Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy for being their always awesome selves. You're the best, ladies!
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your amazing support! It is always appreciated.
Hope you enjoy!
For Love of the Game (A McRoll in the REAL World Story by Mari and Ilna)
Elizabeth adjusted her sun glasses as she surveyed the bustling baseball field. The air was filled with excitement, the sound of children's voices, and the scent of freshly cut grass in preparation for the Pitch, Hit, and Run competition. With a smile, she winked at her mother and said, "Alright, my little poster-makers, let Operation Motivate Begin!" to Angie and Ashae.
Angie was bursting with enthusiasm as she clasped her hands together. "Let's make the best posters ever, Grandma!"
Ashae's dark eyes were sparkling. "I've got the glitter! We can use sparkle power!"
Elizabeth settled them at the double cafeteria-sized table filled with poster boards and an array of colorful markers and Grandma Ang pointed to the edge of the field as the first group of kids approached. "Looks like we have some poster makers on their way over."
As soon as the kids began to make posters to encourage their siblings and friends, Angie asked, "What's your favorite team? You can use those colors if you want. And we have glitter!"
A boy with curly brown hair got a smile from Ang when he said, "Um, I like the Cubs. I like them even if my big brother wasn't a Cubbie, but I'm happy he is. We just moved here. I'm Andy and I'm six." He pointed to a girl about three years older. "That's my sister, Bella, she's in fourth grade."
Angie's eyes lit up and she passed him a blue marker. "We're six, too! And the Cubbie's are the best team, my brother's DJ, he's a Cubbie, too."
Meanwhile, Ashae was helping twin girls about her age add glitter to their posters, with every sprinkle looking like a tiny explosion of fireworks.
Elizabeth beamed when DJ waved from the field. "There's our boy," she said with a return wave, thinking of his gentle smile when they'd discussed the poster table idea. He'd said, "You guys are gonna do an awesome job. Thanks for making the posters, it means a lot to the players."
Angie smiled. "We'll hold our posters up and cheer really loud. It's very very important," she told the group of children that had grown to about a dozen that were surrounding the table. "My brother said if some of the kids have no one holding up a poster for them we can all hold them up for everybody, so we're making extras."
Elizabeth watched her granddaughter, her gaze shifting between the proud little sister and the siblings and friends of the participants. "You're doing a great job, sweetheart, just like your mommy when she'd make extra welcome home posters when Grandpa came home after a deployment."
With a grin, Angie stood a little taller, her marker aloft, ready to finish a very sparkly Great Job! poster.
"Let's make one for all the coaches, too!" She turned to Grandma Ang. "What can we write?"
"What a treasure my girl is," Ang said with a beaming smile. "How about, We Love Our Coaches!?"
"Yes!" Angie and Ashae cheered and grabbed a fresh board to design.
"How's it going, here?" Raina asked as she walked up to the table.
"We're making one for the coaches," Ashae explained. "Ours are all done." She pointed to them. "We're helping the other kids now."
"And doing a great job explaining how all the poster boards are reused and recycled." Elizabeth placed a hand on each girl's shoulder, and they looked up with matching smiles.
"Yes! After we got some from Ms. Richter at school, Mr. Jirou gave us a bunch of old sale signs with nothing on the back so we don't hurt any trees to make our posters," Angie told her.
Raina surveyed the plethora of posters both underway and that various children had carried to the spectators' areas. "Great job, ladies. I think you've both earned a shave ice."
At the appointed start time, Gary Walk called for everyone's attention using a portable sound system and the kids, coaches, and families gathered in the stands of the central field of the ballpark.
"Hi everyone," he said. "If you haven't met me yet, I'm Gary Walk, and I want to thank everyone for coming out today. This is a tremendous turnout. I see a lot of great ball players out there and I know you're all eager to get going so I'm just gonna say a few words, then we'll get to it. I want to recognize the members of the Honolulu Hawks. That's the guys in the blue jerseys you see around me here. They helped put this whole thing together and they're going to be the ones measuring and timing and figuring out our scores today. I'm really grateful that when I came to practice a couple months ago with this idea to host a Pitch, Hit, and Run competition here on the island, they didn't laugh me off the field. They really got behind the idea and without them, we wouldn't be here today so if you wouldn't mind joining me in giving them a big hand."
The gathered crowd clapped and cheered their appreciation for the senior softball team responsible for the event.
One of the players nearest to Gary leaned toward the mic and said, "But really we all know the heart and soul behind this is the man standing right here, so let's hear it for Gary Walk!"
