Spirit of the Game

LAKEWOOD RANCH — All 12-year-old Erick Barnard ever wanted to do was run.

From the moment he first took the field six years ago, the Manatee Cal Ripken Baseball second baseman and right fielder has always been looking for an excuse to run.

Whether it was charging after a ground ball, chasing a deep fly ball or cruising around the bases, Erick loved the feeling of being able to run and use his legs to his advantage.

But, a little more than a year ago, Erick’s legs suddenly started hurting every time he ran. The Tabernacle School seventh-grader did his best to mask the pain, but two games into his Minors season with the Tampa Bay Rays the pain proved to be too much for Erick.

Erick visited a number of doctors before he was finally diagnosed with juvenile enthesitis-related arthritis in both of his legs in May 2011. At that point, Erick had to forgo his baseball career.

“I was really disappointed because I really like running,” Erick said. “All I know is it doesn’t feel good.”

On May 31, Erick was recognized for his determination and love of the game during Manatee Cal Ripken Baseball Night at McKechnie Field, where he was presented with the Matthew O’Sullivan Spirit of the Game Award.

The annual award is presented to a player within the organization for his determination and ability to beat the odds.

“I was happy and blessed,” Erick said. “I was surprised, though, because I didn’t think I would get it. It feels really good. It feels amazing that people would let me have that honor.”

During the event, Erick had a chance to catch up with some of his former teammates while also meeting some of the Marauders players, including shortstop Gift Ngoepe who is from South Africa, also the birthplace of Erick’s parents.

The two had a short conversation in Afrikaans while Ngoepe signed Erick’s baseball.

“It was exciting,” Erick said of the event. “I met a player from South Africa, and we had a little bit of a conversation. That was really fun.”

Erick began playing baseball when he was about 6 years old after watching some of the older kids running around the bases.

“It just looked really fun,” Erick said. “I saw the older kids sliding into the bases and that looked really fun to me.”

Erick spent several seasons playing for the Rays, during which he learned how to slide for the first time.
After learning he could no longer play baseball, Erick focused his attention on his passion for music rather than letting the disappointment of not being able to play get the best of him. Erick now spends most of his time playing the piano, saxophone, drums, guitar and violin.

“I think that’s kind of what sustained him,” his mother, Juliet Barnard, said. “He never lost his smile throughout (all of this).”

“If you can’t do something, it doesn’t just end,” Erick said. “There are other things to keep you busy.
“It’s been really hard, but I know that God’s helping me through it,” Erick said. “He’s helped me so far.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].