June 11, 2022

Let me start this post on a personal note. I was a Chatham student and have spent most of my life living in the town next door to Chatham. My kids went to Chatham as well. And I found myself in the position of shooting their first ever state championship. Love it. And then I discovered that the game would be played at Mirabito Stadium, home to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the AA minor league team of the New York Mets, my life long favorite team. This is getting to be too good to be true. The only thing that could make it better is Chatham actually winning.

Ahem.

The game didn’t start well. Chatham’s starter, Matt Thorsen, was a bit wild in the first inning, issuing quite a few walks. By the time they got things under control, the Panthers were trailing 4-0. I didn’t worry though. I’ve watched enough of their games to know they start slow and finish strong. This game was no different. In the second they came roaring back and tied the game at 4. And then it turned into a ringer for the nerves as each team repeatedly threatened but couldn’t score. That brings us the top of the seventh. Tyler Kneller led off the inning with a double. Mike Pierro followed with a triple to put Chatham on top for the first time. Jamison Balich would follow with a pop fly that the Chester right fielder couldn’t control and another run came home.

The bottom of the seventh ratcheted up the tension as Chester loaded up the bases. Thorsen hit his pitch limit and stepped aside for reliever Tate VanAlstyne, the previous game’s grand slam hero. And he didn’t disappoint here either, striking out the last batter to clinch the victory.

Chatham players poured onto the field and I chased after, getting all the photos I could, all while struggling to keep my own emotions under control. Not that anyone would have minded, there were more than a few tears of joy shed on the field and in the stands. It didn’t get easier as the celebration moved off the field and the players were joined by family and friends. Watching parent after parent hug their child, overcome with pride at what they accomplished was wonderful. You could almost feel the hundreds and thousands of hours these parents spent watching their child make their way up from T-ball to the pinnacle of high school sports. And I can actually sum that up with this video I shot ten years ago, which features at least one of these champions.

When I wrote the line “Before they were stars,” I was making a joke because I had just watched a practice with next to no baseball skills in evidence. Turns out I was a lot more accurate than I thought. Practice did, in fact, make them stars. Anyway, enough rambling. It was a wonderful moment. Here’s the evidence.