Every year about this time, I enjoy watching TV's coverage of The Little League World Series. These teams of eleven through thirteen year old boys are exposed to national and international fame through the world of baseball. It is an exciting time for everyone connected with all the teams who are good enough to make it through their own division championships and journey to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
I identify with the moms and dads. There is nothing more dramatic than watching your child - son or daughter - compete at a high level for their age group in the sport of their choice. Matt lettered in track and field in high school. Courtney lettered in softball, basketball and track and played as a summer leaguer/travel ball-er in softball. For many years we occupied camp chairs or squirmed on metal bleachers to watch our kids compete. I remember it as a time of shared empathy for disappointing losses and racing pulses and wet palms for close wins. Great companionship, too, among parents and players. We were fortunate not to run into mean players who bullied and intimidated teammates; or negative parents whose children could either not preform well enough for their approval or who could, alternately, do nothing wrong (!); or the crazy fan who screamed obscenities at refs.
And FUN. Road trips (how long does a bathroom stop take when teenage girls are involved?) Ballpark eateries (hotdogs, hotdogs, hotdogs). The smell of HOT - sunscreen, dust, and sweat! The sounds - crack of the bat, shatter of glass when the ball finds a windshield, the sound of cleats on sidewalks, and the encouragement of parents' from the stands! And especially the thrill of seeing your child - hitting a homerun, throwing out a runner at the plate, catching that pop-up - then turn and give you that heads-up that reads HAPPY.
"Good Eye! You can do it! One More, One MORE! Three up, three down! Batter, batter!" I went to a few local ballgames this year. It doesn't matter whether the players are six, twelve or seventeen years old. You hear the same chants, the same phrases, the same yells from the field and from the stands! Some things just don't change.
Last fall, Goodlettsville, TN (near Nashville) won the southern division and went to Williamsport, Pa to go all the way to the top. They won the US Championship, but fell to Japan in the final game. A great showing! This year it is the South Nashville team (Brentwood) who won the division and are competing in the LLWS. At the current time they are fighting for survival against Washington. A loss is elimination. A win sends them one more step up the ladder toward the final game. I'm following them on Twitter and watching them on ESPN, hoping they'll make a comeback and win!
But whether they do, or whether they don't, I still love that they made it this far. I'm so happy for their experiences, and I still get choked up when I see the parents so excited for their kids.
And I remember! <3
