An Awful Shame
Saturday morning I went to see some tournament baseball games in Wolcott, CT. Two games played by 8 year olds going on simultaneously -- what a dream for a lover of the game. One game pitted Pearl River, NY, against the tournament hosts from Wolcott. It was a close game won by Pearl River by a score of 3-1.
I was really there for the other game, however. Staten Island's team was playing the Cheshire Reds. The Reds are the 8-and-under state champions in Connecticut. My friend's nephew is one of their players.
In that game, the Reds came out swinging. They quickly had an 8 run lead. But the team from Staten Island showed a lot of heart. With one strike away from losing due to the mercy rule, they started their comeback. Next thing any of us knew, the 8 run lead had turned to a 3 run deficit. The S.I. fans were cheering loudly. The Reds fans needed something -- anything -- to give them hope.
Enter my friend's nephew.
They handed him the ball and asked him to pitch. He then struck out the opponent's best hitter to end the inning. Thanks to him the bleeding had stopped. The Reds still had work to do and managed to get two runners on base with two outs. Sure enough, my friend's nephew came to the plate.
When the ball hit the bat, everyone knew. The question wasn't whether it would be a home run, it was how far over the fence it would land. It was by far the farthest ball I've ever seen hit by a kid that age. And he did it at such a clutch moment. Tears came to my eyes.
As we cheered for the little hero, the worst thing I have ever experienced in sport happened. The Staten Island manager protested the home run. A six-year-old -- the nephew's neighbor -- stepped on to the field as the hero neared homeplate. The manager wanted the home run recalled because of fan interference.
Instead of being allowed to savor this finest of moments, an eight-year-old boy was left to cry in the dugout because an adult chose to shame himself, his team and the game. I have seen many questionable things in sports. I have fallen victim personally to unsportsmanlike behavior. Nothing topped this.
The umpires did the right thing and allowed the home run, but the damage was done. The Reds were deflated. Staten Island won the game in extra innings.
There is a happy ending to this story, however. Staten Island then had to play Wolcott for the chance to play Pearl River in the tournament championship. Wolcott soundly trounced the team from Staten Island. Even the manager's unethical behavior couldn't stop the inevitable. Wolcott went on to win the tournament and moves on to a larger tournament in Georgia. The manager has asked our hero to join his team for that tournament. His heroics were not forgotten.
I was really there for the other game, however. Staten Island's team was playing the Cheshire Reds. The Reds are the 8-and-under state champions in Connecticut. My friend's nephew is one of their players.
In that game, the Reds came out swinging. They quickly had an 8 run lead. But the team from Staten Island showed a lot of heart. With one strike away from losing due to the mercy rule, they started their comeback. Next thing any of us knew, the 8 run lead had turned to a 3 run deficit. The S.I. fans were cheering loudly. The Reds fans needed something -- anything -- to give them hope.
Enter my friend's nephew.
They handed him the ball and asked him to pitch. He then struck out the opponent's best hitter to end the inning. Thanks to him the bleeding had stopped. The Reds still had work to do and managed to get two runners on base with two outs. Sure enough, my friend's nephew came to the plate.
When the ball hit the bat, everyone knew. The question wasn't whether it would be a home run, it was how far over the fence it would land. It was by far the farthest ball I've ever seen hit by a kid that age. And he did it at such a clutch moment. Tears came to my eyes.
As we cheered for the little hero, the worst thing I have ever experienced in sport happened. The Staten Island manager protested the home run. A six-year-old -- the nephew's neighbor -- stepped on to the field as the hero neared homeplate. The manager wanted the home run recalled because of fan interference.
Instead of being allowed to savor this finest of moments, an eight-year-old boy was left to cry in the dugout because an adult chose to shame himself, his team and the game. I have seen many questionable things in sports. I have fallen victim personally to unsportsmanlike behavior. Nothing topped this.
The umpires did the right thing and allowed the home run, but the damage was done. The Reds were deflated. Staten Island won the game in extra innings.
There is a happy ending to this story, however. Staten Island then had to play Wolcott for the chance to play Pearl River in the tournament championship. Wolcott soundly trounced the team from Staten Island. Even the manager's unethical behavior couldn't stop the inevitable. Wolcott went on to win the tournament and moves on to a larger tournament in Georgia. The manager has asked our hero to join his team for that tournament. His heroics were not forgotten.
posted by E-Luv at 12:31 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home