EDITORIAL: 'You're doing great!'
Aug. 14—Congratulations to the Webb City Little League team.
Yours was one heck of a run, and even though the season ended Friday with a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to a team from Davenport, Iowa, the memories will be there forever, as will the joy and satisfaction that comes from having made the run to the finals in the Midwest Regional on the way to the Little League World Series.
We don't doubt that the Webb City team — this was their fifth appearance in the regional finals — will be back soon, or that they will return to the Little League World Series, perhaps as early as next year. They made to the LLWS in 2015.
Webb City is led by coach David Robinson. Players on the team are Laken Johnson, Jaxon Kent, Kamden Newberry, Paxten Parish, Bryce Stevens, Slade Stiffler, Bratie Holland, Brody Jackson, Andrew Baird, Drake Decker, Brock Hulstine and Brayton Robinson.
We are proud of the fact that you represented Missouri so well.
Our congratulations goes as well to the Pittsburg, Kansas, team, for having made it to the Midwest Regionals as well, representing Kansas.
'You're doing great.'
Speaking of Little League ...
We also want to note the dramatic and inspirational moment at the Little League Southwest Regionals in Waco, Texas, this past week.
Kaiden Shelton of Pearland, Texas, was pitching and Isaiah Jarvis of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was at the plate, when a pitch went wild and hit Jarvis in the head, knocking it off and knocking Jarvis to the the ground. He grabbed his head in his hands as he lay on the ground and it appeared for a few moments that he might have been seriously injured.
Fortunately, he was OK. Coaches and others gathered ariound and checked him out. He then got up, to a round of applause from the folks in the stands, and was given the walk to first base.
Shelton, however, appeared distraught by what had happened, and stood on the pitcher's mound holding his own head, staring at the ground.
It was then that Jarvis left first base, walked over to the mound and put his arms around Shelton, reassured him that he was going to be fine, and then said: "Hey, you're doing great. Let's go."
One of the announcers said: "This is the best thing that I have ever seen in Little League baseball."
It was an act of true sportsmanship, and earned an appropriate standing ovation from the crowd.
Players, parents, coaches — we should all learn from the example.
