Written by The media covered it all. Social media has shared it, posted it, messaged about it, commented on it, and talked up one side and down the other about the game. The community showed up. Little leaguers dreamt. Players past and future all ached for a big hit. Students were noticeably immense. Parents glowed, they wished the pain to carry, then they returned from the glorious trip’s end. Coaches planned, paced, and in the end tipped their caps. Town sports. Team sports. Competition. Ultimately, it was all about the kids. As it should be.
The saddest days in any of my years, the last day of the season. I have written on the subject numerous times and still, it doesn’t seem to get any easier. Team sports, only one competitor finishes their season with a win. It seems harsh in a way because there are so many victories and success stories along the way, even if the season ends with a loss.
Last night the #2 seeded Goffstown Grizzlies suffered a heartbreaking loss to the #1 seeded Portsmouth Clippers in the NHIAA Division II State Baseball Final, 7-6. Two of the best starting pitchers in the entire division were reduced to awkward looks into their dugouts and body language that was anything but becoming, and I felt for them, both of them. If you were there or have read any social media you probably know what I am talking about. Neither pitcher made it out of the fourth inning. The game was about as unpredictable as you can get, and yet it turned into a high intensity, dramatic finish, where the better team won (in my opinion). In the end, Portsmouth walked off with their 12th State Title in 14 Finals appearances, while Goffstown fell to 5-8 in State Championship baseball games. I do feel that these two teams were the two best teams, consistently, throughout the entire season and deserved to be playing at NE Delta Dental Stadium last night.
I will finish with this thought. I know that parents want their kids to grow up to be the best they can be, including on the baseball field. Many choose different avenues such as travel ball to get the “best training” for their kids/players. But I would challenge anyone in the stadium last night to do better than how awesome it was to watch these Goffstown and New Boston kids, our kids, line up for the anthem on the foul line of the coolest stadium in the state with “Goffstown” across their chest. These young men wore it on their uniforms and left it all on a field in Manchester in doing everything they could to win for Goffstown and make our community proud. In that, they succeeded, and all of those memories of neighborhood backyards, countless hours of parents, friends, or siblings playing catch, or hitting grounders, and even families coming together to support the entire ride from start to finish are ours to keep. Congratulations to both teams on a tremendous season respectively.