Here is your Saturday Siesta Story.

If you enjoy it please share it with your family and friends :)

If not, please tell us, and we will sleep on it. R&P

____________________________________

"There's always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time; I owe him
my best."
~ Joe DiMaggio

"There may be people that have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for
anyone to work harder than you do."
~ Derek Jeter
____________________________________

Hit That Ball Willie

By Bill Greer

Growing up in southeastern Michigan there was one certainty in life for a young boy
that was nuts about baseball: you were a Detroit Tigers fan. My childhood dream was
to be like my hero, Al Kaline, and someday play for the Tigers. My Dad would take
us to Tiger Stadium (Briggs Stadium when I first started going to games) several
times a year and my man Al would never let me down. We never attended a game that
he didn't get at least one hit. I ate, slept and drank baseball. If there was a
game in the vacant lot next door I was involved. When we couldn't find a game my
best friend and I would play whiffle ball or stoop ball. When we played whiffle
ball we had to bat just like the players in our line-up. I had Kaline, Willie
Horton and Dick McAuliffe down pat. We played organised ball too, of course. First,
it was t-ball, then Little League and then Babe Ruth League. I still had my dream
of playing for the Tigers and was doing well at each level of play. Then things
changed.

My Dad got a new job during the summer in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This wasn't bad as
far as football was concerned, since we moved there during the Packers' "glory
years", but the city high schools didn't have baseball teams! I remained behind in
Michigan when my parents and brother moved so that I could finish playing in the
state Babe Ruth League tournament. Our team finished third in the state and played
well even in the games we lost. I even pitched a three hit shutout that we won 6-0.
When the tournament was over it was time to move on to Wisconsin.

Even though the high schools didn't have baseball teams, there was a strong
American Legion baseball program during the summer which I signed up for the minute
it was possible.

Our coach was a man named Bob Ohm who knew a lot of baseball and taught each of us
the fundamentals as well as more advanced baseball techniques. I was fortunate to
start at shortstop for him for three years. My final year of Legion ball was when I
was eighteen years old and I had a great season. I had hits in every game and at
least two in all but one game. This enabled me to win the batting title with an
average of an even .500, which established a new record (which has since been
broken).

If things were tight and it was my turn to hit, our coach's wife would do her best
Flip Wilson impersonation and shout out: "Hit that ball Willie, hit that ball".
When I stopped laughing I would usually step back into the box much more relaxed
than I was before. During this final season we went up to Marinette to play a
double header. There were scouts from four major league clubs there to see a left-
handed pitcher from Marinette and myself. This was it! My big chance! Holy cow!

Well, as the two ball games progressed I hit the ball very well getting five hits
in the two games. Unfortunately, I also made four errors at shortstop. The final
error actually drew laughter from the crowd. There was a ground ball hit sharply up
the middle and I closed on it from my position at shortstop. Just as I was reaching
for the ball it hit a pebble and skidded low and back toward me. I stepped right on
top of it, did a half turn and fell on my fanny. After the game the scouts were
nice and still talked to me, but I only heard from or saw one of them after that
day...

The one that did come back saw us play a game in Green Bay in which I had three
hits. Unfortunately, I also had two more errors, including hitting the first base
coach right in the middle of the back with a throw as he tried to get away from it.
My dream of playing professional baseball was doomed. That year, even though I won
the batting title, led our league championship team in runs and runs batted in as
the lead-off batter, and played every game at shortstop, I made the all-star team
as a left fielder because my fielding had been so terrible.

I was crushed at the time about the loss of my dream, but God has a way of letting
us know what he really wants us to do. All the while I was playing and practicing
to achieve my dream I was also coaching at a lower level. Today, I am a middle
school teacher and I coach three sports at the high school level. I also have a
beautiful wife, four kids and two grandchildren. The relationships that I have
enjoyed with the students and athletes through the years and today are things that
you can't put a price tag on. My dream was to play baseball with the Tigers, but to
be able to help mold young lives is beyond a dream - it's a calling. Now I just
want to be the most positive influence on these young people I can be. I thank God
for pointing the way.

Bill Greer
bgreer4182@yahoo.com

Send Bill an e-mail and let him know what you thought of his story!

>^,,^<

Hugs, Health, Happiness and Harmony :-)

Rod and Pauline Hyatt