Austin Hays nonetheless associates baseball with fried rooster.
Hays’ maternal grandfather, Jerald, was a navy man, so at any time when he drove Hays to youth practices or video games in Pierson, Florida, they’d attain the sector a number of hours early, attempting to dodge visitors Hays knew wouldn’t exist. But there was a Church’s Chicken throughout the road, and the 2 would share an eight-piece meal — all darkish meat — earlier than Jerald flipped Hays the identical 5 balls time and again till it was really time to play.
“We spent a lot of time in his truck, there at the field, just talking about whatever, and that was our thing,” the Orioles’ outfielder stated. “Fried chicken and baseball just went together for me.”
Jerald died throughout Hays’ junior 12 months of highschool, however he simply may attempt to discover a rooster joint Sunday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. With the Orioles set to play the Boston Red Sox within the Little League Classic, ideas resembling Hays’ had been evoked usually this week in Baltimore’s clubhouse. The annual sport is performed together with the Little League World Series, and the kids collaborating will get the possibility to spend time with the main leaguers from each groups.
It’s prone to deliver again reminiscences of their very own youth baseball days. Before the sport, The Baltimore Sun requested a number of Orioles to mirror on that point of their careers and what it’ll imply to them to take part within the occasion.
Manager Brandon Hyde
“That was at all times a dream of mine to play in Williamsport. We misplaced within the Northern California playoffs to advance. We in all probability had, like, 5 extra tournaments to win, but it surely was only a devastating feeling, understanding that your season was over in Little League since you simply needed to get there so unhealthy. To see the expertise watching on TV — again then, it wasn’t ESPN. It was extra of similar to that Saturday afternoon, ‘Wide World of Sports,’ afternoon sport sort of factor, and pondering how fortunate these children had been to have the ability to play in that. I keep in mind these years very, very clearly and simply desirous to be there. It’s going to be a very cool expertise to go examine that out.
“For me, that’s like baseball Americana a little bit, Williamsport in the summertime, and to be able to be around the kids, there’s gonna be a lot of energy obviously with all of the Little League teams that are there. It’s kind of like being a kid again a little bit.”
Executive vice chairman and basic supervisor Mike Elias
“I’m really looking forward to going to the game. I’ve never been to Williamsport. I think that Little League is almost, like, a rite of passage for American kids, boys and girls. Not every part of the country has Little League, but I grew up in Northern Virginia, and we had it in Centerville, Virginia, where we were living at the time, and I still remember kind of the honor of being on the all-star team for the Little League. You get to play against your friends and play on a field that is the right size for your age, and it makes the game a lot more fun. And I definitely remember moving to a bigger field after that and the game being a lot harder. I just think it’s a treasure for the sport to have the tradition and the establishment of Little League Baseball.”
Catcher Adley Rutschman
“It’s only a less complicated time in baseball. When you’re taking part in journey ball and stuff like that, with the ability to go to motels and also you’re taking part in tag within the motels and you then exit the subsequent day and also you play three video games a day in some event the place it’s simply boiling scorching, however all of the dad and mom are there they usually’re grinding with you.
“It just takes you back to when all you really thought about was just playing and there was no real external noise. It kind of gives you that childlike mentality again.”
Infielder Tyler Nevin
“The purity of the game when you’re a kid is something you don’t get back. You didn’t care if you reached first on an error or not. It was just you got on first, you know? You didn’t worry about averages. You didn’t worry about OPS or anything like that. You just went out and had a good time. Pitch, hit, doesn’t matter. I think that’s the most special part about looking back to childhood baseball, just the purity of it.”
Starting pitcher Tyler Wells
“It’s more of the introduction and significance of baseball in my life. With my mom passing away at a young age and moving a few times in my life, baseball was always one of those things where it was a gateway to make friends and a gateway to get introduced to a new community and a new group of people, so it was always kind of like a safe haven. I’m hoping that the kids in Little League and the kids that move around all over the country from, say, military or just parents’ jobs or whatever it may be, that they find peace in doing something like Little League.”
Catcher Robinson Chirinos
“When I was 12, that’s when God put in my heart to be a big league player. I think before that, I played baseball just to play because I loved the game. But when I was 12, that’s when I told myself, ‘You know what? I want to be a big league player,’ and I started training for it, so that’s the best memory I have. That dream came to my heart, and I’m living the dream right now.”
Relief pitcher Bryan Baker
“I’d say really hitting and hitting house runs. I don’t get to try this a lot anymore, so in all probability that, yeah, only for nostalgia functions.
“It’ll probably be pretty special. I think it’s probably gonna give us a better perspective, which we need every once in a while, to kind of just take it back to the way it used to be, just a game, just go out there and have fun.”
Outfielder Brett Phillips
“I cherished taking part in Little League Baseball. Obviously, I used to be taking part in journey ball, too, on the time, but it surely actually boosted my confidence as a participant. I felt like I hit a homer each sport. I keep in mind video games the place I’d hit three homers in a sport, and people had been a few of my favourite occasions. We had been one sport away from going to the regional, which is true earlier than Williamsport. We misplaced within the state championship sport. But a few of my favourite moments had been taking part in Little League Baseball, and I’m excited to go to Williamsport as a result of I by no means had the chance to and to slip down the hill and in addition simply see the children.
“That’s how baseball should be played.”
Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles
“I just remember showing up and trying to have fun, and winning and losing wasn’t the end all, be all, kind of like how we invest in it nowadays. It was just showing up and hanging out and getting to see your friends outside of school. It was no care in the world.”
Relief pitcher Dillon Tate
“I keep in mind dropping within the state championship. This is to get into the regionals. I really feel like that was the most important Little League second, simply arising somewhat bit quick. It’s one thing I’ll always remember, although. Some of probably the most enjoyable occasions that I had in baseball, for positive.
“I think [major leaguers meeting the Little Leaguers] just gives them hope. It just gets them to understand, ‘OK, I can do this.’ And I think that’s one of the biggest forms of currency that you can give to somebody.”
Outfielder Ryan McKenna
“I played Cal Ripken [Baseball], so we had a small town in Berwick, Maine, and we had a regular season, which was only a couple games, and then we had all-stars, and those are kind of the best kids in the area, and we lost I think two games in four years. Just that group and all the memories that we had together, going out and having barbecues, eating pizza and soda and then winning games, too. We had two state titles in the state of Maine, and I think we ended up losing pretty early in the regional, but the first one that we won was the first time in that town’s history, so everybody was throwing their gloves up and cheering and coming together, and it was super, super memorable. I still keep in touch with some of those guys on the team.”
Second baseman Rougned Odor
“Oh my God, I have a lot of memories when I was a little kid playing Little League. I never had the chance to play in Williamsport. We didn’t make it, but for me, it was like a dream to play there. When I was a little kid, that was all I wanted to do. I wanted to go there, and I can do it now.”
Relief pitcher Joey Krehbiel
“Hitting a bunch of home runs and being the best. No, I’m just kidding. Not about the home runs. Honestly, it kind of sounds corny, but kind of like what we are now. We’re just having fun, and that’s what Little League is about.”
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com