Babe Ruth Series Hits Purcellville

Their Dream Is to Be King of the Worlds

By Delphine Schrank (Contact)

Thursday, August 16, 2007

The spirit of the Great Bambino will rise over Loudoun County as 120 young baseball players from across the country converge on Fireman’s Field in Purcellville for the 13-year-old Babe Ruth World Series, which opens tomorrow and lasts through Aug. 24.

“I’m really honored to be on the team. It’s a big thing. So many teams from around the country are coming to our town,” said Connor “Smedex” Smedile, 13, who will be playing in his first World Series with the Greater Loudoun Lions. Like his hero the Babe, Connor — called Smedex by teammates because when it comes to making catches, he delivers — will be playing in the outfield.

As the tournament’s host team, the Lions will have the honor of playing in the first game after tomorrow’s opening ceremonies. They will play at 8 p.m. against a team from Bryant, Ark. The Lions’ roster includes “Wild Thing” (he’s just really fast, Connor said), “Double Deuces” (No. 22) and “Provolone” (yes, like the cheese).

Ten teams will compete in the World Series, including the Virginia state championship team from Glen Allen. As host, the Loudoun team automatically qualified. The other nine teams advanced through state and regional games to make it to Fireman’s Field.

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Babe Ruth World Series

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Members of the Greater Loudoun Lions run during team practice at Franklin Park in Purcellville. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Greater Loudoun Lions Catcher No. 4, Matthew Reed, during team practice at Franklin Park in Purcellville. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Greater Loudoun Lions No. 11 Mitchell Bowers runs the bases during team practice at Franklin Park in Purcellville (Tracy A. Woodward)

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During practice at Franklin Park in Purcellville, members of the Greater Loudoun Lions take a knee and listen to manager Mike Lockhart. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Greater Loudoun Lions team member No. 22, Matthew MacMahon, hits during team practice at Franklin Park in Purcellville. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Greater Loudoun Lions manager Mike Lockhart, center, talks to his team during practice at Franklin Park in Purcellville. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Greater Loudoun Lions Manager Mike Lockhart (with bat) talks to his team during practice at Franklin Park in Purcellville. On left in back is Coach Eric Lemley and on right in back is Coach Paul MacMahon (in team shirt). (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Greater Loudoun Lions No. 14, Jonathan Sarty, snaps up a ball for a double play during team practice at Franklin Park in Purcellville. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Loudoun has hosted Babe Ruth tournaments three other times in the past decade — each time at Fireman’s Field — but this is the first time the championship series for 13-year-olds has been in the county.

“Fireman’s Field is one of the most incredible venues to play. The field is almost perfect. No bad hops,” said Bob Smedile, proud father of Connor and coordinator of the local families housing the visiting players.

The field, built in the 1940s and owned by a Purcellville fire company, is lined with 100-foot-tall oaks. It received a $400,000 facelift in preparation for the 16-year-old Babe Ruth World Series that it hosted in 1998. Above the diamond hover the memories of hundreds of stories of victory and loss.

But this year’s tournament also will feature a more tangible connection to the ghosts of golden times. Babe Ruth’s 89-year-old daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, will be in Purcellville this weekend and may be invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch at one of the games, tournament organizers said. And at one of Wednesday’s games, a 100-year-old Purcellville resident is scheduled to fire the ball into the catcher’s mitt.

During their stay in Loudoun, the players will be scattered among about 50 host families. It’s a tradition of the Babe Ruth League that an entire community be involved, Smedile said. There will be cookouts and neighborhood get-togethers; and in the host homes across the county, the players will get a chance to glimpse Loudoun’s history and variety firsthand. Besides, said Smedile, 120 kids running around hotel corridors “could get a little hairy.”

He noted that one family will, “out of the goodness of their hearts,” host six players.

For the 13-year-olds, the tournament will mark a time of transition — and the shift might not be so easy. This is their first season playing on a regulation-size baseball field and it requires adjustments in play, said Tom Carroll, 54, an engineer in Hamilton who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1974 and 1975 during their heyday as the “Big Red Machine.” The bigger field can be tricky for kids whose limbs are still on the short side.

“I can remember that when I made the move, it was a challenge because pitches you threw in Little League that seemed really fast suddenly had 14 more feet to go,” said Carroll, recalling his stint with the 13-year-old Babe Ruth League in his home town of Oriskany, N.Y.

Carroll is hosting two players from the Youngstown, Ohio, team. Will he also be coaching them? He chuckled and said he may well throw some pitches in the back yard. Or coordinate activities with other host families. One thing’s for sure: He’ll be at all the games.

Looking back, he remembered that his own Babe Ruth team didn’t do nearly so well. “We didn’t get very far. Not as far as these teams,” he said.

But things worked out pretty well after that. All thanks to that season in the league, perhaps?

“That was my first taste of major league dimensions, playing with the longer distances, and it was a big step,” Carroll said. “It introduced me to the man’s game.”

As for the Greater Loudoun Lions, their eyes are squarely on next week’s prize. And Connor said the home turf gives them an advantage: “You know how the ball rolls.”

And who are the star players on his team? “I don’t think we have any,” he said. “We’re all great.”

For a complete tournament schedule, ticket prices and other information, visit www.loudounbrws.com.

Tagged: babe ruth world series, baseball

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