Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Big Little Leaguer or Little Big Leaguer?


I don't know what to say about this kid. Check his birth certificate every day, because if he's 13 years old, I'm Barry Bonds! He's 6'8" and weighs 265!! His name is Aaron Durley and he's playing for Saudi Arabia in the Little League World Series. What do they feed their children out there.....oil!?! I saw him on TV the other day and he towers over the other kids to the point where it's hilarious. He has such a huge strike zone, it reminds me of when Michael Jordan played minor league baseball. All the opposing pitchers have to do is throw it up there. It shouldn't be too hard to hit that strike zone. The only way to stop this kid from beating you is by tying him down, kind of like the Lilliputians did to Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels. He walked twice the other day, which astounds me. The opposing pitcher must have been intimidated by his size. If this "kid" gets ahold of one, someone could get killed out there. I've heard people use the term, "a man among boys" before, but it has never been more fitting than it is with Aaron Durley! I love the Little League World Series, because it's as pure as the game gets, without the mega-salaries, egos and prima donnas.

I saw this on www.MSN.com:

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Aaron Durley towers over the competition at the Little League
The 13-year-old first baseman for Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, stands an imposing 6-foot-8 and weighs 256 pounds.
"I was standing next to him and I was up to his elbows," Scott Kingery, a 12-year-old, 4-foot-9 Phoenix shortstop, said after meeting Durley.
At the secluded dorms where teams stay during the tournament, Durley has become as much of an attraction as the pool, the pingpong table and the video arcade.
The soft-spoken Durley doesn't mind the attention. He even lets opponents snap pictures with him during down time.
But Durley, who played at the series last year, too — when he was a mere 6-foot-4 — is crystal-clear about his top priority in South Williamsport.
"I'm more confident this year, ready to do what I need to do," Durley said after a practice. "Hit the ball out."
Fittingly, his favorite major leaguer is David "Big Papi" Ortiz, the Boston Red Sox slugger.
Durley, batting fifth, didn't hit a homer, but he walked twice, singled and scored a run Sunday when his Arabian American squad from Dhahran defeated Saipan, 9-1. Saudi Arabia (2-0) stands a good chance of advancing out of pool play after failing to win a game last year.