Who wears diamond-tex stained and hole-riddled baseball pants; a black ball cap emblazoned with the letter M and little gold stars; a gold, white, black or red baseball jersey (depending on the day or year) with the word “Mountville” spanning its front?
A Mountville Indian.
All too soon though, youthful arms, legs, hopes and dreams outgrow the proportions of an Indians uniform. Grownup ambitions, interests and realities quickly turn eleven- and twelve-year old Mountville Indians into young men; and Bob and I slowly lose touch with them.
Sometimes we hear bits and pieces about what a former player has been up to since we last saw him in his Indians uniform. And no matter where life has taken him, we wonder – did wearing an Indians uniform mean more than just a bunch of extra loads of dirty laundry for game-weary moms and dads? Did something he learned or experienced as an Indian survive as more than just a threadbare memory?
As Bob told the the team last night before the New Era championship game, “Baseball and life are synonymous. You will have failures and successes along the way. But it’s not where you start that matters; it’s where you finish. ”
Some Mountville Indians have gone on to become military captains, state police officers, lawyers, college professors, Olympic swimmers, real estate agents, teachers, businessmen, community leaders, volunteers, Eagle scouts, high school and college athletes, coaches, husbands, and dads.
Congrats Mountville Indians on your well-deserved New Era championship last night! You certainly finished well. Now, go on and finish well in whatever else you may do in your life – just like so many others who also have proudly worn the Mountville Indian uniform.