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In his beloved 1988 work “The Alchemist,” Brazilian novelist Paolo Coelho posited “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
The Delaware Valley 12-and-under Senators proved the South American a prophet earlier this month by venturing to New York for the Cooperstown All-Star Village Tournament. Facing renowned competition from across the country, the 11 burgeoning baseball players registered a 4-4 record to place ninth in the 32-team field.
“They looked forward to the opportunity all season long, so for them to be able to combine the bonding experience with wins against very good opponents made the trip a huge success,” coach Joe Messina said last week at the Delaware Valley Youth Athletic Association, 2840 S. 18th St., the Marconi site at which they have played together since their days as ambitious 8-year-olds. “The time really sets us up for the next step on their journey.”
A resident of the 2700 block of South Marvine Street and a coach at Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., the overseer drew inspiration for the excursion from two other Senators squads that had visited the city famous for containing the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Pitching his plan to his charges’ families in September, he received tremendous support from his parenting peers, who joined him in orchestrating fundraisers, and reveled in being able to take the athletes to the Empire State, not that they went minus nerves.
“We play good teams all the time,” Colin Eiser said of their presence in the Tri-State Elite League, “but we knew the ones there would be much better than them.”
The resident of the 200 block of Jackson Street and student at Christopher Columbus Charter School, 1242-46 S. 13th St., said the Senators’ added preparation and challenging pre-expedition schedule, which included May’s second-straight run to the Swedesboro, N.J.-situated Kingsway Knights Tournament, meshed with a bit of South Philly swagger to lessen the anxiety and inspire confidence for their Aug. 3 to 9 jaunt. Knowing their foes would be equally amped, they also looked forward to the non-competitive portions of their summer sojourn, with Joseph Messina especially enthused.
“We all loved having chances to match our talent against theirs, but it was also great to interact with them,” the coach’s son and a registrant at Our Lady of Hope Regional Catholic School, 1248 Jackson St., said of living in the players’ village and trading pins with their contemporaries. “Aside from never giving up, I think we became better people by being friendly and respectful to them.”
With June’s march to the semifinals of their Little League regionals also on their résumé, the youngsters offered early indications of their excitement by excelling in skills competitions and blasting four homers to trounce Florida’s Tommy Hutton Heat 14-3 in their opener.
“What a great way to start,” Messina said of his all-South Philly unit’s barrage. “We knew they wouldn’t all be like that, though.”
The locals quickly had their resiliency tested, as they dumped their next three contests, one to an Illinois team and two to California clubs, by a combined score of 37-7. Seeing the pageant as a thrilling occasion not only because of its location but also for its ability to give them perspective ahead of next season’s move to a larger field at Seventh Street and Packer Avenue, Messina admired that they did not let the losses’ effects linger, as they captured their final pool games against a New Jersey outfit and a New York squad to advance to the playoff stage.
“I think we showed character to make it that far,” the coach’s offspring, who recorded the save against the Garden State’s North Edison representatives, said. “Having been together for so long, we knew we had the resolve to get it done.”
“The first [playoff] game was nutty,” Front-and-Fitzgerald-streets dweller Charlie McKenna, another Christopher Columbus pupil, whose .500 average tied for the team lead with Mason Smith, added. “It was a fun game to be a part of.”
The Senators built a 3-0 advantage over the Harvard Hit Dogs yet yielded four scores to need an elimination-preventing rally, which they executed in their final swings. Squaring off against their third Golden State adversary next, they fell 8-1 Aug. 8 to end their run.
“We definitely didn’t leave disappointed, though,” Colin, whose five home runs tied for second in the competition, said of visiting the Hall of Fame the next day. “That really got us feeling great about being baseball players.”
“I liked the artifacts and the Phillies stuff,” Charlie added. “We saw what happens when guys sacrifice for their love of the game.”
“Sacrifice” resonated as a key word, though in a different sense, for Messina, who lauded parents for their hard work in making the trip not only a possibility but a full-fledged educational odyssey.
“We felt like big guys because our parents weren’t with us and we had to take care of ourselves a little bit,” .421 hitter Eric Nardini, a resident of the 2900 block of South 15th Street and a learner at St. Pio Regional Catholic School, 1826 Pollock St., said, adding the trip helped him and his mates to see their tenacity will never be in vain.
Receiving rings and enshrinement into the Little League Hall of Fame at the closing ceremonies, the children are already entertaining what the next few decades could bring them.
“I’d like to be in the actual Hall of Fame,” Colin said, “so the older we get, the more we’ll need to rely on each other for support.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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