A Memorable Weekend of Youth Baseball -- and One Organization Doing Something for the African-American Community

A couple of simple observations today, after the Indians' fate was sealed Monday night against the White Sox when they couldn't hold a 3-1 lead in the seventh. (Did you really think they would score any more runs? Were you at all surprised that it was Chicago that pulled it out in the twelfth inning?)

A proud dad, and delighted fan

Over the weekend our youngest son played in a 13-and-under baseball tournament in Alliance. He plays for the traveling team from North Canton. Their most formidable opponent was a big team from Pittsburgh, and, sure enough, the Pittsburgh team outlasted them, 9-8, when they met in pool play.

The two teams met again in the championship game on Sunday. My son was asked to start on the mound, and he put together five solid innings that would make any dad proud. He had done well growing up in Little League, but this is different. The field is bigger, the pitching distance is further, and he hasn't really had his growth spurt yet. So when he was able to hold the strong-hitting Pittsburgh team at bay, it was no small feat, and our guys took a 7-4 lead into the sixth inning.

As they'd done the previous day, Pittsburgh came back to tie it in the bottom of the seventh. And they had a workhorse of a kid on the mound in relief who was throwing heat and looked like he'd be tough to get a hit off of, let alone score against. But in the tenth inning he allowed a couple of walks, then a wild pitch, and after a throwing error and a double by one of our guys, we ended up winning, 10-7. The picture that accompanies this was taken after they won the title game.

Obviously, winning beats the alternative, but I was struck mostly by how talented these two teams were, and by how they played each other down to the wire on consecutive days. Mind you, they're 13 year old kids. But they made plays, got key hits, and kept battling. It was entertaining -- and an enjoyable way to spend a holiday weekend.

I was also reminded of something else. Given the choice of watching millionaires play baseball in the majors, or these kids play on sandlots everywhere like the ones this weekend in Alliance, I'd take the kids any day. There was drama, all-out effort, courage, grit (more than one kid played despite bumps and bruises sustained during the weekend) and good sportsmanship.

That's not to say I don't enjoy the Indians and major league baseball in general. Of course I do. But this was just as entertaining, and just as hotly contested. There's nothing quite like watching people -- kids or otherwise -- playing for the love of the game.

African-Americans and baseball...

Much has been said and written in recent years about the declining number of African-Americans in professional baseball. One of the chief causes is the lack of emphasis on the game in urban areas, where kids typically play basketball, if anything. Programs have been launched in urban communities across America to try to rekindle interest in baseball.

That's why I was impressed over the weekend to again see a couple of teams from Canton in the annual Memorial Day Tournament sponsored by the North Canton Little League. The Canton teams were from the Mitey Mite program, which is operated by the J. Babe Stearn Community Center.

Babe Stearn was a legendary figure and former sheriff in Stark County. More than 50 years ago, Stearn launched the Mitey Mite baseball association in Canton, and over the years it has afforded thousands of kids the chance to learn and play the game. It's similar in many ways to Little League, but a separate entity. The picture featured here is from a Mitey Mite game in the 1960s.

Following my son's final tournament game in Alliance on Sunday, we made it back home in time to see the championship game of the tourney at the North Canton Little League complex. The game paired the North Canton Indians and the Mitey Mite Rangers. It was interesting to observe that the Rangers' roster was made up entirely of African-American players and coaches. Anyone who says that more programs are needed to sustain interest in baseball among African-American children need only to come to Canton to witness the fine work being done by the J. Babe Stearn Community Center and Mitey Mite baseball. Obviously, not all players in the program are African-American, but a large percentage are.

The Rangers fell behind early and, despite a late rally, lost in the championship game, 7-3. But they were competitive, well-coached, and enthusiastic about the game. It was great to see. Congratulations to the Rangers and to all those who are working to rekindle enthusiasm for baseball among the children in Canton, particularly in the African-American community.