The time had come. A group of young Black teenagers from LaPlace, Reserve, and Garyville, Louisiana had officially earned the right to represent Louisiana in the Dizzy Dean World Series for the 13–14 age group.

To say we were excited is an understatement. But we were also just a bit disappointed when we found out that the World Series would take place in Kenner, Louisiana — only 30 to 40 minutes from home. As kids, we were hoping for an out-of-state trip, hotel stays, and swimming pools. That was the dream. But we quickly adjusted. We were just boys from St. John Parish, between the ages of 13 and 14, and the opportunity to wear Louisiana across our chests still meant the world.

Because Kenner was the host for the Dizzy Dean World Series, their team — the Kenner Green — had an automatic invitation to the tournament. Meanwhile, we traded in our FORD All-Star uniforms and proudly wore the Louisiana uniform. But we kept a piece of FORD with us — undershirts with our nicknames on the back:

Rag:  Terreke Grover

Snowball:  Armond Anderson

Ro:  Romell Anthony

Flip Flop:  Calvin Lee

Dusty:  Lendell Smith

Manny:  Mandry Smith

Trick:  Richard Martin

Duke:  Willie Dupard

Mini Bo:  Lil James Ceaser

Nicholas:  Chris Nicholas

Mine just read: Mason. Simple, clean — and in hindsight, prophetic.

The games were played at Miss Bertolino Park in Kenner, which is also the home of John Curtis Christian School, a school with a strong sports reputation. At the time, I didn’t know much about John Curtis other than hearing names like Randy Brown and Troy Gerade, who we played against in Park football and later heard were recruited to play for JC. That would all come full circle in due time.

When the Series began, we were confident. Being close to home gave us a crowd — family, friends, fans — all rooting us on. We played our hearts out, but unfortunately, we were the first state eliminated. We lost two games by only a couple of runs total. The games were close — games we definitely could’ve won.

I didn’t start either game, but I knew my role. I came in often as a pinch runner, stole second and third base, and usually scored — especially if a wild pitch was involved. I even got the chance to play third base in one game and almost turned a double play.

In the final game, I had just stolen second and third, then scored a run. The coaches were discussing putting me back in to pinch run for my cousin Terreke, but he tried to steal second on his own and got caught. Game over. I used to clown him about that moment — all in love.

One of the big moments came when Romell “Ro” Anthony launched a home run out the park, over a house, across the street, and into another house. But for those of us who knew Ro, that wasn’t a surprise — he had power for real.

Even though our run ended quickly, we weren’t discouraged. Most of us were only 13 years old, which meant we had one more shot to do it again. The 14-year-olds were aging out, transitioning into high school ball, but my crew? We still had unfinished business.

That summer taught us that winning isn’t always about championships. It’s about growth, unity, and setting the foundation for what’s to come.

Next up:
Episode 12 – The Conversation That Changed My Life Forever, as Ro and I walked across the street to class at Leon Godchaux Jr. High.

Stay tuned…