40 years later, Jack& Nick, my kids, are eager to be ballplayers, but a group of kids playing unorganized ball has gone the way of playing pepper \u2013 it just isn\u2019t much happening. No more neighborhood schools to walk to and play before the school bell rang. Moms not wanting kids to go to the ball field (six blocks away) unsupervised after school.<\/p>\n
But I tried to fight all that. Me, Babe, Nicky and the neighbor kid playing in the front yard resulted in a broken window at the neighbor\u2019s. We brought a home-made backstop and cardboard bases to the open field a block away but we couldn\u2019t attract enough for a game. I did get the City to start a \u201cMorning Little League\u201d modeled on the Western Springs rec program, but that only lasted a year and wasn\u2019t all that great because 6 year olds were lumped together with 10 year olds \u2013 skill sets too disparate.<\/p>\n
It was about that time that Babe (Jack) did a very smart thing. He could see where his younger brother, already bigger than him, was going to be better than him in baseball \u2013 so he became a skateboarder. Someday, maybe already, I hope Jack knows that I think he\u2019s a great skateboarder, just as great as being a great baseball player. In fact, skateboarding has a huge advantage over baseball for being a favorite of mine because skateboarders are unorganized and don\u2019t need adults (or want adults) to be around. Meanwhile, Nick has truly developed into a ballplayer worthy of having a nickname associated with one of baseball\u2019s all-time greats, the New York Yankees\u2019 Mickey Mantle. Better than me, he\u2019s the star pitcher on his high school team. This past fall he was recruited to be on a nation-wide traveling team. In St. Louis he pitched his \u201cJack Morris game.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack Morris grew-up in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul and went on to become a Hall of Fame pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. Coming back to Minnesota in his fifteenth season, he was the hero of the 1991 World Series when he pitched a decisive, seventh game, ten inning shut-out (no runs) to defeat the Atlanta Braves. The game was tied 0-0 going into the bottom of the 9th<\/sup>, and after the Twins didn\u2019t score in the bottom frame, Manager Tom Kelly was thinking Jack\u2019s tank was empty \u2013 maybe time to bring in a relief pitcher for the extra innings. But one look at Jack and Manager Kelly changed his mind. Jack was fiercely determined to finish what he\u2019d started. Jack got the side out in the top of the 10th<\/sup> 1-2-3 and then Gene Larkin knocked in Dan Gladden from second in the bottom of the 10th <\/sup>for the title.<\/p>\n Nick\u2019s gem unfolded this way:<\/p>\n Going out to pitch in the bottom of the 7th<\/sup> Nick could hardly raise his left arm without debilitating pain. The other team got two runs as Nick struggled to get two outs. Then they got a runner on second and the tying run came up to the plate. Much like Tom Kelly and Jack Morris, Nick\u2019s manager called time and strode to the mound thinking it was time for a relief pitcher. But all of Nick\u2019s teammates came to the mound too and said this was Nick\u2019s game to win or lose \u2013 let him finish. Nick got the next batter out stranding the runner at second.<\/p>\n _____<\/p>\n *Founded as a Quaker Village, Western Springs also banned movie theatres, liquor stores, bars and anything else polluting.<\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Another reason to get married was to have kids. Jack was born with Ellen\u2019s tiny wrists. Nick has his Grandpa Rinkema\u2019s genes \u2013 Grandpa Rinkema wore size 16 shoes. When they were both just old enough to play baseball I … Continue reading ![\"Jack](\"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Jack-Skateboard.jpg\")
<\/a> But Jack knows I love baseball so much and maybe \u2013 despite my assurances otherwise \u2013 thinks he\u2019s let me down by not caring for the game. You haven\u2019t Jack! I think you\u2019re the smartest, best kid in the world \u2013 tied with Nick.<\/p>\n<\/a>Nick had a perfect game going into the top of the 7th<\/sup>. (Remember 7 innings is a regulation game in high school.) A perfect game is when every batter up, every batter out. After 18 batters, no walks, no hits, no errors. Coming to bat in the top of the 7th<\/sup> with his team leading 4-0, Nick got plunked in the arm by the opposing pitcher. Nick\u2019s a righty pitcher, and it was his left arm so he could still throw \u2013 sort of. A pitcher uses his whole body to pitch. Being able to twirl upwards with both arms in delivering a pitch is critical to getting your whole body into the pitch and getting the ball up to the plate with any speed.<\/p>\n