Boys in the Field by David Scott Slayton

Author:David Scott Slayton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orison Publishers, Inc.

18

THE ARTIST

As much as the Little League World Series relies on having stars, the baseball virtuosos like Cole Wagner, Alex Edmondson and Terrence Gist from South Carolina, and Jarrett Tadlock from Pearland, Texas, whose testosterone has kicked in at an earlier age than their competition, the beauty and allure of this tournament flourishes on the emergence of the unsung heroes from around the world who stand barely over five feet tall and just about 100 pounds. The little guys, the common boys—those children that remind us of who we were when we were twelve are the kids who sometimes become the most memorable. For most of us, it is hard to relate to a kid like Cole who grows seven inches in a year and stands taller than some adults may ever stand and is stronger than many can imagine.

Instead, we are drawn to the kids like Mekhi Garrard, who at 5’1” and 85 pounds had one of the most symbolic moments of the tournament with his priceless reaction to the mammoth grand slam he gave up to Cole Wagner on Opening Night. By the end of the two weeks, that replay would be shown as often (if not more) than any highlight that was made, as it captured everything that the world embraced about these kids. Of all the highlights that emerged from the 2015 Little League World Series, this may prove to be the most enduring.

But there were others: Kids like five-foot, 92-pound David Mershon whose ten-pitch at bat for South Carolina just three days earlier contained all the drama and grit from which legends are made. So, too, was the at bat that followed by five-foot two-inch, 98 pound Brock Myers, whose bases-clearing triple gave South Carolina a lead, which at the time they believed they would never surrender. Additionally, the world was just three days away from meeting Ryan Farmer who would make his own contribution to Little League lore with his performance in the United States Championship Game.

But this night, in the third game Red Land would be playing in the Little League World Series, would belong to Red Land pitcher Adam Cramer.

Adam stood at a very average height of 5 foot 4 and weighed a very ordinary 122 pounds. However, on this night, Adam Cramer would be anything but ordinary.

On this night, Adam Cramer would become an artist. His canvas of choice would be a series of curve balls and change ups, mixed in with just enough fastballs that would defy the prognosticators and awe the baseball world as he painted the corners and led the Patriots, not in a traditional slugfest, but in a pitcher’s duel that would not only dazzle the more than 35,000 fans that had come to watch these boys on this night, but baseball purists everywhere.

If Cole Wagner had the dominance, power, and intimidation of Nolan Ryan, then Adam Cramer had the grace, poise, and precision of Greg Maddux. Cole had the intimidating intensity and exuded a rare kind

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.