The applause and cheers got even louder at that and Gary waved a hand, trying to deflect the attention.
"I appreciate that," he said when the noise finally died down. "But enough of all that malarkey, let's get on to the competition. Let me give a quick explanation of what each skills test will be like, and then we'll get going." He motioned toward the backstops of two of the neighboring fields. "Over there will be the Pitch stations. Each station has two lines, one for baseball players and one for softball players. Each player will get five attempts to throw the ball at the strikezone target on the backstop. If you hit anywhere on the target, you get 50 points. If you hit the bullseye in the center, you get 100 points. That's pitching." He motioned to another field. "Over to my left we have the hitting stations set up. There's a batting tee at home plate, and six zones taped off on the field starting at ten feet from the plate and going to the back fence which is 270 feet away. Each zone has a set number of points starting at fifteen, then twenty-five, fifty, one hundred, one hundred and fifty, and two hundred. Every hitter gets five swings. We'll score your points from where the ball first lands in the field." He motioned to the last two fields. "And finally there's Run. You'll be running 90 feet from home to first base. Every runner gets two chances, and the fastest time counts." He looked out over the crowd. "Those are the three stations. If you have questions, you can ask the Hawks assigned to each field. Remember, just look for the guys in the blue jerseys. Your number tag will tell you which field to start at, and we'll rotate after that." He smiled. "Now, before we disperse, I want to give two more quick shout outs. First to Kamekona and Esther's Shrimp Truck and Cupcake Truck. I'm sure you saw it on your way in. Make sure to stop by if you're hungry, and definitely pick up a complimentary cupcake before you leave, thanks to fundraising by the Honolulu Hawks."
A huge cheer went up from the crowd at that.
"And we also want to encourage you to stop by the cheer station if you haven't already to make a sign to cheer on our terrific competitors. Thanks to Elizabeth Rollins from Tutor Time and her fabulous assistants for organizing that for us today." After the applause, he continued, "Now finally, I want everyone to try their best, cheer each other on, and above all, have fun!"
The groups were divided by age and sent to the different fields to prepare for their first skills test.
As the competition began, the posters were displayed, spreading cheer and encouragement throughout the fields. The players' faces lit up when they spotted them, held aloft not only by their own supporters, but by many others in attendance, and their energy was fueled by the colorful signs waving in the air. There were even a few that read, Thank You Honolulu Hawks!
Elizabeth hugged both Angie and Ashae, saying, "Look at the happiness the posters are bringing to the players … and coaches." Steve, Danny and Joseph had beamed at the coach poster held between Angie and Ashae. "You helped make a big difference, you should be proud of yourselves." She pointed. "Hey, look. The Cubbies are toward the front of the pitching line."
On the field, DJ, Michael, and their team were lining up for their turns at the Pitch station. Their coaches stood alongside them, giving last minute pointers and encouragement.
In the stands, Grandma Ang clapped her hands, bubbling with excitement. "Alright, everyone, let's make some noise and cheer our Cubbies on!"
Angie's voice pierced through the air. "Yay Cubbies! Let's go!" and the others joined in.
As Malik, the first Cubbie in line, prepared to throw his first pitch, Elizabeth and Ang shared a look of pure joy as the girls cheered wildly and waved their posters. They weren't just encouraging the players, they were making memories.
"Okay, remember, you don't have to throw your hardest," Steve said as DJ neared the front of the line at the Pitch station. Several of his teammates had already taken their turns and were cheering the rest of them on from the other side of the station.
DJ nodded. "It's all about accuracy," he said, repeating what they had been told over the past few weeks.
"That's right. Concentrate on your target." He clapped DJ on the arm, giving it a light squeeze. "You've got a good arm, buddy. I know you're gonna do great."
DJ smiled nervously. "Thanks, Daddy."
"Ready?" one of the Hawks who was managing the Pitch station asked, nodding to DJ.
Steve looked at his son who took a deep breath, exhaled, and nodded.
"Wooooo! Go, DJ!" came cheers from the stands as he took his place at the 45 foot line.
"You've got five throws," the Hawk said. "Whenever you're ready."
DJ picked up one of the balls and got into the set position, glove-hand shoulder facing the strike zone target on the backdrop. He lifted his leg, stepped toward the target, and threw the ball. It hit the fence just below the target.
"Close," the Hawk said encouragingly. "Let's see how you do with your next throw."
"You can do it, DJ!" came Angie's voice from the stands.
"You got it, DJ!" Danny called, standing with other Cubbies waiting in line. "Shake it off!"
