LAKE MARY, Florida. – Babe Ruth summed it up when he said, “Baseball was, is, and always will be the greatest game in the world.”
The American pastime has always been an integral part of my life, so when I was asked to travel to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to cover the Lake Mary All-Stars in their quest to win the Little League World Series, I jumped at the opportunity.
Like countless others, my baseball career began on a tee ball field at West Seminole Pony Baseball in Altamonte Springs. At age 5, I was more fascinated by a post-game RC Cola and a cup of boiled peanuts than the game itself. But that small spark ignited a lifelong passion.
By age 12, baseball had become a year-round affair—one of the perks of growing up in sunny Central Florida. By my dad’s count, I played a whopping 162 games that year. The “off days” were probably spent practicing, playing Wiffle ball in the backyard with my two younger brothers (more on them in a moment), or being taken out of school to watch the Atlanta Braves spring training at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. This was around the same time that the Apopka Little League was making a shot at the Little League World Series. I played travel ball with a few of the guys on the team, and I’ll never forget watching them beat the infamous Danny Almonte.
(EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (free) | PINIT! Share your photos)
Our family minivan logged thousands of miles as we traveled to tournaments across the state. I still remember watching classic baseball movies like “Little Big League” and “The Sandlot” on the van’s grainy TV during those long summer drives. I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them behind.
Baseball became more intense when I moved to Lake Brantley High School in Seminole County.
My senior year in 2008, our team went 30-4 and won the 6A state championship in Sarasota against Park Vista High School. Ironically, the game coincided with our senior prom, which we missed. I didn’t have a date anyway.
After graduating high school, the baseball business took me to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. As a sophomore, I was a first-team all-conference infielder and our team went to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, all four years I was there. I even coached Lake Brantley’s JV team before being hired at WKMG in 2013.
Baseball runs deep in my family. My two younger brothers, Tyler and Logan, have had a much bigger impact on the sport than their older brother. Tyler was a pitcher at Stetson University and Florida State University and played professionally in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He currently works in the front office of the Seattle Mariners and assists with player acquisition.
Logan, who also won a state championship in 2013 while attending Lake Brantley, was an All-American shortstop at the University of North Carolina. He was drafted in the first round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 and currently plays for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
During our coverage of the Lake Mary Little League’s road to the World Series, I have felt a great sense of nostalgia. As I drive to Williamsport to highlight this extraordinary moment for these boys, their families and friends, and our entire community, I am reminded of the profound impact baseball has had on my own life and the sacrifices my parents made for their three baseball-obsessed sons. It has forged lifelong friendships, strengthened our family bonds, and created unforgettable memories.
So, yes, baseball was, is and always will be the best game in the world.
The headlines of the day in a few minutes with Your Florida daily newspaper:
Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
