Why Youth Sports are Great

[lippy]

Today, after doing a few Mickey Mantle games, I filled in as the Home Plate umpire for a 10-year old tournament's championship game.

It was a great game, awesome defense and solid pitching. 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth.

The situaton: Bases loaded, 2 outs. Up walks "Mikey", a tiny 10-year old with determination in his eyes. He can't be over 4 feet tall (I have no idea, I can't judge how tall the little dudes are) and I could throw him twenty feet.

He's got eye-black on and he's ready to hit.

Mikey takes a belt high fastball on the corner, strike one.

Then, he checks his swing on a pitch about eye high.

Next pitch is another belt-high fastball that he takes for strike two. Mikey thinks it's strike three as he turns and runs, crying, to the dugout. His 3rd base coach stops him and the conversation I overhear;

Mikey, "I struck out! We lost the game!"
Coach, "No Mikey, go up there and hit, there are only two strikes."
Mikey, "Really? I can still win the game?"
Coach, "Yeah, now wipe your face off and go up there and hit."
Mikey, "Okay Coach."

Mikey steps in and on the very next pitch hits a liner down the line that makes it past the left fielder. The runner on second scores and they win the game.

Mikey, who was in a ball of tears less than 20 seconds ago, is now the hero. As he comes running to line up, his team mauls him. I've never seen euphoria like Mikey's face.

It was an awesome thing to behold.

[PokerFink]

All together now: AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Seriously though, great story. That will put a smile on anyone's face.

[nutshot2]

this post is clearly a lie. 10 year olds play 6 inning games. ban.

great story though.

[ThaSaltCracka]

great story.

[lippy]

Nutshot, you're completely correct. It just came out like that, who says bottom of the sixth?

[kyleb]

Events like this are why I continue to coach Little League.

To add my own story, there's a kid who is struggling with the bat after getting a hot start at the beginning of the year. He asked me if I would work with him outside of practice and I agreed to do so, and both his parents and he are extremely grateful and love the extra work I'm putting in to make him a better player. He's very devoted and tenacious, and stays after every game to field some grounders and take soft toss.

It reminds me a lot of me just 12 months ago, when no one would work with me (unless I paid them). It feels good to give back.

[nutshot2]

[ QUOTE ]
Nutshot, you're completely correct. It just came out like that, who says bottom of the sixth?

[/ QUOTE ]

Good point. I'm not even sure why I nitpicked, because I do the same thing. I coach a HS JV baseball team in NYC, and when I tell my glory/horror stories, I always say "the bottom of the 9th" to the casual listener.

[lippy]

Yeah, it definitely rolls off the tongue. If you hadn't nitpicked, someone else would have... so no harm, no foul.

[mosdef]

[ QUOTE ]
The situaton: Bases loaded, 2 outs. Up walks "Mikey", a tiny 10-year old with determination in his eyes. He can't be over 4 feet tall (I have no idea, I can't judge how tall the little dudes are) and I could throw him twenty feet.

He's got eye-black on and he's ready to hit.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you sure it wasn't David Eckstein?

[Ralph Wiggum]

So now the pitcher lost the game and is in tears.