Saturday, May. 14, 2005
Sir, posted at 8:08 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Lee, a 9th grader who might be the best ground ball fielder on all the team, got to bat three times all season. He played one game at second base, when the senior who was playing there had a college visit, but I DH'd for him. He's a good little player and will be an important part of the team for the next three years, maybe as soon as next year.You can tell this kid was raised right. He calls me sir and is super respectful all the time. One day I saw him waiting at the bus stop in the morning and gave him a ride, and I found out he went to a private school for middle school. Kids vary wildly in their middle school experiences, and some kids who went to great middle schools turn out to be the worst kids in your class, while some kids who went to the worst ghetto schools in the city turn out to be the best. But for this kid, the private school seemed to work.
Anyhow, Lee has had to spent most of the season doing what 9th graders on varsity teams have to do - carry equipment, set up bases, get water. He's done so without one complaint all season. I started the season with six ninth graders and ended with four, because of that complaint factor. But Lee was stoic throughout.
He's the sort of kid that I would have really liked to have had a JV team for this year. He spent two and a half months practicing from 3:30 until 6 or 6:30 every day after school, and was able to play in just two games all year. He's playing a position that a senior and team captain had claimed two and a half years ago. He wasn't going to play any unless this other kid got hurt. Yet he kept coming back and coming back.
So I told him exactly what I told kids last year when the season ended: "You know, I'm going to work hard to get a JV team next year." I did this year, but it didn't come to fruition. This year, I seem to have the PTSA President on board with it, plus a teacher who wants to coach it. Maybe there's more of a chance now.
I loved his answer, though, which came without a beat: "I don't want to play on JV team next year, coach. I want to play Varsity." He had a little grin on his face, too.
The response was perfect, exuding exactly the sort of confidence that I hoped he had gained this year. Lee doesn't look like or act like a stereotypical athlete - he's short, he's skinny, he's quiet, he's studious. But he loves baseball, even wearing a Baltimore Black Sox (Negro Baseball League team) jacket every day. That's why it's such a great sport - it's a sport where your body type does not predetermine your success like it does in football and basketball. And hard work for any sized kid can mean a lot of playing time. And Lee will get it, probably as soon as next year. Let's hope that I continue to deserve to be called "sir" in his eyes.