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July 1, 2004
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July 1, 2004 |
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SPORTS
Even tee-ball can be dramatic Picture this. We’re at Gaunt Park. We’re in right field. We’re three dozen children and a dozen or so adults. We’ve just raced out here to do our warm-up exercises. “OK, everybody,” I say, raising my arms, extending them out from my body so I look like a kid playing airplane, “raise your arms.” Most of the children raise their arms. Most of the adults, too. “OK, now, roll your arms.” Three more beautiful little tee-ballers show up and join the gang, extending their arms, too. We roll arms for 30 seconds or so. “OK, the other way,” I say, and most of us roll our arms the other way. “It’s OK to make noise,” I say, “we like noise in tee-ball,” and we’re as happy as clams, we children and adults, all rolling our arms, the golden, late afternoon sun glorifying everything. “OK! OK!” I say, dropping my arms, “that’s enough. Now give yourselves a round of applause,” and we do. The grass beneath our feet is lush, the air about us crisp, and life is good, very, very good. “OK, now put your hands on your hips,” I say, leading us into our second exercise when tiny blue-eyed 3-year-old Abby Knaub (who I thought was 4 or 5), steps up and tugs on my hand. I can’t be having an individual conversation, not then, not in the middle of calisthenics. I try to ignore her. “When I say one,” I say, “you bend over and touch your knees, when I say two——” and Abby’s tugging softly, insistently. She’s so pretty I am almost afraid to look at her, certain I’ll lose my mind, fall head over heels in love with her and end up doing the most ridiculous and foolish things. “Whatever you want, my dear. My money. My life. Anything, take it, it’s yours.” She’s tugging on my hand. “What?” I ask softly. “What is it, honey?” And as she speaks, her voice no bigger than a peanut, I have to lean down to hear. “Yes? Yes?” “I think I’m dying,” she says. “What?!” She’s absolutely serious. “You’re what?” “I think I’m dying,” she repeats, her very blue eyes darkening. I don’t know what to do. She doesn’t look sick. She’s not fainting, she’s not falling down. Oh my god. Dying? “You sit down right here by me,” I say, easing her down so she’s sitting at my feet. “You just rest, OK? You don’t have to do anything,” and not knowing what else to do, I go on with the toe-touching exercise. “On two, you bend all the way down and touch your toes, on three, you come back up to touch your knees, on four, you put your hands back on your knees, and then,” and I raise my hands straight up over my head, “we go WHOOO!” Abby’s sitting quietly at my feet as we begin our one-two-three-four, WHOOO! One-two-three-four, WHOOO! toe-touching exercise, but by the third time we’re bending over she’s on her feet. “I do that every day,” she says as she steps back into the pack of bending and WHOOO-ing children. What? Think you’re dying? Say you’re dying? I think it’s amazing, and that maybe there’s a funny, charming story in this — you know, “Kids say the darnedest things,” sort of thing — but I’m not sure, so I find her mom, Chrissy Knaub, and tell her the story. At first Chrissy’s a little shocked, but she quickly recovers and says, nodding, a big smile on her face, “You never know what’s gonna come out of her mouth.” Chrissy says it’s OK to tell the story, but I’m still ambivalent so I tell the other coaches, Chris Murphy and Adrienne Chesire. Adrienne says, “Oh, that’s Zoey McKinley. She’s 6 or 7 and she’s been saying that all night: ‘I’m dying! I’m dying!’ and the little girls have been copying her.” Apparently Zoey loathes the race out to the outfield and back and is none too excited about the exercises we do every Friday night either. I tell Chrissy this. We’re both a bit relieved to know it’s just a little childhood melodrama. A little bit of Fred Sanford of Sanford and Sons — remember him? — having his little crises, his little fake heart attacks, clutching his chest and crying out in fake panic to his long dead wife, “Elizabeth! Elizabeth! I’m coming, Elizabeth!” Well, that’s the Perry League, Yellow Springs’ tee-ball program for girls and boys ages 2 to 9, a program with a little drama for everyone. All kids are welcome regardless of race, color or creed. And they can start at any time with no requirement to play every week. We’re out there every Friday night at Gaunt