The Bullpen Gospels

I'd wondered all year how the power of baseball should be wielded. And now I knew. Baseball doesn't have any intrinsic power. It only has what people give to it. For some the man who plays is a superhero, and he can do great things. For some, the man who plays is an obstacle who must get out of the way. Is baseball as important as food, knowledge, care, or a dry pair of boots? Is it as important as some of the things that pass us by in everyday life? I don't think so. Can it inspire, motivate, and call us to do something greater than ourselves? Absolutely. The burden of the player isn't to achieve greatness, but to give the feeling of it to everyone he encounters. It was wrong of me even to try to separate life and the game. They were intertwined, meant to be, one affecting the other, one teaching the other, even when the mixture occasionally blows up.

*an excerpt from the book

The Bullpen Gospels

Dirk Hayhurst

Victory - A Double Edged Sword

Baseball is a game of cliches - he's pitching a gem; he's swinging a hot bat; he was out by a mile - you get the idea. It seems there is no phrase that hasn't been coined to make the casual fan say 'huh?' and die hard say 'ah gotcha" all in one breath. Today, though, I offer you a cliche stolen from life's long list of coloqualisms - There are two sides to every coin.

It's been a week now since our win in the District Championships and while the boys deserve all the credit in the world for their accomplishments, the other day I started thinking what of those young men on the other side of the diamond. Those on the losing side. Yes, I may have had my fun in previous posts with our victories over High Park, but I trust you gather I mean no ill will toward them. They competed just as hard as our team, it just so happened that on on one night in July the baseball gods were on our side.

Unfortunately for them, their Little League experience may always be coloured by that loss. Some may never play baseball again beyond this year and that one game may very well be what they remember. Hopefully not, because they were a deserving winner too, but such is the case in sport. There must be a winner and a loser. And that is why victory is often a double edged sword - one team walks away with fond memories, the other with the sting of defeat.

In previous posts I have lamented my one chance to win this tournament many years ago. I look back now on my time playing with nothing but great memories and better stories, but for awhile I'm sure that this loss will sting a little for those boys from High Park. History may say the Ancaster Cardinals won 3-0 over High Park. What it won't tell you though is just how hard they made us work for that victory. Hold your heads high boys, we were very appreciative of the competition you gave us.

record to date: 23 W, 3 L

twelve and counting...

Two more games this past weekend. And two more wins. That's twelve in a row now.

First up was a team from Quebec. Yes, we won, but they did have one distinct advantage - the language barrier. Sign stealing is at a definite minimum when not one of us on the field had anything beyond a high school education in French. I'm sure if they had wanted to they could have called pitches audibibly from the dugout and it would have left us scratching our heads. Who knows, that may have been exactly what they were doing!

And then there was High Park/Etobicoke. Yes, that High Park. The one I have been waiting for 21 years to play again. The last time I remember facing them I was watching a home run ball scream over my head at first base somewhere into the abyss in Dundas. This is one moment me and my friends that were on that team still talk about to this day. Fast forward to present day. We played what amounted to one of our best games of the season against a very good team. Playing from behind for just the third time this season the boys rallied to tie then go on to win 6-2. A great all around game by all 12 guys.

After a day in the sun, it was time to party poolside. Many thanks to the Miller's for playing host. We ate. We drank (age appropriate beverages to be clear). When you're 12 yrs old you are limited to what you can legally drink out of a championship trophy. So, Coke it was. Mind you, most of it ended up all over Matthew Grabstas when it was dumped on him. (that's him holding the trophy just after this happened) Thank you Matthew for my highlight of the night!

we win again

Well, that's two in a row now for us. Two tournament wins. Granted, we did kinda back into the winners circle with this one. Up 3-1 in fifth inning of the championship game, Mother Nature couldn't find it in her heart to let us finish the game and it was called. A win is a win is a win, though. We'll take it.

The boys can be proud of themselves for two things this weekend. One being the comeback win in the semi-finals. We were down 3 runs going into the bottom of the 7th and they could have easily laid down and conceded the victory, knowing that our goal is a victory in August, not June. Prior to the inning they huddled in the dugout with no prompting from the coaches. We still don't know what was said, but whatever it was it worked. It was a great display of playing for one another. They rallied to tie it and send the game to extra innings. Two innings later we ended the game on a walk-off single.

They can also be proud of their display of sportsmanship in receiving the championship trophy. After hoisting it above their heads for a few seconds they toned things down with the other team looking on. They congratulated each other in a subdued manner, respectful of their opponents. That is the way winning teams celebrate. And that is the way teams who have bigger goals in mind celebrate.

Now it gets a little more serious for us with a series of games against some tough opponents and the District Championships in July.

Congratulations Guys!!

record to date: 12 W, 3 L

the big red machine

This past weekend marked what we hope to be the first of many tournament wins this summer. We played nice in that we invited them to come to Ancaster. We didn't play nice in that we beat everyone! I did feel somewhat cheated though. I have a 20 yr old score to settle with High Park from my Little League days and we missed playing them. Alas, I will sit and simmer until we see them in about a month at the District Championships.

Victory is always fun, but when you can silence an over zealous grandma in the process? EVEN BETTER!! Now, I realize I have been away from Little League baseball for some years so maybe I missed the era where it transitioned from cheering on your son/daughter/grandkid to trying to get into the collective heads of the opposing team. Such was the case with the fan club of one of our opponents. Without divulging what was said, I will say that it lacked class. Support these kids for all the time they put into this, regardless of the colour of their jersey. Don't tear them down.

If there is one lesson to be learned, it is the baseball gods do not look favourably upon said lack of sportsmanship. They, along with a late inning comeback, helped us send that team packing.

Next up for us on our road to the nationals is a tournament in Hamilton at the end of June.

Our record to date: 7 W, 3 L