The Loss of Demonta Gaither

You may have seen the sad story in the news this week about the young man from Grier Heights who drowned in the pond behind Randolph Park. This is a particularly sad event for MPTLL because the young man, Demonta Gaither, was a popular player during the years he spent playing baseball in our league. Demonta played in the AL, NL, Majors (Carolina Pad) and in our Senior League. In his final season with Carolina Pad in 2007, he was selected by the Major League coaches as the recipient of the Billy Rice Award, which is given to the player whose enthusiasm and love of the game exemplify the best in Little League baseball. Demonta’s nomination for the Rice Award included the following excerpt, as written by his coach, Robert Griffin, who served as a mentor to him both during and after his time with MPTLL:

 

“Demonta loves the league and loves our team. He is a happy boy who likes to compete, who doesn't like to lose, but who bounces back and is eager for the next game or practice. He is interested in his teammates -- he cares about them. He is enthusiastic at all practices -- giving as much effort as he gives to games, and enjoying the competition. He pays remarkably close attention to everything going on around him. He notices the flaws in the technique of his teammates and offers encouraging suggestions to "keep your eye on the ball" or "use two hands" and stuff like that -- in a way that is positive and helpful. He notices players on the other teams, too. He may know more about the players on the other teams than anyone on our team. He's just been a wonderful part of our team for these two years. He's only a pretty good player, but the MPTLL experience has been a good one for him, and he's made the experience better for me and for his teammates.  He's already looking forward to playing at Independence Park next year. All of this comes from a boy who doesn't have a great home environment in the Grier Heights apartment where he lives.”

 

Demonta’s death is a tragedy. His story can be a reminder to us of the needs of so many young people in some of our nearby neighborhoods, and of the opportunities that we have to try to help them, with guidance, encouragement, friendship and love. The relationships we build with these young people are greatly important, and there is much that we can do to influence their lives in a positive way.

 

Keep Battling, Adam

We have a parent and coach in our league who has taken a turn for the worse. He has been fighting cancer valiantly for two years. He is a great guy and has a nice family, like we all do. But he has been battling for two years, although holding his head high with a smile on his face. I tell my players, "Keep your head up." Adam Schmitz has done that.

I've spent time with Adam and his son at the batting cages. Adam watches closely as his son hits ball after ball, making an adjustment here and there. Adam's eyes are bright and wide. He soaks it all in, loving every minute of it - just as he does any time he's at the park, either watching Zeke play or just talking to friends. He has the perspective on life that allows him to take in and appreciate his experiences. He wants more knowledge, more friends, more swings, more time.

Adam loves to talk and he is a good listener too. We discuss hitting and pitching, Majors and Minors, McGwire and Sosa, the Mets and Yankees, dogs and cats, whatever. We want to talk for longer, but I can't match his enthusiasm. And it's getting dark and the lights aren't coming on.

It's hard to know that someone like Adam with so much goodness in his heart and so much enthusiasm for life is struggling. It doesn't seem fair. But he is battling. That's another thing I tell my players: "Keep battling. Battle to the very end. No matter the outcome, you'll be proud that you did." Adam Schmitz has done that. He will continue to do it. And we are all proud.

Adam's family needs our help. Myers Park Trinity is a larger family of sorts. We support our own when they need us. If you would like to help the Schmitz family, please go to the following link and show your support. Show them how much we all appreciate Adam. Please visit:

The Adam Schmitz Cancer Fund

Josh Beckett Makes a Kid Cry....

.....but in a good way. He's all heart.....



The follow-up interview is here. In other news, Air Bud caught the first pitch at Petco Park.

Pouting Kid Gets a Souvenir

This is too good not to post....

UPDATE.... This kid didn't even need to pout much at all, thanks to a generous young fan...

Being a Team Player.... and Parent

Here's a great article at the Hickory Husker in Indiana about the often lost concept of being a team player, and perhaps equally important, being a team parent. As we finish our All-Star season, where the "stakes" can seem pretty high, a good question to ponder is - did you attend games to support the team, or just your own child? There is a clear difference, and I have experienced each.

Tribute to Derek Jeter

On the heels of his 3,000th hit, the complete Derek Jeter experience is here, thanks to MLB.com. Whether you're a Yankee fan or not - he just might be the best role model in sports.

Don't Forget Home Plate, Boys

This is a heartbreaking story about a team not only losing a game, but a state championship, because a player failed to step on home plate. Don't let this happen to you. No matter how big the game is, you gotta touch 'em all.

What To Do This Summer... Build a Wiffle Ball Field

Here's a cool story about a wiffle ball field and league in New York. Chris Hess did it with dugouts, an electronic scoreboard, and uniforms. Our family's field (left) was done on the cheap. Hours of weekly fun for just an occasional can of spray paint. Oh - and don't forget the foul poles.

Former Bonds Trainer Coaching Youth Team

Greg Anderson is a convicted felon and recently spent a year in prison in connection with the Barry Bonds steroid scandal. Now he is mentoring 11- and 12-year-old kids as a coach in the Burlingame (CA) Youth Baseball Association. Anderson was "vetted" by the league prior to the season, but still missed four weeks due to a return trip to jail. According to one team parent, “The kids like him, and he’s a really friendly guy, so my husband and I don’t question it. Really, it’s kind of fun to have a celebrity coaching the team.” Check out the NY Times article for a good laugh.      

No Hands, No Arms, No Problem

This is impressive. Check out how Tom Willis throws out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium with no hands or arms. An inspiration indeed.