Park from 6:30 to 8. Wanna be a little dramatic? Then come on out to tee-ball. We’d love to have you. Dogs win 3rd in row, before losing The Sea Dogs extended their winning streak to three after defeating Waynesville in a close meet at home on Tuesday, June 22. The scoring was as follows: Girls: Sea Dogs, 171; Waynesville, 131 Boys: Sea Dogs, 149; Waynesville, 137 Total: Sea Dogs, 320; Waynesville, 268 On Thursday, June 24, the Dogs came up a little short, as the girls traded the lead all night. When lightning ended the meet early, Greene Valley was ahead 272–213. Girls: Sea Dogs, 122; Waynesville, 129 Boys: Sea Dogs, 91; Waynesville, 143 Results of the June 22 girls events: 6 and under: Logan Chapman, 2nd, 25 backstroke, 25 free; Olivia Chick, 3rd, free. 8 and under: Rachele Orme, 1st, 25 breaststroke, 2nd, 25 free; Mychael Roberts, 1st, 25 back; Erin Grote, 2nd, 25 fly, 25 back; Ivy Welsh, 3rd, 25 breaststroke; Rachel Meyer, 3rd, 25 free; Grote, Welsh, Roberts, Orme, 1st, 100 medley relay. 9–10: Erika Chick, 1st, 50 free, 100 individual medley; Kylie Meyer, 1st, 25 back, 2nd, 50 free; Jade Turner, 2nd, 25 breaststroke; Katie Triplett, 25 free; Kacie Miller, 3rd, 25 fly, 25 breaststroke; Meyer, Miller, Triplett, Chick, 1st, 100 medley relay. 11–12: Meghan Meyer, 2nd, 100 free, 50 fly, 100 individual medley; Maiya Thornton, 2nd, 50 breaststroke, 3rd, 100 individual medley; Barbara Jewell, 2nd, 50 back, 3rd, 100 free; Kasey Koehler, 2nd, 25 breaststroke, 3rd, 50 free; Marlee Layh, 3rd, 50 fly, 50 free; Rachel Biggs, 3rd, 50 back; Meyer, Thornton, Koehler, Jewell, 1st, 200 medley relay. 13–14: Natalie Sanders, 1st, 100 individual medley, 50 breaststroke, 50 free; Bethany Traeger, 1st, 100 free, 50 backstroke, 2nd, 50 free. 15–18: Lasena Badger, 1st, 100 free, 50 fly, 100 individual medley; Olivia Dixon, 2nd, 50 backstroke, 50 breaststroke; Eve GunderKline, 3rd, 50 fly, 50 free. Results for the boys events: 6 and under: Theron Orme, 1st, 25 back, 25 free. 8 and under: Breman Miller, 1st, 25 fly, 25 breaststroke; Grant Reigelsperger, 1st, 25 back; Ian Chick, 2nd, 25 free, 3rd, 25 backstroke; Theron Orme, 2nd, 25 breaststroke; Orme, Liam Weigand, Chick, Miller, 1st, 100 free relay. 9–10: Jesse Jewell, 1st, 50 free, 25 backstroke, 25 free. 11–12: Jesse Rothman, 1st, 50 fly, 100 individual medley; Owen Sanders, 1st, 50 free, 3rd, 50 fly; Jeremy Paul, 2nd, 50 backstroke, 50 free, 3rd, 100 individual medley; Zeb Reichert, 2nd, 50 breaststroke, 3rd, 50 backstroke; Reichert, Sanders, Paul, Rothman, 1st, 200 free relay. 13–14: Malcolm Thomas, 1st, 50 fly, 3rd, 100 individual medley, 50 breaststroke; Ethan Brown, 2nd, 50 fly, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 50 back; Mori Rothman, 2nd, 50 breaststroke, 50 free; Zane Reichert, 2nd, 50 back, 3rd, 100 free, 50 free. 15–18: Kelby Dierking, 1st, 100 free, 50 fly, 100 individual medley; Aaron Zagory, 1st, 50 breaststroke, 50 free; Mike Hosket, 1st, 50 free, 2nd, 50 fly; Jacob Wishart 2nd, 100 free, 50 backstroke, 100 individual medley; Sam Borchers, 3rd, 50 back; Evan Gerthoffer, 3rd, 50 breaststroke; Dierking, Zagory, Hosket, Wishart, 1st, 200 medley relay. Results of the June 24 girls events: 6 and under: Olivia Chick, 1st, 25 back; Logan Chapman, 3rd, back. 8 and under: Erin Grote, 1st, 25 breaststroke, 2nd, 25 back; Mychael Roberts, 1st, 25 back; Rachele Orme, 2nd, 25 fly, 3rd, 25 breaststroke; Rachel Meyer, 3rd, 25 fly; Roberts, Orme,ß Meyer, Grote, 1st, 100 medley relay. 9–10: Jade Turner, 1st, 25 breaststroke; Erika Chick, 2nd, 50 free, 25 fly, 100 individual medley; Kacie Miller, 2nd, 25 breaststroke; Kylie Meyer, 3rd, 50 free, 25 fly; Katie Triplett, 2nd, 25 back; Triplett, Meyer, Turner, Chick, 1st, 100 medley relay. 11–12: Maiya Thornton, 1st, 50 breaststroke, 2nd, 50 fly, 3rd, 100 individual medley; Rachel Biggs, 1st, 50 back; Meghan Meyer, 2nd, 100 free, 2nd, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 50 fly; Barbara Jewell, 2nd, 50 back, 3rd, 100 free; Kasey Koehler, 3rd, 50 breast; Jewell, Thornton, Meyer, Koehler, 1st, 200 medley relay. 13–14: Natalie Sanders, 1st, 100 free, 100 individual medley, 2nd, 50 breaststroke; Bethany Traeger, 2nd, 50 back; Danielle Doubt, 3rd, 50 breaststroke. 15–18: Lasena Badger, 2nd, 100 free, 50 fly, 3rd, 50 back; Eve GunderKline, 3rd, 100 free; Olivia Dixon, 3rd, 50 breaststroke. Results for the boys events: 6 and under: Theron Orme, 1st, 25 back. 8 and under: Eli Biggs, 2nd, 25 back, 3rd, 25 breaststroke. 