Little League Organization Provides Life Lessons
by Matt Shanley
Many things can be said when looking at today’s youth.
Complaints can be said about the way they dress. Grievances can be made against their favorite styles of music. Some even go as far as to criticize their entire lifestyle. One thing, however, is an indisputable truth: the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
Since 1939, Little League Baseball has been attempting to mold the minds, spirits, and attitudes of the children of the present so that they may be able to lead successful lives in the future. It is a non-profit organization that claims their mission to be “promoting, developing, and supervising” all those who participate. Fifty years ago, that mission was brought to Toms River, New Jersey.
The association has made great strides over said fifty years and is now revered as one of the most successful youth
organizations in New Jersey. Their website, TRLL.US, lists every possible item one could ask for when hoping to attain information about the history, sponsors, and current state of Toms River Little League. The e-mail addresses of every board member is readily available for the site’s visitors and makes the process of contacting people within the club extremely simple for one and all, including parents of current or potential participants.
The organization currently utilizes an eight-field complex and provides select players with the option of playing on travel teams that play in tournaments throughout the Tri-State Area.
For those outside of Ocean County, Toms River Little League is best known as “that team who won the World Series in 1998,” and rightfully so. Their unexpected rise to the top of youth baseball was one of the top sports stories that decade. Now, though, it’s more than ten years later, and some members of that team still accredit their current successes to things they were taught as Little League Baseball players.
Casey Gaynor and Todd Frazier were twelve years old when they represented the town of Toms River in the Little League World Series, and though Gaynor no longer plays baseball competitively, they both still attribute their current lifestyles to the way they were treated while growing up as a part of this organization.
“I’ll never forget my years in Little League,” said Gaynor. “The area we grew up in was so close knit and overwhelmingly competitive. Most of my teammates from 1998 still live in town. I see them when I come home from school for winter and summer breaks. The memories I have with those guys are great, and even though we were so successful on the field, most of the times I remember and cherish had nothing to do with baseball. We met so many people from other cultures. We met celebrities. We did so much together.”
Frazier is a recent graduate of nearby Rutgers University where he was a stand-out shortstop. In 2007, he was drafted thirty-fourth overall in the Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He’s currently climbing his way through the ranks of Minor League Baseball, and most believe he’ll be a superstar in no time.
“Playing Major League Baseball has been a dream of mine ever since I started playing tee-ball,” Frazier stated. “I just thought that if it was possible to have a job as fun as baseball, then why wouldn’t I pursue it?
“I can tell you this,” he continued, “I enjoyed my time in Toms River to the fullest. I didn’t miss out on anything there. We won state titles, but the Little League World Series was one of the greatest moments of my life. It taught me how to perform under pressure at such a young age. It taught me to have fun.”
Maybe even more than baseball, though, Gaynor and Frazier remember their time as friends while growing up in Toms River. They both recall their days after the Little League World Series ended very similarly.
“Summers in our area were great,” Gaynor said. “You can’t complain about much when you’re so close to the beach.”
“The beach was the best part about where we grew up,” said Frazier. “It’s only five minutes from my house in Toms River. Between the memories I have from the beach, and the memories I have from Little League, I’d say my childhood was pretty solid.”
As if there was a doubt, two of Toms River’s most notable names verified a place in their hearts for the town’s Little League program. A surefire future baseball superstar grew up as a part of this community, and he’s sure to bring even more positive attention to it in years to come.
His current hitting coach, Ryan Jackson of Double-A’s Carolina Mudcats is certain that Frazier will make his way to the big leagues, and has no second thoughts about the conversations he’ll have on his journey there.
“If I don’t hear something about Jersey every day, it’s out of the ordinary,” said Jackson. “I’d think something was wrong.”
