The Boys of Summer

They played for the July Cup last weekend. If you haven’t heard of it, it may be the most exciting tournament of the summer, at least for me. It happens every year at one of the most venerable ballparks around – Grandpa’s backyard. It is the World Series of Whiffle Ball, and it’s played among four young boys and an all-time pitcher who now, into his forties, should have retired from the game a long time ago.

The young ballplayers – Jesse and Clay on one team and Hunter and Ben on the other – range in age from nine to fourteen and have played competitive sports at a high level. But nothing can compare to this; its brother vs. brother; cousin vs. cousin in a best-of-three tournament played out over the holiday weekend with a yellow bat and a plastic ball. The rules are simple: a ground ball fielded cleanly and thrown back to the pitcher is an out. Anything on Grandpa’s roof or in the wood crib is an automatic homerun; under the porch is a ground rule double and bunting is not allowed.

I am at once the pitcher, the umpire and the announcer. I have three pitches – a slider, a knuckleball and a curve. But my greatest contribution on the field – and maybe in life – is the ability to keep the games close; to create an epic see-saw battle that almost always ends in a one-run victory or a walk-off homerun.

At 12, Hunter is probably our most gifted athlete. His dad played pro baseball and he is his spitting image. There are times when he can get a little crossed up by old Uncle Fred’s change-up. But when he does get a hold of one, it really goes. He runs the bases like a thoroughbred and always runs just a little harder into second base when sees that his brother is covering the bag.

Ben’s the only one who doesn’t play organized baseball, but he can hit the ball the farthest. And to-date, he is the only one to have cleared Grandpa’s house entirely. Jesse might love the game more than anyone; he’d play all day if he could. And even though he’s not the biggest, whenever he guesses right on a curve ball, it’s up on the roof in a hurry.

And then there is Clay. If some people move to a different drummer, Clay has an entire marching band. He begins most at-bats by squaring to bunt, even though it’s not allowed, just to get a rise out of everyone. He likes to bat both righty and lefty – during the same trip to the plate. He loves to keep everyone off balance and that gives him his edge.

In the end Jesse and Clay beat Hunter and Ben in this years’ series and the boys celebrated before heading down to dinner. And as much fun as they have playing together, I know I have the most fun of all – and the best part for me is when they run up to me and say: “Uncle Fred: will you play Whiffle Ball with us?” When they stop asking, I’ll know it’s time to retire.

Fred Nahhat is Director of On-Air Fundraising and co-host of “Get Up, Get Out”