DJ took his advice, visibly shaking off the miss and picking up his next ball.
"Let's go, DJ!" Michael yelled along with their other teammates.
DJ met Steve's eyes. His father nodded encouragingly, and DJ took an extra pause this time, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them and throwing his next pitch which hit the bottom half of the target.
"Yay, DJ!" came the cheers.
His third throw hit right around the same spot, and his fourth hit the target higher but to the left of the bullseye.
"One more, DJ!" he heard Catherine from the stands. "Great job, honey!"
He took his time once again with the last throw, and when it hit the bullseye, the people in the stands broke out into cheers.
"Awesome job!" the Hawk told him, holding up a hand for a high-five as he'd done with the other players.
"Thanks!" DJ said before skipping over to join his teammates who'd already finished the station and were standing with Joseph to cheer on the other competitors. He beamed across at Steve who gave him a broad smile and a thumbs up before turning to Kai who would be throwing next.
"You did great, DJ," Joseph said, giving him a sidearm hug. "I'm so proud of how you regrouped after that first miss. That takes serious concentration and determination."
"Yeah!" Michael agreed, giving him a high-five.
"Thanks," DJ said, a huge smile on his face. "I was really nervous at first, but now that the first station is done, I feel like I can just think about doing my best and having fun." He looked to where his teammate was picking up a ball. "Let's go, Kai! You can do it!"
Joseph smiled, noting how DJ didn't have to think about cheering on others. That part came completely naturally to him. For about the thousandth time since he'd met his grandson, he marveled at his innate thoughtfulness and caring, despite the challenges in his early life. DJ's obvious joy in the game and in encouraging others shone through. He knew that no matter the outcome, DJ would enjoy the day and be grateful for the whole experience, and that made him grateful, too.
"You were so fast at the Run station!" DJ said to Michael as the best friends enjoyed cupcakes decorated to look like baseballs with their teammates after the competition.
"I can't believe my second time was even faster than my first!" Michael said.
"You were flying," Danny agreed. "And almost as fast as our speed demon over here, Kai."
"And Aidan got three bullseyes at the Pitch station!" Malik said. "You were in the zone, bro!"
Aidan grinned. "What about DJ hitting? He just kept going farther and farther. I think if you got ten swings you would've definitely had a homerun."
"Yeah!" Angie agreed, frosting spread around her mouth. "When I'm seven, I'm going to pitch, hit, and run, too!"
"I just bet you will, baby girl," Steve said with a smile. He looked around at his players. "But you know what I really love?" he continued. "How you all tried your hardest and cheered not only for each other, but for everyone competing."
Joseph nodded. "That's great sportsmanship.
DJ beamed. "This was as much fun as a game! Everyone was amazing!"
"That's what I like to hear," Gary Walk said, joining the group.
"Mr. Walk!" several of the kids exclaimed.
"This was the best! Can we do it every week?" Malik asked.
Gary laughed. "I wish we could, but it takes a lot of organization to have a competition with two hundred softball and baseball players! I don't think we can manage it every week."
"Every other week?" Malik tried.
Gary chuckled, shaking his head. "I just wanted to come over here and congratulate you all on a fantastic day. You all had some great scores coming out of your team, but even more importantly, I can tell you all had fun showcasing your baseball skills and cheering each other on."
"Thank you for organizing this, Mr. Walk," DJ said. "It really was so much fun."
"I'm glad. And I wanted to let you know about the next steps. We'll be submitting the scores to the PHR website, and they'll go into a pool of other local events in the western states and Alaska. The top scores will go onto the next round. I've seen some of the leaderboard scores, so I don't want to get any hopes up, but I think we had a very respectable showing for our first Pitch, Hit, and Run competition."
"Thanks," Steve said, clapping him on the shoulder. "We've really enjoyed the experience."
DJ nodded. "And it's okay if we don't make it to the next round," he said genuinely, smiling when several of his teammates nodded. "It was really cool to watch all the different players here today, and to know there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of kids all over the country doing the same thing as us. We love baseball and we love that baseball brings people together."
Gary smiled. "Couldn't have said it better myself, DJ. That's exactly why I wanted to have this event. To bring players and families together, for the love of the game."
"I think that should be our final cheer today, Cubbies," Danny said. "For love of the game. Mr. Walk, get in on this." He motioned all the players and gathered family and friends to put a hand out. There were too many to get everyone in a tight circle, but the spirit was there.
"On three," Steve said, with a nod. "One, two, three!"
"For love of the game!"
Hope you enjoyed!
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