Posted on 06/03/2005 12:38:35 AM PDT by My Favorite Headache
12 Year Old Pitches No-Hitter,Day After Dad Is Buried
Douglas Maher-All Headline News Reporter
June 3,2005 3:15 EST
BINGHAMTON,NY(AHN)- As Wayne Bonsell Jr. stood on the pitcher's mound at Booth Field on Wednesday night, he tried to remember all of the lessons his father had taught him.
"Concentrate, take a deep breath before every pitch."
This was not just another seasonal game for Wayne Jr.,this one held special meaning like no other before he took the mound.
A day earlier, he had said goodbye to his father for the last time. Wayne Bonsell Sr., 39, was one of three workers from Cortland-based Economy Paving Company Inc. who were killed when a Missouri tour bus crashed through an Interstate 81 work zone on May 20 in the Town of Chenango.
Now, barely 24 hours after his father's funeral, Wayne Jr. -- pitching for Crowley Foods of the Binghamton Youth Baseball League -- was one out away from the first no-hitter of his youth baseball career. His father had made a point to attend every single game.
"He just wanted to go back to doing what he loves," said Rebecca Bonsell, Wayne Jr.'s mother. "He's got a huge heart. Both of my boys do."
After the game Wayne Junior explained how he got through not only the no-hitter but the game in general.
"By thinking of my dad."
"At the end of the game, he gave me the ball and said, 'This one's for Dad, Mom,'" Rebecca Bonsell said.
"Their father loved baseball and was good at it, pitching his own no-hitter in high school", his wife said.
"He wanted that dream to live on in his sons,His dad wanted to see him (Wayne) pitch for the Yankees and now he's never going to see that."
Don Dennison, Wayne's baseball coach for the past four years, said Wayne's composure was the key to his nearly flawless performance.
"He's just a true leader on the team. All the other kids look up to him," Dennison said. "He's composed and he's strong. He's an amazing athlete. He's definitely one of the best pitchers in the city."
Wayne's pitching career almost ended last June, however, when doctors suspected he might have skin cancer. He underwent surgery on his right arm, which revealed a tumor was benign. But the procedure affected his pitching for some time.
"I could throw a ball about 60 mph before the surgery", Wayne Jr. said. "Since last year, I have recovered my strength and I think I might have even gotten a bit faster."
In Wednesday's no-hitter against B&W Electric, Wayne struck out 13 batters and walked only three. A week earlier, he had pitched a one-hitter.
"He lets nothing bother him," Dennison said. "He walked a batter and turned around and struck the next one out."
"All the kids on the team loved Wayne Bonsell Sr. because he made them laugh, I am sure he was on the mind of everyone. His dad got his whole team spitting seeds, Rebecca Bonsell said. "
While Wayne will never be able to play catch again with his father or ride four-wheelers on the weekends, they'll always be connected by their love of baseball.
"At Tuesday's funeral, Wayne cemented that link when he walked up to the casket and placed his first home-run ball in his father's hand", his mother said.
This article somber, yet highly distracting.
Man, what a story.
Dangit. My monitor is all blurry. Way to go Kid!
Great post!
ping
Can you please add the hyperlink to the top of this? I forgot to add it...thanks...
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/2235579556
We can all join his father in being proud of this young man. He truely is a winner in more than baseball.
I feel sorry for his loss but this article is very close to irresponsible if it isn't outrightly so.
From your neck of the woods...
| Main Entry: | overanalyze |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | to analyze a situation to an excessive degree; to devote an exorbitant amount of time to researching a situation or thing |
I assume you're the one who added "exploitingyouth" as a keyword. Hmmmm.....
Where's the tissue alert! Good story.
Talk about taking the wind out of the sails. I guess you're one of those people who think keeping score should be outlawed. Since when is it bad to have hopes and dreams?
satire,right?
What? I'm not crying. I got smoke in my eyes. Yeah, that's it.
That's a beautiful thing. Whatsamatter? You get stuck out in right field as a kid?
Get over yourself.You are trying to be too clever by half.
My wife played a game of Jr. High basketball the night after her parents died in a plane crash, and IIRC, shedid pretty well. She was most certainly not in denial, but was just playing through the pain. This kid's Dad died and the kid didn't turn into a lump of jelly. Does that really make him "in denial?"
Even if every one of your silly pop-psych statements about the kid were true, I don't see how it's irresponsible or exploitive to report what happened. Reporting what happened is what the media are supposed to do.
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