Team Depth And New Vernacular

Not to discount our coaches, but it is pretty easy putting together a Little League baseball team.

You make the most athletic kid the pitcher. He is your workhorse, in the parlance. He will have to throw and move the most.

The catcher is basically a target. So is the first baseman; so you put big kids there.

The outfielders don't do much, at least in Little League. Not many kids hit soaring rockets out there. Basically, it is helpful if outfielders do not sit down while playing, do not wear their gloves on their heads, and have the presence of mind and the ability to throw balls hit to them back to the infield.

The infielders - second and third base, and shortstop - must be nimble. Most balls will be hit to the shortstop, who is also part of most double plays and relay throws, so he must have a brain, to anticipate moves.

Second base will see less action, as will third; but the third-baseman plays closest to the batter, and will get hard-hit shots, so needs quick reflexes.

Coach noticed, although how could you not, that my reflexes were cat-like, practically supernatural, and I was installed at third base.

I would have been disappointed at not being shortstop - the star position - had the post not gone to Kenny Davis.

He was better, and we had rapport, so I was happy to play next to him.

The level of skill at this level of play was not high, so you mostly just had to pay attention to play well. Kenny and I were set, with laser-like intensity. But we also liked to laugh, and did. We started to emerge as team leaders, in tandem, and became friends.

We talked a lot. I remember him asking me once about errant throws. I made very few. He asked if I had a secret or something.

In fact, I did.

"I don't want to make an error."

"Yeah?," he said, wide-eyed and wagging his head: sarcastic.

I laughed. "Yeah," I said. "But I don't want the other kid to make an error, either. So I think about that when I throw. Make it so he can get it. Help him make a good play. Help the pitcher, too, with the out. If I was doing it just for me, I might mess up. But it's harder to mess up if you're doing it for other people too."

He looked out at the field, then at me.

"You really think like that?"

"Sure," I said.

"That's deep," he said.

I shrugged, one-shoulder. We stopped talking a while. Kenny was looking at the field again. I was thinking about what he said; new vernacular to me.