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Friday, Aug. 21, 2009

James Burns: Mailbag -- connecting with Kam

School is back in session, which means prep sports are coming with hurricane force, which means the slowest part of our year is officially over.

To make way for the chaos of the fall sports season, I'll start here: Cleaning out the in-box, wiping the slate clean.

Here's the last of the summer e-mails:

ITEM 1: Connecting with Kameron.

One lady wanted to mow the family's lawn.

Another wanted to cook a breakfast, a lunch or a dinner -- whatever the family requested.

A few more simply wanted to let the family know that they're reading, hoping and praying for a boy they've never even met -- Kameron Huddleston, the 19-year-old local football star who is on life support at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno.

All of them wanted to know how they could reach the Huddlestons.

Like a phone number.

Or an e-mail address.

Sorry, that's not our call as a newspaper.

But we can offer you an alternative.

We know the family is reading the updates online, and to that point, they appreciate the well wishes and prayers that have accompanied each and every story and column. The outpouring of support from the community has been beyond tremendous.

Randy Huddleston, Kameron's father, wants to write a "Thank you" letter, but given the volume of support, he simply doesn't know where to start.

Here's the solution: www.mercedsunstar.com/kameronhuddleston.

It's a blog spot for the readers to engage the Huddleston family, and vice versa.

Hope this helps.

ITEM 2: His name is the stuff of Major League Baseball legend: Jimmie Foxx Conlin.

But save for two years of lower-level baseball at Merced High, Conlin's career never took off.

He played softball after graduation, staying in touch with the game his grandfather -- Hall of Famer Jimmie Fox -- helped make famous.

But when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1990s, Conlin's playing days were numbered.

"It's affected me quite a bit. Had to retire from my job," Conlin said. "The simplest things like throwing a baseball, I can't do that anymore."

Not true.

Conlin had one pitch left in him -- and it would have made his namesake proud.

The 1976 Merced High grad, who now lives in Angels Camp, was picked by the Oakland A's organization to throw out the ceremonial first pitch last Sunday.

The game was played in honor of the 1929 world championship Philadelphia A's, a team Foxx starred for.

"It was surreal," Conlin said. "I stood out there in awe. Looking at the field and all those players in their throwback uniforms, it reminded me of the movie 'Field of Dreams.' "

Unable to throw right-handed because of his illness, Conlin practiced throwing lefty for two weeks.

With his crutches laying on the infield grass, his throw came out straight and true, popping the mitt of A's pitcher Jay Marshall.

"The catcher said, 'Hey, I didn't have to move my mitt.' I was very surprised," Conlin said.

"I was shocked I got it over the plate -- and I didn't bounce it."

If Foxx were still alive, Conlin said Grandpa might have smiled at the display and then...

Yanked the meatball pitch over the outfield wall.

"That would have went way far," Conlin quipped. "It was slow, really slow, but it was a strike. That's all I cared about."

ITEM 3: Merced doesn't have a team in the Little League World Series, which begins today in Williamsport, Pa., but it will have a legacy.

Mike Bega pitches and plays third base for the European champions, the Kaiserslautern Military Community All-Stars.

The team is comprised of American players, whose families are stationed at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Bega is the son of former Atwater water polo player Mike Bega, now enlisted in the Army.

The younger Bega helped KMC clinch the European crown with an RBI single in a 10-0 victory over the Ukraine.

Europe opens the World Series today against Asia-Pacific at noon.

The game will be shown on ESPN.

James Burns is sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.