Minster’s Rocco Liesmeyer enjoys his hotdog while taking his turn sitting an inning out. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
Whole families flooded the vibrant and friendly atmosphere at the 23rd annual Minster Classic, giving kids the perfect chance to fall more in love with America’s pastime.
Minster, Oh – While walking around Minster’s Four Seasons Recreational Park, and its eight ball diamonds, it wasn’t hard to spot what the communities involved value.
Alan Brads is a contributing columnist and writes sports at large for Press Pros Magazine.
Youth baseball is a family affair in West Central Ohio. That may be taken for granted by folks who have lived in small-town farming communities their whole lives, but that’s just not the case across the nation, or even the state.
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You rarely saw a player who came with just his or her dad. Moms, siblings, grandmas, grandpas, and cousins come out to the tournament.
And those big families, they don’t just come. They cheer, clap, chat with their bleacher neighbors, and buy from food trucks. There’s a good chance dad is one of four or more coaches in the dugout. 23 years into the tournament, former Minster Classic players coach their second-generation participant sons and daughters.
As Sonny Fulks wrote on Saturday, the presence and influence of all the fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other male role models that showed up this weekend can’t be undervalued. In a day and age where children increasingly grow up with no man they look up to in their lives, the difference those men make is palpable.
Russia softball pitcher Annie Goubeaux.
The influence of the mothers shines, too. You’ll have a hard time finding a rude or disrespectful kid playing at the Minster Classic, regardless of what uniform he or she wears.
Even the way players and fans treated the umpires, despite a few eyebrow-raising calls, stands out from what has sadly become the norm in youth sports.
Minster’s Four Seasons Park provides the perfect venue for relaxed family fun. Everything about the facility, from the infield dirt to the Babe Ruth quotes painted on the bathroom walls, set a tone that matched the vibe of the attendees. Not to mention the loaded nachos, which were excellent.
Beyond the family-centric attitude, there’s also a certain proclivity for living in the moment that dwells within the culture.
I’d wager the percentage of parents at the Minster Classic watching the games and not watching their cell phones ranks in the 95th percentile nationwide.
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The adults live with their heads where their feet are, and the kids imitate it.
When asked about their favorite part of baseball or the tournament, none of the kids said anything about post-season awards, being the best player, or getting lots of playing time.
Mack Bruns fires one in to a New Bremen batter.
Hayes Dilworth of Fort Recovery’s 8U team had plenty of favorite things, though “hitting dingers” took the top spot.
“Also that you play on a team and they cheer for you,” Dilworth said. “That fires me up. And also, you get chicken wings if you win the championship.”
Kai, a talented first baseman on the Minster 8U team, embraces the simple joys of being part of a team.
“Being on a team is really fun because we get to be together and go to a lot of tournaments,” Kai said.
Kaden Heitkamp, a pitcher on New Bremen’s 10U squad echoed Kai.
“My favorite part is just spendin’ time with my friends,” Heitkamp said.
It’s a purer and simpler form of the national pastime. Yes, player development is a factor, and it should be. But more than anything, the kids are learning to love the game, and that’s hard to not enjoy watching. Like when Russia’s 12U softball team swarmed their second baseman after she recorded all three putouts in an inning. That may not be an earth-shattering moment, but it’s still a heart-warming one.
The saying goes “It’s the simple things in life,” and it’s safe to say West Central Ohioans have that all figured out. And they might define those “simple things” something like this:
Family, friends, baseball, teammates, and yep, chicken wings.
Micheal Kramer takes ball 4 for a walk to first base.
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