The "Not Gettin' Your Money's Worth" Story

Foreword

Every grandparent loves to brag about their grandkids and I'm no different.  So, today's story is one of those times that I get a chance to brag a bit about my grandson.  This is his second year of playing organized baseball with one team during the summer and another one here in the fall.  His dad was a fantastic pitcher, earning a full scholarship (thank goodness) to pitch for Division I Villanova University.  Whether my grandson is as good remains to be seen, but it is obvious that he loves to play and tries his best every time he is on the field.  And, today he made himself proud as well as his Tampah.  So, here goes a little braggin' story that needs to be told.  Thanks for reading it. 

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting on the narrow aluminum bleachers behind home plate in the small town of anywhere USA.  Well, to most it may be anywhere, but to Carol and me, the town does have a name and the event is a fall evening of little league baseball, my favorite sport.  

Mountville VFW Memorial Field.  The yellow
VFW building can be seen in the background.

Mount- ville is definitely a small town located on the Lincoln Highway in the midst of Penn-

sylvania farmland.  My grandson, Caden, plays for the Mountville Gold team and tonight they take on their rivals the Gray team.  Age bracket for this game is 8 and under with some boys just slightly taller than the bats they are using.  Since this is an instructional league the coaches are allowed to walk around the baseball diamond to give encouragement and to make sure the players are paying attention to the game.  

Gray team's coach ties his pitchers shoe.

 Caden loves the venue.  LDub loves the venue.  The Mountville VFW Memorial Field has an outfield fence with adver- tisements, refreshment stand, lighted scoreboard that really works and best of all lights around the field for night games.  They really know how to do it right!  What more could a young boy wish for on a gorgeous fall evening.  

Game started at 6:00 PM and by the 3rd inning the lights were illuminating the field.  Mountville Gold held the Mountville Gray scoreless in the top of the 1st then proceeded to get two men on base with two outs in the bottom of the inning.  Caden stepped to the plate.  He had been spending extra time with his dad learning more about the art of hitting and this will be his first chance to see what he remembered from his dad's instructions.  

Gold team boys line the bench
while waiting their time at the plate.

 Only sad part about the entire evening is that Caden's dad had an evening work shift and is missing the game.  Gray pitcher releases his first pitch and in a few seconds you can hear the ding of the bat and watch as the ball sails over the rightfielders head.  DOUBLE for Caden as he slides safely into second base.  Score: Gold 2, Gray 0.  Score remains the same throughout the rest of the evening with some good pitching from both teams and a lot of encouragement from the crowd.  

Caden swinging and connecting with
the first pitch for a double.

 Bottom of the 4th arrives and I sneak behind the home team's bench and ask Caden when he will bat again.  He points to a few teammates and then tells me he will bat 5th, as long as they get that far.  By the time Caden stepped in the batter's box the score was 4-0 with a man on third.  Again, first pitch comes in high and the mighty swing sends the ball over the centerfielder's head.  

Caden crossing the plate with run
number 6 for the gold team.

 DOUBLE for Caden as he hustles into second base.  Score: Gold 5, Gray 0.  After one more out a line drive plates Caden with the final run of the evening for Mountville Gold.  Top of the 5th sees a few baserunners for the Gray team, but an inning-ending strikeout makes the final score: Gold 6, Gray 0.  

The game ending High-5 lineup.

 The boys run to line up for the traditional high-fives and then scurry to the outfield for the coaches thoughts on the game.  The field is then prepared for the second game of the twi-night doubleheader between two more Mountville teams.  As I greeted Caden I said to him, "You didn't get your money's worth tonight.  Only two swings in the whole game!"  He looked at me with a big smile.  He was a proud young man tonight and rightfully so!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.