Posted on 08/20/2006 10:31:34 PM PDT by Marius3188
Aaron Durley towers over the competition at the Little League World Series. The 13-year-old first baseman for Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, stands an imposing 6-foot-8 and weighs 256 pounds.
"I was standing next to him and I was up to his elbows," Scott Kingery, a 12-year-old, 4-foot-9 Phoenix shortstop, said after meeting Durley.
At the secluded dorms where teams stay during the tournament, Durley has become as much of an attraction as the pool, the pingpong table and the video arcade.
The soft-spoken Durley doesn't mind the attention. He even lets opponents snap pictures with him during down time.
But Durley, who played at the series last year, too — when he was a mere 6-foot-4 — is crystal-clear about his top priority in South Williamsport.
"I'm more confident this year, ready to do what I need to do," Durley said after a practice. "Hit the ball out."
Fittingly, his favorite major leaguer is David "Big Papi" Ortiz, the Boston Red Sox slugger.
Durley scored a run in his 2006 series debut last week. His next shot to belt a homer came Sunday, when his Arabian American squad from Dhahran was scheduled to face Saipan.
In early games Sunday, Columbia, Mo., routed Portsmouth, N.H., 14-5; Columbus, Ga., beat Phoenix, 4-1; and Beaverton, Ore., defeated Lake Charles, La., 9-1.
Arabian American is a fixture at the World Series, having qualified the last seven years, and 12 of the last 13. The players' parents primarily work for oil companies in the Middle East.
Dhahran might have had the longest road to Pennsylvania, qualifying for the series by winning the Transatlantic region tournament in Kutno, Poland, in late July.
The team has a peculiar baseball superstition — the players dye their hair blonde for the World Series.
As if Durley wasn't easy enough to pick out in a crowd.
Columbia, Mo. manager Jeff Echelmeier watched Durley attract attention while the player was standing on a porch near a path to the cafeteria.
"About four teams came through, and everyone wanted to know how tall he was," Echelmeier said. "He said 'About 6-foot-8' about 40 times in a row."
He's still growing, too: Durley only shared the tallest-player designation last year. Series sponsors who shower players with free equipment didn't have new spikes readily available for Durley, who wears size 19 shoes.
Dhahran coach Tom Timoney said Durley takes the attention in stride.
"He's just a great kid," Timoney said while watching an infield practice. "Very good-natured."
A little out of breath after running sprints with his teammates, the mild-mannered Durley didn't say much after the practice.
Baseball isn't necessarily his favorite sport.
"It's kind of hard, because I like basketball," he said. "When it's offseason for baseball, it's basketball. When it's offseason for basketball, it's baseball."
Columbia, Mo., 14, Portsmouth, N.H., 5
Beau Burkett scored three runs, Landon Clapp had three RBIs and Columbia rallied from an early 2-0 deficit in an error-filled game. The teams combined for nine errors, two by Columbia (1-1) and seven for Portsmouth (1-1). Matthew Feeney had three RBIs for Portsmouth.
Columbus, Ga., 4, Phoenix 1
Kyle Carter tossed a one-hitter and hit a solo homer to lead Columbus (2-0), strengthening the Southeast region winners' chances to advance to next round. The left-handed Carter struck out nine. Shaun Chase had the lone hit, a single, off Carter for Phoenix (1-1).
Beaverton, Ore., 9, Lake Charles, La., 1
Jace Fry led off the bottom of the first with a deep homer to right, Derek Keller hit a three-run blast and Devon Dejardin threw a three-hitter as Beaverton (1-1) controlled the game from the start. Dejardin retired his last nine batters. Starter Paul Beglis surrendered all nine Oregon runs but also homered for the only score for Lake Charles (1-1).
You think he might be a Paul Wight type?
Sabato Agosto 19, 9:00 PM
Dhuhran, Saudi Arabia first baseman Aaron Durley takes the field in the second inning against Surrey, British Columbia, Canada at Little League Worl
Elsewhere, the Chicago Tribune reports that he has a size 19 shoe - big feet.
His folks will be working for Aramco. The Aramco compound in Dharan is a minature American city.
" It does look very weird, but so many young preteen girls these days look 20. "
And I got proofed in bars and restaurants in the USA until I was 49 ! No lie . White male BTW ...
Funny thing is, he never grew any taller after that, so he wasn't a star basketball player in high school. Go figure!
Wonder if this kid shaves?
I thought LL'ers had to be 12 or under?
He must have been born 5 years old.
You have to be 12 when the season begins.
That "kid" needs a shave.....Dang....;-)
Big strike zone.
That kid's gonna have some series back problems when he gets older. I hit 72 inches at 5th grade.
There was another 13-year old kid on that was 6-8 on TV a couple years back. I think it was MTV or someone who got him together with Shaq, who was a similar size at that age.
Now we know where Shaq was about 14 years ago.
Anybody remember that movie Zapped with Scot Baio?
8-0
This would be one of those rare case when I would be a No Spank parent.
His mom and dad are actually kind of short--5.4 and 5.10, respectively
Wow, those blondies look like my youngest son when he was that age! Now he's 6'6. He played baseball/softball, basketball (won a scholarship to play ball in college in MO) and soccer. I hope this young man does well. I had a pen pal from the same place in SA when I was a kid. Her dad worked in the oilfields. She was Nancy Lee Shafer. Wish I could find her again.
My 13-yr old son was 6-1 and 200 pounds. He was late for school last fall because he cut his lip shaving. He towered over everyone, and the other boys would run at him and grab onto his shoulders, one kid on each side. He would just keep walking and carry them across the soccer field. This year, thank God, the other boys are starting to catch up in size and heft. I am 5'5" and DH is 5'11". But an uncle is 6'5", 270#.
Saudi Arabia first baseman 6 feet 8 inch Aaron Durley, left, watches a pitch as Venezuela's 4 feet 8 inch base runner Ermison Arellano gets ready to take a lead during the fourth inning in their game of the Little League World Series baseball pool play in South Williamsport, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2006. Durley is the tallest player to ever play at the Little League World Series. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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