Albert Pujols: Hall of Famer On and Off the Field

60 Minutes will be running a story on Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals tonight at 7:00 on CBS. Widely considered to be the best player in the game and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, Pujols has also made a tremendous impact on the lives of thousands of people in need. He is passionate about helping both the poor people of his native Dominican Republic and those, like his own daughter, born with Down Syndrome.

This guy is the real deal. He is a role model both on the field and off the field.

Get Behind That L-Screen - It Could Save Your Life

Please let this be a reminder, as we start the spring season, to use your L-screen, and use it well.

Vinny Ribar, a 15-year-old Freshman baseball player at Kiski Area High School near Pittsburgh suffered a serious injury on February 26th after being struck in the head by a line drive. He was using a protective L-screen in practice, but failed to stay completely behind it as the ball was approaching.

Ribar's story unfortunately does not stand alone as a wake up call to coaches everywhere. In case you need another example of how your life can be turned around forever with one pitch, I urge you to spend some time reading the story of former Sun Valley High School (Monroe, NC) coach Kenn Wright.

Ed Walton of Charlotte Country Day first alerted me to this years ago. Here's a link to Scott Fowler's series of Charlotte Observer articles called The Pitch, which tell of Wright's 1997 brain injury and the struggle for life that followed. In Wright's case, I believe it was the netting of his team's L-screen that had fallen into disrepair, allowing a 70 mph line drive to slip through and strike him directly in the forehead.

If you are going to be serving up batting practice to your players, even at the Little League level, please follow through and duck behind your L-screen. Check the netting for any holes or weak sections. Consider wearing a helmet. And don't let your youth players throw batting practice.

A couple of welts from Alfonso Fernandez in 2005 were a physical reminder for me. But bruises fade away with time. The story of Kenn Wright should never be forgotten.

High School Girls Face Off on the Mound

When Marti Sementelli of Birmingham High School and Ghazaleh Sailors of San Marcos High School took to the hill in Van Nuys, CA, it was a landmark occasion for women's athletics - the first time two female pitchers had started a varsity high school baseball game.

Sementelli and Sailors are two of about a thousand girls playing high school baseball in America, a number that is growing each year. They met at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, NC while playing on the National Women's Baseball Team, and decided to try to get their coaches to arrange the match up.

It happened on Saturday, with Sementelli getting a complete game victory. But the experience was a win for both, and delivered another strong message that girls can play baseball too.

Big Things Come in Small Packages

In baseball, sometimes it's not size that matters.  More important is quality instruction, hard work and determination. Here's a good story from MLB.com on the promising career of 5'7" Kansas City Royals pitcher, Tim Collins.

Baseball For All at Spring Training

Justine Siegal of Baseball For All continues to spread her message that girls can play baseball too. This week at Cleveland Indians spring training, she became the first woman to throw batting practice for a Major League team. Pretty cool.

Umpires Are People Too

ESPN's Outside the Lines has run a good story about Jim Joyce, the MLB umpire whose incorrect call at 1st Base cost Detroit Tigers' pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game with two out in the 9th last season. The call changed Joyce's life forever, and this was his first national interview since that fateful night of June 2nd.

This is a story about sportsmanship, and the fact that everyone is human and nobody's perfect. If this can happen at the highest level, you know it is bound to happen at the youth level, where the umps are even more "human." The video is below. The article is on ESPN.

They Don't Make 'em Like Bob Feller Anymore

Baseball legend Bob Feller died yesterday at the age of 92. It's almost hard to believe the outspoken, dominant right handed pitcher and war hero was mortal, when you consider his amazing life.

He came from humble beginnings, but rose to stardom quickly. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians at age 16, and struck out 15 batters in his Major League debut at the age of 17. He returned to high school after the season for his senior year. His graduation ceremony was broadcast by NBC on national radio.

Feller would have won almost 400 games if he had not given four years of his career to the US Navy during World War II. He served on the battleship Alabama and saw action in the North Atlantic and the Pacific.

He pitched as recently as last year at age 90 in the Baseball Hall of Fame Classic in Cooperstown.

Feller was one of the hardest throwers ever. But more importantly, he was a great American. He was the "Ace of the Greatest Generation." It's hard to find heroes like him anymore.

Girls Can Play Baseball Too

Found a website for an organization called Baseball For All, which promotes the idea of girls playing baseball, not only in youth leagues, but beyond.

Baseball For All (BFA) is managed by Justine Siegal, who played competitive women's baseball and later served as a coach for a professional men's team, the Brockton (MA) Rox. The organization provides opportunities and instruction for girls wanting to continue with baseball beyond the young age that most are encouraged to make the switch to softball. The website includes some good information, including an informative education page.

Myers Park Trinity's history includes several standout female players. Katie Boyer was the first, playing for Al Browne in 1978. Some of her teammates actually thought she was a boy, until one of them asked the coach one day, "Why do you always call him Katie?"  Krissy Culler may have been the best, earning a spot on the league's Major League All-Star team. One of my own favorite players, Betsy Barnhardt, was an outstanding catcher and pitcher for AB.

So while the league does have a quality softball program, there are options for those girls wanting to stick with hardball. And they can excel at it. Don't believe me? Check out the story of Chelsea Baker on ESPN E:60.

Josiah's Time

If you missed the ESPN E:60 story, "Josiah's Time" by Tom Rinaldi, check it out below. It is the story of 6-year-old Josiah Viera of Hegins, PA. Josiah has an extremely rare disease called Progeria, which, although he is only 27 inches tall and weighs 15 pounds, causes his body to age ten times the normal human rate.

Josiah's dream is to play baseball. Watch as his dream comes true, and visit the E:60 page for an article by Ben Houser. This is a story about a courageous little boy, his love of baseball and much more.