appl pie, hot dogs, and well you know....

[Anonymous Poster]

The sun set on my boy's second baseball game of the season last night, thirteen to two, our team in the lead. I stopped watching the ball, and I started watching the faces. I paid close attention to the boys expressions. Their looks of open optimism and anticipation as they stepped up to bat. The grim determination as they threw, caught, ran with all their might from base to base.

I watched the audience. 'Left wing or right wing' last night, boiled down to which team you were rooting for. I watched the small children by the bleachers, their hopeful faces upturned, waiting for the foul ball that they would scramble for and then take to the concession stand to trade for a sucker.

A boy from the home team tried to steal third. The pitcher was not to be so easily had, he slammed that ball to the third baseman who caught it deflty and then, noting the runners close proximity to second, let the ball fly to second base. The second baseman allowed the ball to slip past him. So the runner, anticipating a home run, did an abrupt about face and lit a shuck for third base again.

The outfeilder snatched the ball out of the air and fired it back to third, leaving our runner once again penned between second and third base. The runner swung around and headed at a dead run back to second. The third baseman, still on his toes, blasted the ball back to second, the second baseman, this time, caught the ball and our runner was once and for all....OUT.

The audience roared with laughter and applause at this unexpected Abbott and Costello type play and the players, both teams laughed and slapped each other on the back for having provided such quality entertainment.

For just a while our 'battle' was contained to a little league feild in rural Florida and Fred, being the eloquent man I know and love summed it up for me.

"This is neat"

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Yeah.....it is."

After the game was over the audience began to stir around, gathering up kids and belongings, the scent of the honeysuckle lining the stadium fence thick in the air and laughter and good natured joking cutting through the gathering darkness.

I paused at the fence waiting for our team to finish it's post-game prayer.

......'for seeing us through this game with no injuries, and Lord, please take care of our soldiers who are fighting in Iraq and bring them home safely....'

It wasn't expected, the tear that worked it's way from the corner of my eye and slipped down my cheek. I found to my shame that I had to find a private place as more tears were clearly iminent. Not too awful many, just a few, one for our guys, one for their guys, a couple for the children of Iraq who know no such joy as a baeball game, one for the mothers who are not able experience the gleeful jubilation of watching her son try to steal third base. One just out of sheer gratitude that the war was happening there and not here. The last one for me, because no matter how hard I try not to be, I'm just too dang sentimental.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Beautiful, Cindi... Thank you for sharing it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[rockyridgefarm]

how come my keyboard doesn't do the same things as hers?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

My guess would be you have a lot to do. Once the beds are made and the critters fed I find I have a lot of time on my hands. Plus I am lonely out here all by myself. It is my way of reaching out to people and sharing my life, like most people do at work or at church or wherever else their daily travels take them. For some of us, forums like this are a lifeline to the real world. Some feelings are meant to be shared. I could simply say, 'my son's team won at baseball last night' but that won't take anybody anywhere near the emotions the whole experince stirred in me. Thanks for not being bored with me.

 

[TimSullivan]

Thank you Cindi for your wonderfully post.

I have coached baseball at many levels for over thirty five years but the little ones are the most fun. They are so serious and dedicated to the team and game.

Baseball is not easy for the young to play well. There is so much practice both mental and physical necessary to be successful. Hours of preparation and teaching make the split second decision and play successful.

There are a wall of trophies from my teams but the memories are the true treasures. Your post started me thinking about a young boy that I had on one of my teams. He was three years younger that some of his team mates. He was slight of build but carried a fire for the game in his soul. I would play him when I could but he never complained when he was relegated to the bench. What he possessed that earned him his place on the team was great speed. His dedication to practice and hard work were also an inspiration to his fellow players. By late in the season our own pitchers and catchers could not stop him from stealing a base in practice.

In the bottom of the last regular inning of our last game of the season, for the championship of our little world, the score was tied zero-zero. Both pitchers controlled the day and the game was only exciting to true base fans. With one out, our home run threat was walked. It was time. Taking the place of the two hundred pound power hitter was a splinter of a boy at first. He knew his role well and on the first pitch to the next batter he stole second. He did it so well that the catcher did not even make a throw.

