Cooperstown Dreams

Each summer two teams of 12-year-olds from Lake Forest, the LFBA Scouts, have been privileged to spend one week of their summer baseball season competing in a tournament in Cooperstown, New York. While just a short distance separates the boys from the Baseball Hall of Fame, replete with homages to Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, and Ernie Banks, the Lake Forest teams compete on the field against a group of 98 teams that could come from every state in the nation or Canada or Mexico. Instead of their usual competition against Winnetka or Wilmette, it may be Wyoming or West Virginia. The rules are the same and skills required to play it do not change very much, but the stage is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For one week, each team bunks together in the on-site dorm style barracks, plays a minimum of seven baseball games on one of the complex’s 22 lighted enclosed stadiums, and competes in skills competitions against their peers from across the continent. Parents are, of course, welcome, but must stay off-site and commute into the complex to watch their children live out some of their baseball fantasies.

Both of Lake Forest’s teams returned home from Cooperstown this past weekend, amazed at the quality of baseball played across the country and energized for their local summer campaigns. As part of the skills competition, 12-Gold player, Ethan Hunt, placed fourth in the Golden Arm competition, including having the third highest score in the preliminary round. The 12-Gold team faced the strongest schedule ever by a Scouts team and some challenging games, but 12-Gold player William Manzer could be seen striding around Lake Forest proudly sporting his new Cooperstown gear. The 12-Blue team managed to win two of their qualifying games, also facing some exceptional talent.