9–10: Jesse Jewell, 1st, 25 back, 2nd, 50 free; Kosi Ngqakayi, 3rd, 25 breaststroke. 11–12: Jesse Rothman, 1st, 50 fly, 100 individual medley, 50 breaststroke; Owen Sanders, 1st, 100 free, 2nd, 50 fly, 100 individual medley; Tyler Qualls, 1st, 50 back; Jeremy Paul, 3rd, 100 free, 50 back; Hollister Fitch: 3rd, 50 breaststroke; Paul, Sanders, Rothman, Qualls, 1st, 200 medley relay. 13–14: Malcolm Thomas, 1st, 50 fly, 3rd, 100 individual medley; Ethan Brown, 3rd, 100 free, 50 fly; Mori Rothman, 3rd, 50 breaststroke. 15–18: Aaron Zagory, 1st, 100 free; Michael Hosket, 2nd, 50 fly; Will McCuddy, 2nd, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 100 free, 50 fly; Sam Borchers, 2nd, 50 backs; Zach Reichert, 3rd, 50 back; Hosket, McCuddy, Dixon, Zagory, 1st, 200 medley relay. Weekend of blowouts Wednesday’s game — Cubs vs. Yankees — was canceled and will be rescheduled. We had beautiful weather over the weekend and all four games were played, all of them blowouts. In the first game on Saturday the Reds beat the Cubs, 30–3. Ethan Brown pitched a complete game. He took a no-hitter into the fourth when Sammy Morrison hit a bloop single to right. Every Red hit well and fielded well as the Reds returned to the form they had perfected last year — good pitching, timely hitting and solid fielding. Bright spots for the Cubs? A few. Robert Harden made a miraculous catch on a long fly ball to right-center field. Lauren Miles started for the Cubs, pitched well, took the loss. David Ingham singled and scored a run. In Saturday’s second game, the Yankees beat the Athletics, 20–4. Yankee starting pitcher Lucas Donnell got the win. Andrew Ferguson pitched relief. Anthony Pettiford just missed hitting for the cycle with a single, double and triple. Ian Wimberly had 3 singles and scored 3 runs. Conor Stratton had 2 singles, a double and scored 3 runs. The A’s were held to just 4 hits by Donnell and Ferguson. Brandon Semler took the loss, while Will Turner pitched excellently in relief. They combined for 10 strike outs. Josh Foster had 2 hits and scored a run. In Sunday’s early game the Reds defeated the A’s, 21–7. Starting pitcher Kevin Sikes-Gilbert got the win, with good relief work by Matt Finn. The A’s walked 14 times but were unable to generate much of an offense. A’s starter Will Turner took the loss; Jamie Kitzmiller pitched in relief. Otis Rutley, Aaron Fletcher, and Lucas Blanchard-Glueckert did some sharp defensive work. Alex Nickels returned from vacation and played left field and third base equally well. The Indians collapsed in the last game of the weekend, as they just never could mount a sustained rally against the Yankees, losing 19–1. For the Yanks: Joey Bailey tripled and homered and batted in 5 runs; Asa Casenhiser had 2 singles, 2 walks and 4 runs scored; starting pitcher Lucas Donnell threw three innings of shutout baseball; Conor Stratton relieved Donnell and allowed only 1 run. For the Tribe: Devon Massie has gone four for four in his last two games; Kevin Greco again had an outstanding game behind the plate and was one for two at bat; losing pitcher Isaac Haller struck out 3 and made a sweet grab of a line drive while playing first to end the fifth; Jonathan Haller struck out 7 Yankees; Kenneth Sonner pitched well the last inning. We have games Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday this week with special fun Saturday night before the 4th of July. We’ll see you at the ballpark! Pitching and catching clinic Jeff Mohlman, a former pitcher for the University of Dayton, will put on a clinic for players in the Major League Youth baseball program on Friday, July 2, 1 p.m., at Gaunt Park. The clinic is free. Players should bring a glove and a bottle of hydrating liquid. Catcher’s equipment and balls will be provided. For more information, call Donna Haller 767-2767. Tennis lessons offered The first meeting for anyone age 10 and older who is interested in learning to play tennis, or improving their skills, will be held Saturday, July 3, 3:30 p.m., at the Antioch tennis courts. Players should bring a racket and $2 or a can of tennis balls. For more information, call Chuck Taylor at 767-1516. Boys soccer meeting The Yellow Springs High School boys soccer team will hold a mandatory, preseason meeting on Thursday, July 8, 7 p.m., in the YSHS cafeteria. Prospective players and their parents should attend. For more information, call coach Jim Hardman at 767-2200. |
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