Baseball USA

It was only mid-morning and already the Madison Oaks Little League field was filled with buzz and excitement. The July sun blazed brightly high over center field drying the morning dew. Spectators lined the bleachers. Coaches sat in their respective dugouts reviewing line-ups and rosters, the umpires roamed the field and the remaining volunteers began to trickle into the field house.

In a few short hours, the Rumson Wildcats would square off against the Springfield Minutemen in the deciding game of the Eastern Regional finals. The winner would earn an automatic entry into the coveted Little League World Series tournament and will proceed to play qualifying teams from other regions of the United States. The ultimate prize; to play in Williamsport, Pa., home of the Little League World Series, versus the leading international team. The winner would be crowned the champions.

The coaching staffs for the Wildcats and Minutemen arrived hours earlier. Mental preparation and execution were key ingredients in achieving victory. The coaches wanted to ensure they were ready for the challenge and put their team in the best position to win. The team which delivered good pitching, defense or timely hitting stood a better chance to advance in further competition. The team which didn't, headed home, defeated.

The preparation of the playing field was complete. The infield was raked, cleaned and watered. The sod-like green grass, cut and trimmed. The foul lines were chalked and ran up the first and third base line through to the foul poles in right and left fields. New pristine white infield bases were placed in their respective first, second and third base positions.

The American flag stood high atop the flagpole waving its Stars and Stripes to parents, grandparents and other interested onlookers sitting on the bleachers below. Homemade banners sporadically lined the fences rooting for both teams and players, displaying recognition for a job well done and a hope to continue playing tournament baseball. Younger siblings ran playfully in the playground unbeknownst of what was at stake today on the baseball diamond.

Inside the field house, volunteers worked diligently preparing a menu of baseball's comfort foods. The sounds of popping popcorn bounced off the walls, colorful cotton candy spun by the bagful, hot dogs sizzled on the grill, and salted pretzels warmed under the heat lamp.

For one of these teams, four months of baseball would culminate today. From those bone-chilling days in April when the bleachers were filled with fans watching the games wearing winter coats, scarves and gloves, through these last scorching days of July, it comes down to one final game. This pivotal moment when the winner would move on to play more baseball and the loser would go home. Some players will cry, others may just hang their head. The coach will replay the game in his mind, knowing one pitch, one at-bat, one ground ball could've swung the game in their favor. Maybe next year.

"I'm nervous!" exclaimed twelve-year old Jeffery White, starting second baseman for the Rumson Wildcats. "I don't want to screw up and make us lose."

"Fughedaboudit," said Billy "The Hoot" Barber. "You'll do fine." Billy was the jokester on the team. He usually kept everyone loose with his goofy-type attitude. "It was the first game of the season, ya-know. I was real nervous and I came up with the bases loaded," Billy said. He began to strut like a rooster with a bat on his shoulder. He suddenly stopped and faced the bench. "But, dudes, I crushed it." Billy pointed to the outfield with his bat, ala Babe Ruth. "I got me a triple out of it, and the rest... is... history!"

"Okay, guys," said Coach Pat Santorini. "Listen-up." The team quieted down to face their coach.

"This could be the most important game of the season. Probably of your young, baseball lives."

Some players clapped with excitement. Others chanted out, "hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo."

The coaches serious demeanor suddenly turned into a smile. "Keep that enthusiasm. I'm proud of you. Real proud. Believe in yourself and your team. All of you have the potential to be someone or do something great. Prove it today. Winning this game brings us, more importantly, you, closer to achieving the ultimate goal--the Little League World Series. So make yourselves proud and get out there and win yourself a ball game!"

"Yeah!" the team shouted, almost in unison. With that, the players ran out onto the field and took their defensive positions.

Jeffrey stood on second base, hands on his knees, buckled over at his waist. Right now Billy Barber's story didn't help much.

"Okay," he whispered to himself. "You can do this." He punched his fisted right hand into his glove. "It's just like back home. Except... now I can go to Williamsport!"