Cooperstown, a place where some of the
greatest players of baseball have been and I had the chance to play there when
I was twelve years old. The entire experience on and off the field is something
I will cherish and never forget as it was possibly the greatest moment of my
life. Imagine the place of your dreams where you would do whatever it took to
be there. For me, I was there. Cooperstown, New York.
Of course, nothing happens how you
plan it. My story begins on the 101 freeway going to LAX. Our flight leaves at
9:30 AM on a bright and sunny summer day. Since my parents always expect the
best but plan for the worst, we were awake and driving out of Camarillo by 6:15
AM. Normally you’d expect to see a clear path early in the morning on a
Saturday morning. Most of the people are asleep with the day off from their
job. It’s a good thing my parents planned for the worst. We hit traffic right
out the gate once we got over the hill into Thousand Oaks. Bumper to bumper seems
like an understatement. Turns out someone in a SUV got in a minor accident
about 10 miles south of Westlake. Needless to say, what is normally an hour
drive became a two and a half hour journey. I remember thinking of it as a way
to practice patience since the plane ride was going to be a five hour flight.
Finally, against all the odds, we made it to LAX.
“We made it.” My dad said with a
sense of relief in his voice. The check-in went smoothly and we were on
the plane literally minutes from taking off. It was nearly impossible for me to
stay in my seat. I was so excited. Then it went from excitement to sadness. Our
flight was delayed due to bad weather in Albany, New York. Two hours went by
and it looked like our flight would be cancelled. I couldn’t believe that it
could be bright and sunny in California, but cloudy and raining in New York. I
was beginning to think that the baseball gods didn’t want me to play in
Cooperstown. Minutes after I thought the worst, we were boarding our flight and
speeding down the runway. The visibility became good enough for us to fly into
Albany. I regret not sleeping on the flight like my sister. Five hours seemed
to be five years. To my sister, five hours was five seconds. Her exact words I
still remember for some odd reason were, “I blinked and we were here.” The rest
of that day was smooth sailing. We got to a hotel in Cooperstown at 8:30 PM
eastern time. I tried to sleep but I couldn’t. I knew what was in store for me
the next day.
Tomorrow finally came and I couldn’t
have been happier. Part of this baseball
tournament has the players sleep in dorms on a college campus five minutes away
from the baseball fields. My teammate
Tyler and I were going to be roommates for the next week. There were points where hanging out at the
college away from our parents was more fun than the actual games we were there
to play in. Our first night was probably
the funniest out of all of them. We both
slept on the floor of our dorm because we were too small to climb onto the
actual beds. I wasn’t even 5’0” at the
time. To make things worse we left our
window open and three or four moths flew into our room to escape the rain and
hail. We both cowered under our blankets
for the rest of the night.
“If these moths kill me, tell my mom
I love her”, Tyler said from underneath his blanket.
We survived the night drenched in
sweat. Who knew that it could be so hot
and humid while it’s hailing at the same time?
It was almost 85 degrees with hail.
My team was scheduled to be the first game to kick off the
tournament. We were supposed to start at
8:30 AM but delay seemed to be a reoccurring topic on this trip. Since the ball fields were at a higher
elevation than the dorms, fog was an issue.
I was barely able to see my hand extended out in front of me. It was 9:30 and the umpires started the
game. We ended up winning 9-4. It was such a great feeling. For that slight
moment, it seemed like we were all professional baseball players who just won
the World Series. In that week we played two games. I can’t remember how every
game turned out except we finished with a record of 8-3. Other than the first
game, our sixth game was just as memorable. Not for a good reason however. It
was a night game. The lights were shining down as if we were the stars. With my
team hitting, I was on first base in the middle of the game. The pitcher picks
off and bam. The ball hits me in the eye. I remember just rolling in the dirt
holding my left eye. I was more shocked that I was hit rather than being in
pain. My eye was slightly swollen but I was still able to play. I came up to
bat in the last inning and got a double. The next batter scored me and we won
the game. My coach gave me the game ball because he thought of me as a fighter
that day.
We didn’t win the tournament but we did finish
in seventh out of one hundred and sixteen teams from all over the country. Out
of the top ten teams, eight were from California so I felt we represented our
home state pretty well. Even though we didn’t get a trophy or medal, I thought
that my team was champions after that tournament. My coach’s speech after our
last game is something I will never forget.
“The way you played in this
tournament was incredible. You guys represented California with class and
respect. We might have finished short of first place, but you are all winners.
We got to be a part of something a handful of people can say they did. You guys
played on a field that hall of famers began their career on. You’re all like my
sons and I couldn’t be more proud. I speak for myself and all of your parents
and siblings.”
I got to live my dream for an entire
week. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I met players from Maine
to Oregon. On top of that I got to live in a dorm with my team and play in the
biggest youth baseball tournament. Do I wish I could go back? Yes and no. yes
because it was the greatest time of my life. No, because it wouldn’t seem as
special considering what we accomplished. Cooperstown gave me the highlight of
my entire baseball career.
