The summer fields have been paved with glory for Miles.
Champs of tournaments, regionals; a World Series participant!
Unfortunately, Landon's path was littered with bumps and slumps. No regional invitation.
He says he doesn't care, but a raw, candid moment suggests otherwise.
During the State tournament, Landon is up, late in the game, with the tying runs aboard. He battles; fouling off numerous pitches. Then, he connects; a line shot towards first!
The sudden transfer of heroics, from the batter, to the behemoth who made a leaping catch,
is too much for Landon, and too much for me. My grandson is a puddle of tears.
My lower lip quivers.
Landon gets over it. Eventually, I do too.
I never had a brother, but, for 6 months of the year, I've got a ringside seat of the action.
It's not always pretty. Truth be told, it rarely is. The turf battle is constant. On the surface, the turf in demand is usually Playstation, but I am reminded of the "Smothers Brothers:" Mom always liked you best.
Seldom is the rhetoric particularly clever:
"You're stupid,"
No, you're stupid."
"Ouch!"
"MOM!"
A day in the life.
Still, there are moments of brotherly love; one such occurred this week, when Landon
stepped above the fray. I suspect the low road was enticing; he could have complained
about the attention his brother was getting, the time away from home.
He did not complain.
Apparently, he has amazing vision. He saw the big picture. Perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity for his big bro. Landon responded by doing what he does best.
His philanthropic efforts are legendary; if you don't believe me, just ask the
New Milford Soup Kitchen.
This week, he pointed his efforts to raising funds for his brother's Little League team,
to offset the unexpected expenses of competing in the World Series.
I pause. My lower lip quivers as I reflect on how Landon has his brother's back.
I was not here, so I do not know how much effort was required to make Landon's
lemonade stand a success. I suspect most of the success was based on his
reputation and the generosity of New Milford; especially the baseball community.
Thank you.
Landon raised over $500. That's a lot of lemonade.
Not only did Landon take the high road; he is also on the fast track to
maturity and success.
He gets it. The boy is a hero; the boy is a champion.
The boy makes me proud.
From long distance, we get the headlines and a few details. A series of victories on the field, some unacceptable behavior off the field. Any practical or logistical arguments for not going to
the championships game are overridden by our concerns for
Miles, his mother, and perhaps especially, his brother.
(I have a passion for baseball and my grandchildren; that's why I often write about Mile's exploits. But if everything was right in the world, I would be writing gospels about Landon. He is a good, good boy.)
We arrived a little less than 2 hours before game time.
Amen, amen; Miles is cool, calm, and collected. Confident and cheerful!
Landon is joyfully playing in the pool with his cousins. Julie is taking a nap. It's all good.
Game time arrives. Go Pride! One and done; send us home early and happy. Hits, gifts, walks; we find ourselves up, 8-2, after 3 innings. Looking good.
But...........apparently some leads are meant to be squandered.
We find ourselves tied at 9 in the middle of the fifth.
No worries; we've got the top of the order coming up.
Alas, we go down one, two, three. Hmm.
The top of the sixth is not without fidgeting and nail biting, but we escape. Still tied as we enter the bottom of the inning.
Miles leads off with a single up the middle. "The Thrill" follows with a resounding double to left center. A cautious Miles and a patient coach holds the runner at third.
"Sprinkles" walks. The bases are loaded; no outs.
Brayden puts the ball in play, but the defense holds and they get the force at home. Still tied.
Cole is up. Scratching and clawing, he battles and singles to right. Run scores! We win, Regional Champions! Ball game over.
But the story has just begun.
Except, I can't write it.
I can't describe the spontaneous, infectious, shameless, brazen, emotional euphoria that I witnessed and experienced. It overwhelmed and consumed us all; on and off the field.
It must have been love. For the game and for each other
I can"t explain it. You had to be there.
And I was.
A once in a lifetime moment.
Or was it?
World Series is next, and..........who knows?
Why not us?
Go Pride!
