Great Piece of Non-Fiction
By Guerry Clegg
Columbus Community News
Anybody want to write a book? Better hurry if you want to get it on the bookshelves by Thanksgiving.
The storyline has already been written for you.
It's about 11 boys, two coaches and one dream.
It's about the best Little League baseball team in the world and in the history of a town that's proud of its rich baseball heritage. Yes, even better than That Scrawny Bunch From Alabama.
The fact that Northern Little League went one step farther this year than Phenix City did seven years ago is not what makes them better. Rather, it's the other way around. The fact that they were a better team enabled them to win it all.
Phenix City lost three times - in the district, at state and in the World Series - before reaching the world championship game. Northern lost once, when it ran into a dominant pitcher with its two aces - J.T. Phillips and Kyle Carter - being rested.
They blasted their way through the district and state tournaments, hardly breaking a sweat. The closest they came to losing was - not surprisingly - against American, when they won 5-4. But the rematch wasn't even close. They beat a very good Florida team without relying on Phillips or Carter.
Phenix City had three very good pitchers - Colby Rasmus, Bryan Woodall and Zack Martin - but no dominant ace. Phillips might have been better than all the above. Yet, he wasn't even the best pitcher on this Northern team, with Carter blowing away hitters.
But there was something more endearing about this Northern team than its talent. The Little League World Series dates to 1947, the year Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. There's a world champion every year.
So what is it about this team from Northern Little League that seemed to capture hearts from sea to shining sea?
Well, for one thing, they didn't have a catcher cussing at opposing teams or parents cussing in the stands, as Staten Island did.
For another, they didn't have a manager who launched a verbal attack at a kid, as Illinois did.
Nor did any of the Northern parents scream maniacal taunts, as the Arizona mom did, prompting a call to security. No word whether they duct taped her mouth for the flight back to Phoenix.
If the worst you could say about the Northern team is that Carter wore his cap a little cock-eyed and the kids were astute enough to steal signs, then they represented themselves quite nicely, wouldn't you say?
For the millions who watched every nail-biting pitch, the everlasting images of Northern will be …
- Josh Lester's chubby-cheek grin moments after delivering one clutch hit after another.
- Manager Randy Morris' calm poise under pressure.
- Carter's precocious fastball.
- Cody Walker's opposite field blast off Japan's Go Matsumoto.
- The champions consoling their victims - first Oregon, then Japan - with heartfelt compassion and respect.
Some champions, for all their talent, can be hard to like. Yes, even in youth sports. But what's there to not like about this team from Columbus, Georgia?