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July 26, 2008
We can still love baseball
This has got to be the coolest event in my county... The Annual Freeport International Invitational Baseball Tournament takes place every July--this year is the 14th year of the competition. Teams from around the world and different states in the US come together to play "for the love of the game," as the slogan goes.
And it's true, too. The attitude surrounding the whole event is really beautiful. The competitive spirit is there in proud fury, but respect and sincerity overrun any negative aspects of the competition.
My younger brother Caleb played in it last year and the experience is just amazing. Last year his team got killed in the four games they played...
This year is different, though. He's playing in the older division. The Apollo team is 3-1! My brother has pitched two phenomenal games and he hit a triple today. The team they lost to yesterday was mostly comprised of 18 year-olds, and they were really impressed when they learned that my brother is only 16... and can keep up with the older kids. (They lost 5-1, but my brother gave up only one two-base hit. The rest were singles.)
My brother's team didn't get to play any international teams this year (they signed up a little late because they didn't have a full roster at first), so they've played two teams from Maryland and one from Kentucky. International teams this year are from Japan, Australia, Canada, and Israel. Teams that come to play just keep coming back. The invitational continues to grow.
Tonight is the coolest part of the event--the All Stars US v. World game. Two players from each team are selected to play for what is the most wonderful combination of sportsmanship and diversity. My brother was chosen to play and will probably pitch tonight. You can listen to the game online.
Posted by KarissaKilgore at July 26, 2008 3:59 PM