6 days ago
Editorial: Hats off, boys — Clarendon Hills is living their Little League World Series dream
Baseball is America's sport, but it can be a grind. The games are long. The sun beats down on you, and those long pants and high socks are unforgiving in the heat. And it's lonely out there on the mound if you find yourself down on the pitch count.
But as a kid from the Chicago area, there's likely nowhere else you'd rather be than out there on the field with your best friends. This summer, a special group of boys from Clarendon Hills have turned that dream into a season to remember — and the good times aren't over yet.
The Clarendon Hills Little League team has been practicing twice a day since June, and their hard work resulted in a Great Lakes Regional Championship.
The next morning, a bus was waiting outside their hotel to drive them from Whitestown, Indiana, to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, — the mecca of baseball for any little boy or girl who loves the sport. It's here that Clarendon Hills will take their place among 10 U.S. teams and 10 international squads vying for the World Series title.
For manager Brian Herold, nothing could be sweeter. This is his cherry on top of a 14-year run coaching his boys in Little League, starting with his older son Henry and now wrapping up with his youngest son Brody, a strong hitter and go-to pitcher.
Herold describes his youngest as having 'ice in his veins,' especially on the mound.
Athletics and coaching are in Brian Herold's blood: His sister is Shannon Spanos, head coach of the Montini Catholic High School women's basketball team that won a state championship in March. And Herold's dad was his Little League coach too. He told us he feels like his coaching career is an important way to give back to his community and be a big part of his kids' lives.
At the heart of that commitment is his belief in teaching the Clarendon Hills boys to respect the game.
'If you're going to be on the field, there are some standards for how I expect you to run on and off it,' he said. 'I tell them to appreciate that they were each one of the 12 boys selected to be on this team.'
It looks like the boys took his advice.
Clarendon Hills distinguished themselves as comeback kids this year, beating two teams — Naperville in districts and Ohio in regionals — that took them down in earlier rounds.
It's a special team filled with talent, we're told. Batting second, Jack Kaczmarski is a power hitter who can crush the ball, and cleanup hitter Christian Gernot has produced all season long.
On the mound, Brody Herold, Kaczmarski and Luke Schaller have been strong in the clutch.
But word is that friendship is what really binds these boys. When they're not playing ball, Herold said many of them bike around the neighborhood together and pal around at each other's houses. Now they're touring Howard J. Lamade Stadium and bunking together in a dorm next door to the Australian team.
These boys are living some of the best days of their lives, and we couldn't be happier for them.
Youth sports get a bad rap — sometimes rightfully — these days. Too many parents invest in speed and agility coaches for their young athletes instead of sending them outside to play. And unruly parents often forget that most youth coaches are volunteers trying to make sure the kids learn the game — though, sometimes, coaches would do well to remember that's their number one job too. That's why it's worth celebrating teams such as this one, which keep the focus on camaraderie and the love of the game.
Parents and sideline siblings spend hours outside watching the ups and downs of the season, and as much as they wish they had their weekends back, everyone's always sad to see it end.
We're glad the Clarendon Hills club and their families get to keep things going a little bit longer at one of the most special venues in all of baseball. They play their first game at 2 p.m. Wednesday against the winner of the Mountain Region.
Good luck in Williamsport, boys.