The shortstop and the second baseman tried to hold him close to second base but two pitches later he was standing at third base. The count was 2- 1 on the batter. As the next pitch started to the plate so did the runner. The bunt was pushed up the first base line and the the small young man slid across the plate to a hero’s welcome.

He is still a hero today as he fights to bring freedom to Iraq.

 

[dmccarty]

Mr. TimSullivan,

You ain't shabby as a keyboard wordsmith either! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hope that base stealer can make it home safe and sound.

Later,
Dan

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I'LL SAY! Wonderful story. I know what you mean about those little guys too. There are two on our team that look like they forget to eat about half the time and stand a full two heads shorter than everybody else. One of them, bless his soul, can hit almost anything thrown at him and when he connects, holy cow, everybody in the audience cringes because it's sure to land somewhere in the parking lot at the back of the field. The other one moves so fast you never see him actually do it. Looks like stop action photography. Zip....zip....now you see him now you don't.

 

[Golfgar4]

Boy, I haven't had tears running down my face in quite awhile, but both of you, Cindi and Tim, were succesful in getting to me tonight.

I don't have the baseball stories that you've mentioned, but they made me think back to when I was a Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout Troop. The wonderful, unexpected things that would happen with those young boys have provided me with memories that I will cherish forever.

I recall one young lad who had joined our Troop. He was one of the newer boys, so he wasn't getting a lot of respect from the older boys. It happened that we were on a campout where he needed to build the cooking fires for all the meals one day, and when we got up in the morning it was raining buckets. I was sitting under our dining fly having my first cup of coffee (made on a Coleman stove) when he came out of his tent and walked over to me. He had absolutely the most hang dog look on his face I think I'd ever seen. When I asked what the problem was, he said that he was afraid the other boys were going to be mad at him for not getting the campfire going so they could have a hot breakfast. I asked him why he wasn't going to get the campfire going, and he said (as if I was really stupid) because it's raining!

I commented to him that I didn't think that was a very good reason. I asked him if he was a Boy Scout. He haltingly said yes. I asked him what the Boy Scout motto was. He said to be prepared. I asked him if he was prepared to complete his required job and get the campfire going. He said he didn' t know how to in all the rain. I then asked him if he thought having some dry tinder and wood would get the job done, and he thought maybe it would. I then reached under the picnic table and pulled out a box of tinder and wood that I had put there the night before. I explained that being prepared meant that a person was always thinking ahead and recognizing the things they would need to get the job done, even a day in advance.

Well, he grabbed that wood and went out and got a good fire started. By the time the other boys were getting up, it was a great cooking fire. The other boys couldn't figure out how he'd gotten that fire started in the downpour. We didn't tell anyone else, but I never saw a boy beaming as much as he was as every boy in the troop congratulated him on his fine job.

Now, I told you all of that so I could tell you this.

About six years later, I was invited to an Eagle ceremony. I had been out of scouting for about 3 years, but it was the ceremony for this young boy. I had always made it a point to attend any of the boys from my Troop when they had their Eagle ceremony, if I was invited.

Anyone who has never attended an Eagle ceremony has missed a wonderful experience. All the attention and accolades are, of course, directed to the Eagle candidate. after a number of speeches from his current Scoutmaster, and the district executive, etc., the young man wanted to say a few words. He thanked everyone, and then went on to say that he totally owed his award to one person. And he named me! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif He went on to explain the incident in the rain, and explained that he had just about given up on scouting at that time. He said that after he and I had talked that morning, and I had explained the importance of being prepared, and that I had never told any of the other boys of how he made the fire and that I had told him that I knew he could do it if he really tried, he said that he just knew that he wanted to make Eagle and be just like me! Talk about tears!! I started crying like there was no tomorrow.

I had completely forgotten the incident. And I would never have thought any of the boys would ever say something like that.

I guess what I'm saying is that a person never knows when they might be making an impression on a young person. And all too often we're ready to write off the younger generation because of the "strange" things they seem to like and do. Well, we were that age once too. And with activities like Little League or Scouts, and with adults like you who really care, the world is in good hands with the new generation that's coming along.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

You made an impression on me as well. Being prepared and all that that entails is sometimes a huge task. But what you did for that boy was make him think. A lot. Often. You probably impacted everything he did from that day forward by teaching him to think about tomorrow. What a gift you gave him. He's slouch either, for recognizing it.