Post 129: What a season for 'The Boys of Summer'
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
“Nobody on the road,
nobody on the beach,
I feel it in the air,
the summer’s out of reach.”
– Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
When the Hillsboro Post 129 season ended Tuesday in Lancaster during the American Legion State Baseball Tournament, my summer as I’ve known it ended as well.
I have spent the majority of my summer covering a group of guys who made me laugh, yell, curse, cheer, stomp, groan, smile and clap, and pretty much go through about every other emotion or gesture a 5-year-old at a grocery store goes through when they don’t get the toy or piece of candy they want.
Baseball is such a special game.
I loved every minute I had covering this team and looked forward to each home game along with more than enough away games this season.
Post 129 was the must-see event of my summer. There were many days, evenings, nights and numerous doubleheaders spent at Shaffer Park in the June and July months. There was even a night DH that started at 6 p.m. and didn’t end until 11 p.m. on a Saturday night.
This column is about “The Boys of Summer.”
This is about the guys who made up the District 7 champion Hillsboro Post 129 baseball club, and how they represented not only the Hillsboro community, but the communities from which they came.
As head coach Ritchie Butler said following the final state game: “It was great to see kids from rival schools in Highland County and schools in surrounding areas all come together and do something special this summer. We did something special, and this was our first winning season since we re-started the Legion team.”
There were players from Adams, Fayette, Highland, Brown and Clinton counties who came together for one common goal.
Mission accomplished.
This team was special.
They were laughing and joking with one another the majority of the time but kept their focus on baseball to win 20 games, finishing with the first winning season (20-17) for the Post 129 group since it reformed back in 2005.
Some games went really well, some games could have gone a lot better, but 14 players stuck out the summer and played a game that most of us would love to have the opportunity to play on a daily basis, with a certain love that can only be displayed on the field. Players took ground balls to the chest, converted 4-6-3 double plays, took one for the team at the plate and throughout the season just did what was necessary for the greater good. They did what was best for the ball club when they needed to.
My “Game of the Summer” for which I was present was the first district game against Chillicothe 757 at VA Memorial Stadium.
What I remember most is the diving catch by Cody Shaver to end the game, then his teammates running out to right field celebrating the big win, knowing just how spectacular the play and victory was. In the words of Coach Butler, this team did something special this season.
As the summer continued to near to a close and the temperature rose, the guys on Post 129 wouldn’t back down from any opposition. They went on a 5-game winning streak before the end of the season with wins at Shaffer Park, VA Memorial and Hillsboro’s first state tournament win in over 20 years at England Field in Lancaster. They simply just wouldn’t go down without a fight.
And when I say wouldn’t go down without a fight, I mean that. Look at their last game for proof. Post 129 trailed by 11 runs after five innings and their opponent was bunting with a double-digit lead, basically trying to have a glorified practice at the expense of Hillsboro.
Well, that didn’t fly too well in the away dugout. In fact, it woke up a Highland County giant for one last stand. Hillsboro went toe-to-toe with their opponent one final time like Balboa vs. Creed in “Rocky.”
Post 129 came back with bats a-swinging and before anyone realized it the District 7 champions were back in the game. Slowly but surely, Hillsboro added runs in the ensuing innings, tying the game in the 9th on a total team effort. They didn’t go down without a fight.
I remember hearing the Piqua dugout yelling about some play in which something was yelled about “don’t worry we’re up by seven or so runs” (loose translation). Long story short, Post 129 wasn’t and didn’t let their season become a practice session for the other team, playing with pride down the stretch, showing the true spirit and class of American Legion baseball.
With the focus now switching from summer baseball to fall sports, I won’t soon forget about the team who earned a spot in the sports lore of Highland County. This was a team that caught many off guard, had a roller-coaster type of season, used a variety (and fun) cast of characters to achieve success, and in the end played with heart and pride. I was proud to cover this team. They were exciting, and for the majority of the time, there was never a dull moment.
Thanks, Post 129, for allowing me to sit in your dugout and making me feel welcome. Thanks for playing the game right when it mattered most, and congratulations for all of your successes this season.
With the season now in the books, it seems only appropriate to use the words of Grantland Rice in 1956 from a poem titled, “Game Called.” “Game Called. Across the field of play the dusk has come, the hour is late. The fight is done and lost or won, the player files out through the gate. The tumult dies, the cheer is hushed, the stands are bare, the park is still. But through the night there shines the light, home beyond the silent hill.”
