Yes, I know. It’s only T-ball. It’s girls 8 years old and younger trying desperately at times to refrain from doing a cartwheel or a pirouette in the middle of an inning. But now ask yourself this, how many championships have you played in your lifetime?
I played competitive sports for 12 or so years as a kid up through high school and, like many athletes, never played in a championship, despite being on some very good teams. It’s not that surprising. Such games don’t come along often.
Does it mean anything to play in a championship? You bet it does.
Like several other teams playing in the Oak Park Youth Baseball/Softball and the River Forest Youth Baseball/Softball leagues this season, the Oak Park girls T-ball Giants and Blue Jays earned themselves a memory of a lifetime last week. They played three grueling, thrilling and exciting games in the Village Series. The Giants won the title with a 23-17 victory in Game 3.
Some of the players will go on to play in more championships — maybe in softball or some other sport — others will not, but they will always have this particular memory. Yes, some grounders found their way under legs and some throws went absurdly awry, but in this series not one T-baller from either team was entertaining herself in right field by picking daisies. They were in their defensive stances, ready to go, ready to make a play. Cartwheels and pirouettes were so early-season.
And plays the Giants made, from multiple putouts at second to quick-reacting tosses to first. They were good.
As for the Blue Jays, it was an exciting season both on and off the field. Anne Marie Halper and Sarah Kohout had multiple home runs. Sophia Ferraro tossed two runners out from third base in the same inning. Ingrid McEachen became known as the double-play queen. There was speed-demon baserunning from Kaitlyn Spillane and Emma Biddle.
There was Ellie Compton, fully healed from a broken leg the year before, beating out throws to first. There was her sister Maizy and Alyson Rumoro and Bridget Lynch making their debuts in T-ball with flourishes. Maeve Degnan and Livie Zembler made vast improvements from last year.
Off the field: An ice cream truck backed into a coach’s van during the American League Championship. Jets flew over the field immediately after a big victory. Coach Tim’s vast superstitions had him wearing unwashed cargo-shorts for five straight days. There were post-game parties and post-post game parties.
And why did this local sports columnist choose to single out this particular girls T-ball team? You guessed it: My twin daughters, Abby and Sarah, were also on the Blue Jays. I couldn’t be prouder of their improvement over the course of the season. And now they have played in more championships than their father.
Yes, I know. It’s only T-ball, but it’s still pretty cool.
Tell us about the championship — or championships — you played in. Leave a comment on this article.