SUPER MONDAY

A motivational and informational morning message from Superintendent Willis

Week 8 ~ September 30th, 2024

Super Monday Message

In the summer of 1999 a Chandler Arizona resident named Gylene Hoyle heard a radio ad about a contest for free tickets to a major league baseball game. Gylene called the number to enter the contest. Her small family was living paycheck to paycheck and had never been to a professional baseball game because it wasn’t something they could afford. Her odds of winning the tickets were 1 in 300,000. Well, somebody had to win and it was Gylene Hoyle.

Here is where the story starts getting interesting. Shamrock Farms of Arizona was sponsoring the contest and they paid for Gylene and her family to attend the July 11, 1999 game of the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Oakland A’s. As part of the deal Shamrock Farms also offered Gylene an opportunity to win a million dollars. All she had to do was pick a player to hit a grand slam and the inning that player would hit a grand slam in.

The odds of making this prediction correctly are difficult to calculate, but I think it’s safe to say that making a halfcourt shot backwards in basketball would be easier. A grand slam in baseball is when a player hits a home run with the bases loaded. A grand slam gets hit about once every 20 major league baseball games. So the odds of a grand slam being hit in the game at all are not great. Gylene had to also predict which player and which inning. Gylene picked Jay Bell, because she heard he was the Diamondbacks best hitter, and she picked the 6th inning for no particular reason.

The game started with the announcers recognizing Gylene and her family as the contest winners and acknowledged her unlikely prediction. In the bottom of the first inning Jay Bell got up to bat for the first time with no one on base. He hit a pop fly that was easily caught by the shortstop. The bottom of the third inning Bell got up to bat again with no one on base. He got to first base on a ground ball error by the shortstop. He got up to bat again in the bottom of the fifth inning with no one on base and hit a pop fly easily caught by the right fielder. With Bell batting in the fifth inning it seemed unlikely he would bat again in the sixth inning.

After two base hits, two walks, two outs, a bunt and a steal, the seemingly unpredictable happened, Jay Bell was up to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning. Chills went down the backs of the other 36,632 fans in the crowd who knew what was at stake for Gylene Hoyle with this at bat. News of Gylene’s prediction had even reached the Diamondbacks dugout and Jay Bell had to walk to the plate knowing that a fan had a million dollars riding on him. Jay Bell would say later that his knees were shaking and he was incredibly nervous. 

Jay let the first pitch fly by, ball 1. Jay let the second pitch fly by, strike 1. Jay let the third pitch fly by, ball 2. Jay let the fourth pitch fly by, ball 3. Jay knew a walk wouldn’t do it for the Hoyle family. Jay swung at the fifth pitch, foul ball and strike 2. Jay swung at the sixth pitch, foul ball and still a full count. The seventh pitch was a high fast ball and Jay hit a line drive just over the left field fence. The crowd went crazy and, after a brief celebration, Gylene’s family was taken to a backroom to do paperwork.

The opposing pitcher would later joke that he had “greater powers working against [him].” Jay Bell won many awards throughout his career and even scored the winning run in the seventh inning of the 2001 World Series, but he still calls his July 11th grand slam the highlight of his career. Impossible odds are not always so impossible.

The moral of the story is not to go buy lottery tickets. We live in a world where nearly every decision is based on averages and probabilities. Prestigious universities have come up with dozens of rating systems to determine which students have the best chances of completing their degree program. They accept only the students they believe most probable to be successful. For things you do for fun, like a radio contest, just have fun and leave it to chance. For things that are truly important to you, don’t let any statistical improbability measure keep you from your goals. Have a great week 8.

Super High Fives

Just a couple of the awesome recent accomplishments that need a big thank you. 

• A super high five to the parents, teams, and staff managing the Bird Feeder at games. They don’t get to watch the game, but they make it a more fun experience for others. Special super high five to Sherry Winckel for keeping the Bird Feeder well supplied and ready for action.
• A super high five to Robert Thomas and Tyrel Ivie for volunteering their time and talents to lead the Esports team and the board game club respectively. The high school has a goal to have every student participate in an extracurricular activity. Better grades and better mental health are connected to participating in organized activities with their peers. Esports will be a UHSAA sanctioned sport for the 2025-2026 school year and teams are forming across the state.

Other Super Information

• A public hearing for the new elementary schools bond election will be held at Piute High School at 6:00 PM on Wednesday October 2nd, 2024. All residents are welcome to attend and participate.
• Voter Information Pamphlet
• Fall Sports Calendar 2024
• 2024-2025 School District Calendar
• Truth-In-Taxation Hearing Presentation
• Latest Elementary Schools Design Draft
• New Elementary Schools Information

Super Weekly Schedule