Growing up, I was an ardent baseball fan. My mom's family were diehard Red Sox fans and my dad followed the Chicago Cubs. So, when it was time to trade in my Cubs bleacher seats for folding chairs at Little League games, I was ready.
My younger son Will discovered a passion for playing baseball early on. As his interest grew, so did his playing ability and he was eventually selected to play on one of our town's travel teams for the 2020 season.
Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets.
Yogi Berra
An expanded community for our entire family formed through Will's new travel baseball team, but it took some time before relationships began to truly gel on and off the field. The pandemic put Will's inaugural season on hold, then for his second season he was placed on a different team.
By June of 2021, the baseball families were truly enjoying each other's company in the bleachers, solidified by a week-long tournament our boys had played in Branson, Missouri. Despite losing every game, the team bonded over pizza or playing around in the hotel pool, while we parents relaxed in lounge chairs on the deck.
The next June we travelled to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, encountering more tough losses that were eased by the excitement of new adventures. As the season wound down, we looked forward to the 2023 season. As rising 8th graders, this final season would be the culmination of the adolescent fun and camaraderie that went with it.
The 2023 season also promised to be more competitive as the league whittled down to two U14 travel teams. Will and many of his former teammates had made the "Patriots White" team. When the season began in late April, it felt like a family reunion.
From the start, this season was different. Coach Myke was incredibly engaged and communicative, and we could see he was interested in building a team among the families as well as our boys. Myke would be joined this season by Coach Andy, a young man who had coached one of Will's previous teams and had managed to transform a rowdy group of pre-teens into a cohesive group bonded by their respect for their teammates and coach.
The 2023 season started on a rainy afternoon. We all braced for a wet and chilly game that would likely end with a loss. However, the hard work the boys and coaches had put in during the early months of the year was starting to show. The team pulled out a win, but more importantly, they did it with a focus and team spirit I had not seen in Will's earlier teams.
The season continued with some exciting come-from-behind performances at several tournaments. The team won two second place medals, and the championship trophy and rings at their hometown tournament. As we headed into the mid-July playoffs, we knew our boys had a real shot, but the prospect of these final games was bittersweet.
It's a great day for a ball game; let's play two!
Ernie Banks
I had come to look forward to seeing one player's grandparents at every game. They made us all feel like family, bringing extra refreshments and snacks from their native India for us to share. I would miss the music another family would blast from their sound system at important games. Another parent diligently entered every play into the GameChanger app, a true gift to me and others who couldn't attend all games in person. Still others coordinated food and lodging for the June tournament in Wisconsin.
The energy was palpable as the team took the home field for their first playoff game. They managed a comfortable win, but we all knew we'd face a much tougher team next. The next day, our team's families made a strong showing at a ballpark in Northwest Chicago. A more challenging game, but the team came out ahead, racking up a 10-6 win and slated to play the #2 seed the following day.
While this next game was to be the final one, the kids played hard. Coaches and families all recognized how much these boys had grown in a relatively short time. When the game ended with a loss for the Patriots, Coaches Myke and Andy spent time with the boys gathered on the field to express their pride and gratitude. The hugs and well wishes were sincere. We knew we all had experienced something special. We knew our boys, hailing from four different middle schools and a variety of backgrounds, had created a team that as Coach Andy wrote, "surprised a lot of people this year."
In playing ball, and in life, a person occasionally gets the opportunity to do something great. When that time comes, only two things matter: being prepared to seize the moment and having the courage to take your best swing.
Hank Aaron
My four seasons cheering on Will's Patriot's travel baseball teams taught me so much, not just about baseball, but also about the joy found in creating new connections and learning about their journeys in life. It also set the stage for my son and his teammates to learn to work with others so the group could reach a common goal. Life lessons that will help these boys not just as they enter high school, but throughout their lives.
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