Todd E. Lyons, Esquire Blog: Yakima Little League All-Stars Enjoy Baseball, Rock & Roll and Being Kids

Last night my family and some close friends attended the Yakima Valley Pippins game (Pippins win!) and stuck around post-game for their fantastic fireworks display to conclude the evening.

During the pregame festivities, a group of youngsters got to run onto the field with the starting nine. As it turned out, our seats were right next to theirs once they returned to the stands.

I, eventually was spotted by one of the player's dad/coach who alerted his team that I was "the guy on the radio." Normally, I try to keep a low profile when I am out with just my family, but in this case I was truly humbled by the compliments I got, so being "That Guy" was a pleasure.

I asked the kids, who all made the Yakima Little League District All-Star team, about what positions they played, etc. They all were eager to tell me about their best pitches, hitting prowess and more, but the thing that struck me -- even more than their love of the game that I love -- was their politeness and respect, even though they were still being kids.

I overheard them ripping on one another and teasing each other, but it was all in a way that I could tell was out of true friendship. It was refreshing to see and hear.

They asked me if I would give them a shout-out on the radio and I told them that they probably wouldn't be up early enough this morning to hear it, what with it being summer vacation from school and all. I DID, however, promise that I would give them their props on this website, so ... Here's your shout-out Yakima Little League All-Stars!