Craig’s Friday Countdown - Favorite Games
The Central versus North QCTimes article reads like a who’s who of kids I know from Davenport youth baseball. As the Wildcats head to State and the seniors we’ve played with over the years move on, a countdown of my favorite Davenport youth baseball games.
17 – 350 (or thereabouts). (tie) All the other games.
16. Lights vs. Police – We lost this one, but it sure was memorable. Hottest day of the year and five of my players were playing their third game of the day (after a Freshman double-header). Peyton McFate pitches valiantly for Police, and they end our 2012 season.
15. Final Coach Pitch Game – Season ending tournament. We are down one run in the final inning with two outs against us, but we have a runner on first. He gets excited, wanders off the base a little and gets tagged out. Steely-nerved competitor Tommy Parker, all of seven years old, shouts from the dugout “What the hell was that!?” as our season ends. Dads laugh. Moms cringe.
14. Southeast Davenport vs. North Dubuque – In a Little League All-Star elimination game away at Dubuque, Colin hits three dingers including a walkoff. We find the closest Dairy Queen.
13. Lights vs. Mountain Dew – Opposing manager Jim Houghton is easily the most skilled manager in the league and he has a powerhouse team that beat Lights four times in the regular season. But not tonight. Lights plays brilliantly and wins the season ending tournament for 2011.
12. Lights vs. National Bank – Essentially, Nick Morris (an excellent ballplayer and fine young man) versus Colin. They fight to a draw called well into extra innings for time because … well, there is school in a few hours.
11. Bett vs. Commanche – Don’t recall the score, but do recall the setting. If there is a more home-spun setting to play ball than Commanche, I haven’t seen it. The sun setting over the farm fields. The crickets chirping. Girls sitting on the rollbars of Jeeps watching their boyfriends play. You expect to see Norman Rockwell painting the scene.
10. First Lights 2010 Fall Ball Game – Moving up from Little League, Colin’s first Pony League at bat delivers a laser shot over the fence and across Duck Creek. His coaches at first and third both look at each other and mouth a phrase not suitable for family baseball. He'll go on to bat over .800 for the next two seasons, delivering PTSD to any family unlucky enough to send a pitcher to the mound to face him.
9. (tie) Bett vs. West – Colin closes and gets saves in both games of a double-header. Never saw that before.
Lights vs. Optimist - We start the game with only eight players and then Kaleb twists his ankle and can't walk. Now seven ambulatory players. Kaleb hops to the plate for certain outs and we help him to first and tell him not to move - just stand there and catch the ball - when we are on defense. He's never played first before, but we ain't giving up. Most everyone has to play positions they've never played before and some are covering two positions. It's a lesson in life sucking at times and making the best of it. The lesson goes well, and I hope they remember it.
6 – 8. Bett vs Central – Bett vs. Central becomes a yearly favorite. It’s a reunion of the Pony World Series team, and it’s great to catch up with the parents you traveled across the Midwest and country with in 2011.
(tie) SE v. East Little League - Just dispensing some pre-game wisdom to the SE boys at this new field and Phil Yerington, an East umpire, walks into the dugout. There's a moment's pause and then, as only Phil could do, with a hearty laugh he raises his arms to the sky and loudly declares, "My prayers have been answered!". We both start giggling, as the boys we are.
(Colin hits a home run to a house across the street from left field)
5. Davenport East Pony All Stars vs. Kankakee at Ottawa, Illinois – In the final game of the Pony regional, Davenport East explodes for ten runs in the first inning, to avenge their prior loss to Kankakee (who plays a little dirty). The lady at the concession stand remarks; “They’re such nice boys, but they are hitting beasts”. The “Beasts” tag becomes the team’s nickname.
4. Davenport East Pony All Stars vs. Evansville at Evansville, Indiana – The game you either win, or you have to live with “I was one game away from going to the World Series” the rest of your life. Everyone plays well, especially Jacob Houghton. The East Beasts win and have to catch a flight to Los Angeles for the Pony League World Series. Pretty cool stuff when you are 13 years old.
3. Lights vs. Pepsi – Pepsi starts the season 15 – 0. They are formidable, but we don’t like the way they play. The games become epic contests and we take three of four in the regular season. Jacob Wehr pitches the final one in exceptional fashion; a two-hitter complete game we win 10 – 0. Jacob’s masterpiece may be the best pitching performance I’ve personally witnessed at any level of baseball.
2. Lights vs. McDonalds – Down by two in the late innings, late in the season. Colin on third with two outs. Me coaching third. Nick at the plate. Righty on the mound, staring at us. Colin tilts his head imperceptibly to others toward home. He's been yearning to try a straight steal of home. I shake my head "no". Nick hit a home run his last trip to the plate. First pitch is a ball and Colin looks again. No, again. Next pitch, Nick swings and misses. Colin looks again. I do all the calculus in the three seconds I have as the ball returns to the pitcher and give the first straight steal of home sign of the season. I make sure Nick gets the sign, so he doesn't swing and take Colin's head off. Colin’s eyes widen. Two extra sliding lead off steps and then he’s off to the races. Oh, what have I done to my poor son?
The pitcher rushes his motion and throws. Colin arrives just before the ball, which bounces off the plate toward the dugout. He pops up from the slide and claps his hands once (a small breach of ballplayer code, but forgivable). People can’t believe what they just saw, and we go on to win. The most frightening and exciting three seconds of my life, since losing my virginity.
1. Forgot The Opponent, But First Season Coach Pitch Game – Sometimes it’s about the game, but most times not. Standing on the mound in the early years, pitching to youngsters. Look at the stands behind the backstop and see Karen (who missed the last game) now passing her newborn around to the other moms like the team is one extended family.
All of them have been extended families. We've been blessed. Once a teammate, always a teammate.
Go Davenport North Wildcats !
