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The Mighty Weak
- CEV - 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.
This was never more evident than at a Pony League baseball game (13 and 14 year olds) in which I was a coach for one of the teams. Let's start by setting up the events in this season of baseball.
It was the year of a new president for the Pony League program in our area. The previous president was an elderly man who was retired and dedicated many years to running the pony league, all work was volunteer. He died the previous year. The new president was a part of the "click" in the Little League Baseball program in the same neighborhood. The president was a lady and in this year, we were going to expand from 4 teams to 6 teams. The coach of one of the new teams was the president's husband and the coach of the other team was the coach of the previous years 12 year old allstars that are now all 13 years old.
At the beginning of each season we held a draft to distribute players in an equal way to all of the teams. With these 2 new expansion teams, they had to get the first few picks because all of the other teams had returning players and it needed to be equalized in some way. The president decided that the coaches of the new teams, one of which was her husband, would get the first 9 picks and this was very unfair.
The presidents husband picked all 14 year olds so physically, his team was bigger and stronger and the other coach picked all 13 year olds, his allstar team from the previous year.
One more note before we talk about this game is one of the players on our team. Every baseball program for children have their known good players, players that are physically stronger and better at baseball than most kids their own age and the known weak players, those players that were physically weaker and not as good at baseball as most kids their own age. Normally each team would get 1 or 2 of each, both the known strong kids and the known weak kids. Our weak players name was Trekor.
It was about 2 weeks before the end of the season. Both of the expansion teams were in contention for first place. They were running neck and neck and each and every game counted a lot. We were playing the previous years 13 year old allstar team and it was the bottom of the last inning, the score 6-0, their favor and us coming up to bat. Only a miracle would bring us victory and it looked very unlikely as we faced this baseball playing machine.
I was just leaving the dugout to take my place at 3rd base as the 3rd base coach giving the batters signs as to what to do. Trekor stopped me and said "coach, can I bunt?" I told Trekor that we would see when he got to the plate, I would give him the sign. Trekor was coming up 3rd at bat.
The first batter came to the plate. He was put out by this baseball playing machine. The same thing happened to the 2nd batter.
So here we were. The score 6-0, their favor. Two outs in the bottom of the last inning and I have the weakest player in the league at the plate. I decided that we may as well go ahead and end this game so I gave Trekor the bunt sign. For those that may not know, A bunt is used to advance a runner already on base and the player that put down the bunt will be put out at first base. With 2 outs, the weakest player in the league at bat and getting ready to bunt, one of the stupidist things that could be done in baseball at this point in this game.
Trekor put down the bunt, he put down a real good bunt and it was being fielded by the 3rd baseman. The 3rd baseman bobbled the ball, rushed his throw to first base, overthrew to first base and the next thing I knew, Trekor was standing next to me on third base, shaking like a leaf. I think it was the first time he got a hit or a base on errors all season long.
The baseball playing machine had not been coached sufficiently on fielding bunts. I gave the bunt sign to the next batter and he too made it to base and Trekor went home and scoring, the score now 6-1.
The next battter was given the bunt sign, all of the others teams players were watching to see if I was giving the bunt sign. This had become a mental thing to them. They hadn't looked this awful at baseball all season long. They were all psyched out.
After another batter or two, the opposing coach had come completely unglued. He came out of the dugout telling his players to quit looking at me and what sign I was giving and to get their minds on playing baseball. The next batter came up, none of the opposing players looking at me for the sign I would give so I hollered to my batter, "BUNT THE BALL".
When it was all said and done, we won that game 7-6. We won that game with the weakest player in the league facing the strongest doing one of the absolutely stupidest things in baseball.
The opposing coach approached me a couple of times after that telling me that was an awesome comeback that I had engineered. Each time I would respond with "Gary, it was Trekor that engineered that comeback. It was Trekor that beat you".
This is a story that is great for any kid playing baseball. After a little thought, this story is good for anyone about life. It isn't over until it is over and never give up. I had given up on winning that game and Trekor didn't. He was the true winner of that game.
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