Former legendary Fresno State baseball coach Pete Beiden had a special affection for the smaller player who gave it all he had, referring to such a player as "that little sand blower."
Beiden would have been proud to see the little sand blowers playing in Carson City's T-ball League on Monday at Governor's Field. The league is for 5-6-year-olds and actually features many 4-year-olds such as Kyle Krebs, the son of Kevin Krebs, one of the coaches for the A's.
Since Kyle will turn 5 this summer, he's eligible to play. He was playing with his teammates against the Rangers on Monday while on the adjacent field, the Pirates were playing the Angels.
Actually, saying that the teams were playing against each other wasn't totally true since no score was kept. Every player in the lineup hits in every inning and on each hit, players advance one base.
All of the players take turns hitting in each spot in the lineup and all the players also play every position on the field. They're really aren't any outs, either, although outs can technically be recorded.
Most of the outs are recorded when runners are tagged out at home as they are required to keep running around the bases until they reach home after the last batter hits.
The league is for boys and girls. During the A's-Rangers game, two girls -- the A's third baseman and the Rangers' runner at third base -- were having a serious discussion.
"Are you wearing boys shoes," the A's third baseman asked. The Rangers runner replied she was.
"Why," the A's third baseman asked. "Because I like them," the Rangers player said.
Meanwhile during the Pirates-Angels game, the Angels actually recorded an out in the field against the Pirates. In the end, the Angels catcher also tagged out the last three Pirate runners coming home -- meaning the Angels recorded four outs in the inning.
Later, the A's Spencer Bean pulled off a rare feat - hitting an inside the park home run while an out was recorded on the same play. The Rangers' catcher tagged out one runner while another runner came around to score. The catcher then dropped the ball trying to tag Bean, giving Bean his inside the park homer.
The Rangers had another chance for four outs on one play. The pitcher threw home to force the first runner, but then the catcher dropped the ball trying to tag the next two runners. He did recover, though, to tag out the last runner.
Kevin Krebs said the goal is just to give the players a concept of how to play the game. "I've seen them progress a little bit," Krebs said.
Another obvious advantage for Krebs is watching his son play. "My little boy, he just loves sports," Krebs said.
Another advantage is the league is much more low key than leagues for older players.
"It's just funny to see them," Krebs said. "It's just a fun thing to do. Everybody has a good time and that's what it's all about."
John Simms, who is one of the coaches for the Rangers, has been involved in Carson City youth baseball, including Little League, for 16 years.
"There's no pressure down here to win," Simms said. "Down here, it's just fun. The only pressure is making sure that everybody gets a snack.
"I love being back down here. It's like therapy. It's a privelege to be down here."
Simms said the main goal is to spark an interest in the players and "make it fun so they'll want to come back."
A NO-HIT CYCLE
Speaking of youth baseball, 12-year-old Konrad Perkins recently accomplished two feats in one game rarely achieved on any level. Not only did he pitch a no-hit shutout, but he also hit for the cycle in the same contest in Carson City's Little League Major League for 11-12-year-olds.
Perkins plays for the Indians, who have had their share of success this season as a team. During his recent no-hitter, Perkins also had a single, double, triple, home run and five RBI during the 12-0 win over the Dodgers.
Charles Whisnand is the Nevada Appeal Sports Editor.
