicken wantssome ground balls."

The Chicken, didn't think nothing of it.

- [Shawn] During the11th inning of game seven

of the 1997 World Seriesagainst the Cleveland Indians,

Craig Counsell's nickname would come to

mean everything to the Donnellys.

Counsell's on third base with two outs.

Edgar Renteria gets a base hit,

bringing Counsell in for the winning run.

The Florida Marlins win the World Series.

Rich had achieved his dream,

but what happened nextshook him to his core.

- Now, people are onthe field, pandemonium.

I'm trying to find my sons, Tim and Mike.

They were the batboy.

I can't find them.

I see Tim halfwaybetween first and second.

I see him screaming,crying, red-faced, tears.

"What's a matter with you?

"What are you crying about?"

He said, Dad look!

I said, what are you talking about?

He said, look at the clock.

The stadium clock was behind us.

I looked, it was 12:03.

He said, Dad, the chicken ran at midnight.

(woeful music)

All the celebration stopped.

I felt like again, all theblood drained right out of me.

I was just like this.

Oh my God.

Oh my God

This can't happen.

Amy said the chicken ran at midnight.

The chicken ran at midnight.

- [Shawn] Amy's propheticphrase had come full circle,

and in that moment sodid Rich's redemption.

Since that thrilling night,he has spent every moment

honoring his faith in Christ and

his beloved daughterthat changed his heart.

In the book entitled TheChicken Runs at Midnight,

by Tom Friend, Rich givesgreat detail about his story

and hopes readers get the messagethat God can change anyone

regardless of the mistakes they've made,

because in the end, His love conquers all.

- God forgave me doing all that stuff

and yet allowed me to reach my dream,

and allowed me to have peace

within myself of Amy passing away.

He led me to have peace.

The Lord is like a statue.

There's ice all around him,

and that ice is all thematerial things in this world.

You chip it away, chip it away,chip it away, chip it away,

and when there's nothing left, the Lord,

He's the last thing left.

He ain't gonna leave you.

(soft music)

- Well, you could find TheChicken Runs at Midnight

just about anywhere that books are sold,

and what a great message.

We all have dreams thatwe're working towards,

but are you reallywilling to lose everything

in order to achieve them?

Rich's story affirms us thatthere's a better way to do it

and that we don't have to do it alone.

Psalm 37:4 says,

Take delight in the Lord,

and He will give you thedesires of your heart.

In other words, focus on the Lord first,

and He'll take care of the rest.

You see, Going the Distance is about

doing what most won'tdo to assure victory.

You know, taking the road less traveled,

and that's not easy, but withGod, all things are possible.

We'll be right back after this.

(majestic music)

(soft tone)

(funky music)

Well, I want to thank you for

joining us for Going the Distance.

I look forward to seeingyou here next week

and remember, whateveryou're working towards,

go get after it with all yourheart because life is short.

Go the distance.

Good night.