About 2 years ago in the summer of 2012, right before my senior year at Mount Mercy started, I played in a summer game for a small town team in Iowa called the Bernard Indians. According to the 2012 Census, the town of Bernard had 112 people living there.
I got a call from one of my teammates on Mount Mercy one morning and asked if I wanted to play in a summer game with him. To be honest, I wasn't up for it because I was feeling a little sluggish from the night before. But he said they needed someone on the team so I agreed to go.
When he came to picked me up at my on-campus apartment, I wasn't feeling the greatest. All I wanted to do was just sleep.
We arrived at the field 10 minutes before the game started. The field was about an hour 15 minutes away in a small town surrounded in nothing but corn fields.
The coach was yelling at us as we were putting on our baseball pants and getting ready at the car.
Once we got to the dugout,
1. We drank a whole can of Rockstar to get our day going.
2. Put cleats on.
And 3. Play catch for maybe a minute or so
We did those three thing in about 5 minutes.
I remember Shep, the coach, came up to me and asked me where I wanted to play and if I was a good hitter.
He ended up putting me at shortstop and batted me in the 6th spot in the line up.
I remember going up to bat and the guy on the mound was a tall lefty. I want to say he is about 6'4" to 6'5" from Upper Iowa University with a good run on his fastball.
Before he got taken out, I went 2 for 3 against him with a single and a double.
The game was fairly close and it came down to the bottom of the 9th inning.
In-between innings, I remember talking to the guy that was doing the stats book for the day. Really cool guy in his 30's and he's told me that he's been through the major league umpire camp. He said it didn't work out for him so he decided to live out in Iowa.
Shep called him up to pinch hit before me.
He didn't even have time to get lose and just went up to bat saying, "Well, we'll see what I can do."
At this time, the tall lefty pitcher was out of the game; a right handed pitcher was up there with some run on his fastball too.
I think it was 1 out and a runner just got picked off at 3rd.
I just thought, "Oh great. there goes the game." I think a couple of pitches later, stat book guy got a base hit up the middle.
So, I was up to bat. I could potentially be the last out of the game. The new guy, the guy that just shows up for one game, the only Asian guy probably to ever step foot in the town of Bernard.
Before I walked up to bat, I said to myself, " Just hit the ball hard."
I step into the batter's box...
First pitch, ball 1...
Second pitch, ball 2...
Prior to this at-bat, I swung at every 2-0 and 3-1 pitches I got to even if it was in the dirt and I was doing well that day so I just stuck with my approach (which I don't know what it was til this day).
So as the pitch was thrown, I lifted my legs and got my foot down and swung the bat...
The next thing I saw was the ball clearly jumping off my bat over the fence in left-center field into the corn fields.
I remember the crowd roaring and seeing some of the guys on the team jump off the bench from the corner of my eyes.
I have to say, that was only the second home run I hit over a fence in my lifetime thus far. The first time was my senior year of high school during league play.
I jogged the around the bases as other players on the team congratulated me.
As I round 3rd base, Shep gave me a handshake and was jumping with joy and the guys were waiting for me in front of home plate.
That has to be one of the best feelings in the world.
But little did I know, it was the last game of their season and the game I was playing in was Bernard's own tournament and it was the championship game.
Talk about ending the summer with a bang, I literally did.
Shep asked me where a small Asian guy gets his power from after the game and the first thing that came into my mind and said was, "I eat a lot of rice."
...
Lets fast forward to the summer of 2013. I was in Iowa for the summer so I thought I make the best of it by playing for Bernard for a season. Shep kindly allowed me to be on the team and couldn't be more greatly for the opportunity to play, travel, and meet new people along the way.
I was playing in a game at Bernard once again, I think it was the first home game of the season. I was up to bat and I hear someone in the stands say "Go Jun! Get a hit!"
As a baseball player, when you step up to the batter's box, you want to be focus on one thing: hitting the ball. But that moment when someone I never met before, and heck I didn't see who it was, yells my name in a small town I only been to once in my life, You stop and think about it for a second.
This is really a small town...
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| After the last 2013 summer game I played with the Bernard Indians at Dyersville, Iowa (Photo Credit: Anna Weber) |
Playing for the Bernard semi pro team made me appreciate the small towns I came across that I've never heard before. It gave a "homey" feeling playing games, even if it was an away game. The people for the town would always be there. And I could tell you this because everyone one from Bernard was at championship game of the tournament I played in Dyersville, Iowa.
And it's crazy how people still remember who you are after being there for less than one day a year ago.
And to be honest, I wish I was playing for them again this summer. The guys on the team are awesome and the fans are great.
Bernard, the town of 112 people, I hope to see you guys again soon.
Jun
http://m.cpioneer.com/sports/article_bfce66e4-f75f-11e1-a896-001a4bcf6878.html
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