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor for The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
nobody on the beach,
I feel it in the air,
the summer’s out of reach.”
– Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
When the Hillsboro Post 129 season ended Tuesday in Lancaster during the American Legion State Baseball Tournament, my summer as I’ve known it ended as well.
I have spent the majority of my summer covering a group of guys who made me laugh, yell, curse, cheer, stomp, groan, smile and clap, and pretty much go through about every other emotion or gesture a 5-year-old at a grocery store goes through when they don’t get the toy or piece of candy they want.
Baseball is such a special game.
I loved every minute I had covering this team and looked forward to each home game along with more than enough away games this season.
Post 129 was the must-see event of my summer. There were many days, evenings, nights and numerous doubleheaders spent at Shaffer Park in the June and July months. There was even a night DH that started at 6 p.m. and didn’t end until 11 p.m. on a Saturday night.
This column is about “The Boys of Summer.”
This is about the guys who made up the District 7 champion Hillsboro Post 129 baseball club, and how they represented not only the Hillsboro community, but the communities from which they came.
As head coach Ritchie Butler said following the final state game: “It was great to see kids from rival schools in Highland County and schools in surrounding areas all come together and do something special this summer. We did something special, and this was our first winning season since we re-started the Legion team.”
There were players from Adams, Fayette, Highland, Brown and Clinton counties who came together for one common goal.
Mission accomplished.
This team was special.
They were laughing and joking with one another the majority of the time but kept their focus on baseball to win 20 games, finishing with the first winning season (20-17) for the Post 129 group since it reformed back in 2005.
Some games went really well, some games could have gone a lot better, but 14 players stuck out the summer and played a game that most of us would love to have the opportunity to play on a daily basis, with a certain love that can only be displayed on the field. Players took ground balls to the chest, converted 4-6-3 double plays, took one for the team at the plate and throughout the season just did what was necessary for the greater good. They did what was best for the ball club when they needed to.
My “Game of the Summer” for which I was present was the first district game against Chillicothe 757 at VA Memorial Stadium.
What I remember most is the diving catch by Cody Shaver to end the game, then his teammates running out to right field celebrating the big win, knowing just how spectacular the play and victory was. In the words of Coach Butler, this team did something special this season.
As the summer continued to near to a close and the temperature rose, the guys on Post 129 wouldn’t back down from any opposition. They went on a 5-game winning streak before the end of the season with wins at Shaffer Park, VA Memorial and Hillsboro’s first state tournament win in over 20 years at England Field in Lancaster. They simply just wouldn’t go down without a fight.
And when I say wouldn’t go down without a fight, I mean that. Look at their last game for proof. Post 129 trailed by 11 runs after five innings and their opponent was bunting with a double-digit lead, basically trying to have a glorified practice at the expense of Hillsboro.
Well, that didn’t fly too well in the away dugout. In fact, it woke up a Highland County giant for one last stand. Hillsboro went toe-to-toe with their opponent one final time like Balboa vs. Creed in “Rocky.”
Post 129 came back with bats a-swinging and before anyone realized it the District 7 champions were back in the game. Slowly but surely, Hillsboro added runs in the ensuing innings, tying the game in the 9th on a total team effort. They didn’t go down without a fight.
I remember hearing the Piqua dugout yelling about some play in which something was yelled about “don’t worry we’re up by seven or so runs” (loose translation). Long story short, Post 129 wasn’t and didn’t let their season become a practice session for the other team, playing with pride down the stretch, showing the true spirit and class of American Legion baseball.
With the focus now switching from summer baseball to fall sports, I won’t soon forget about the team who earned a spot in the sports lore of Highland County. This was a team that caught many off guard, had a roller-coaster type of season, used a variety (and fun) cast of characters to achieve success, and in the end played with heart and pride. I was proud to cover this team. They were exciting, and for the majority of the time, there was never a dull moment.
Thanks, Post 129, for allowing me to sit in your dugout and making me feel welcome. Thanks for playing the game right when it mattered most, and congratulations for all of your successes this season.
With the season now in the books, it seems only appropriate to use the words of Grantland Rice in 1956 from a poem titled, “Game Called.” “Game Called. Across the field of play the dusk has come, the hour is late. The fight is done and lost or won, the player files out through the gate. The tumult dies, the cheer is hushed, the stands are bare, the park is still. But through the night there shines the light, home beyond the silent hill.”
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor for The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]