All-Star baseball tournaments bring out the 'fun' in fundamentals

There is nothing I love more than well-executed baseball fundamentals. 

By that, I do not mean "playing the game the right way," as charged as that phrase has become. I mean doing all the little things that add up to winning play. When I watched Sarasota Little League's 8-9-10 Sarasota American All-Star team play Venice Little League's All-Stars on June 18 at Twin Lakes Park in the District 16 tournament, I saw those little things, and honestly, it got me pumped. 

For example, Sarasota knew how to take a pitch. Lots of them. The team walked nine times in three innings of at-bats. It was beautiful: A team full of plenty-capable hitters opting to take a free base because they know it's better for the team than swinging out of the zone and potentially hurting your team with an out.

That wasn't all. Jonathan Mauro made a heads-up play to steal home when a Venice catcher lost sight of the ball. On the flip side, Sarasota starting pitcher Olivia Lockhart limited Venice to one run over three innings. In a maneuver that almost certainly would mean a hospital visit if I tried to replicate it, first baseman Hayden Shroyer made a textbook lunging grab to catch a throw and nail a runner. 

Even up 11-1, the team's coaches — head man Bill Mauro and assistants Dave Miller and Ben Shroyer — inspired their players, warning them not to back off in intensity lest a comeback begin. From personal experience, it can happen. I played in an All-Star game of my own when I was 10 (or 11 or 12, I don't know) where my team, the "road" team, trailed by 11 runs in the final inning. We somehow rallied and scored 12 — I picked up an RBI as the first hitter after a pitching change, not an easy task — then had to hold them at bay for one more half inning. We did. It competed the biggest comeback in Olney Boys and Girls Club history. (Probably.) So don't take big leads for granted. 

Sarasota didn't, and won by that 11-1 score in 3.5 innings. Through it all, the team had fun. Chants of "I see a hole out there, I see an h-o-l-e hole out there!" peppered the air when Sarasota was at bat. The team pumped fists and slapped hands coming off the field each inning, not in a "show them up" way, but an excited way. A celebratory way. 

Lockhart said her favorite things about playing All-Stars are getting to know the teammates she's seen play but never previously met and playing against top competition. Sarasota seems to be getting along great, and despite the final score, the All-Star tournament is indeed tough — Sarasota (American) lost to undefeated Sarasota National in an earlier round. The two teams rematched Wednesday night (after the time of this writing) in the double-elimination tournament. A potential winner-take-all game would be played at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Twin Lakes Park. 

Bill Mauro said the hardest parts of managing a loaded roster like his are controlling "attitudes and egos" and making sure all the subs get in without sacrificing a win.  He can be suspended from the rest of the All-Star team's run if he does not. This year, he said, the team has been able to buy into the program. 

"It has to be team-first," Mauro said. "I have a kid (Grant Slegeski) who's a really good shortstop but because of the roster has had to play some centerfield. And he's done it, no complaints.

"This is definitely a hobby for me. It is nice to see kids progress and get better. I tell them, baseball is a thinking game. You can field a ground ball five times and do something different with it each time. If you make a mistake, flush it down the toilet. Take it to the parking lot and forget it."

Mauro's keys to his team keeping its winning ways alive?

"Keep hitting the ball and stay positive."

Simple. Just like their fundamentals.

Good luck them and all the local All-Star teams, Sarasota Little League and beyond, as tournament season progresses.