STATE EXTRA: Waynesboro fans proud of the Little Giants

By Corine Gatti

Published: June 6, 2008

PULASKI
With the heat index escalating to 100 degrees, Waynesboro fans took shelter beneath the covered grandstand at Calfee Park before the Little Giants and Indians met in the Group AA semifinals Friday morning.
Many in the crowd waved fans made out of baseball programs to stay cool while sitting in the rafters. But the heat did not defeat the purple-and-gold supporters — they managed to keep the cheers in high gear, in the humidity, even during the 15-3 bashing by the Indians.
“Whew, it’s hot,” said Waynesboro first baseman Josh Craig’s mother, Angie, during a break in the fourth inning. “But this is worth it. It has been a long way to get to this point. These boys have worked really hard, and to see them come back here was great for them because this is the last time for them.”
Many of the Little Giants have been playing together since T-ball, Angie Craig said. And moms, dads and grandparents have been coming out together to see their kids play all those years.
“We are like a big family,” Angie Craig said. “They have grown up together and the families became real close. We have graduation tomorrow and we will celebrate that together. It’s been a crazy week for moms. We’re running on pure adrenaline.”
For the Giants, this was the second trip to the historic Calfee Park for the Group AA semifinals — they lost to Hidden Valley here in 2007.
“We love coming to these games for our grandson, Eric [Hall],” said Shirley Hall, sitting next to her husband, Joe, a die-hard baseball fan. “Last year we were here. It’s a nice ballpark.”
“Nah, he can’t hit,” yelled Joe Hall, watching an Indian batter take the plate. His eyes then moved to Giants pitcher Jeremy Hahn. “Hahny, strike him out!”
Hahn allowed Nice to single, but that didn’t stop the Halls from being heard, nor the rest of the Giants’ backers. A deflated “oh” was muttered in the Little Giants section, but the applause came back just as strong on the next play.
The cheers of “Go, Giants” grew, and Joe Hall just continued from his last “strike-’em out” command.
“That’s OK. This batter can’t hit. Come on now,” he yelled.
In the bottom of the third, the Giants were behind 3-1, and another avid Giants fan was coaching from the bleachers in an effort to spark a rally.
“Oh yes, I like coming to these games. It’s exciting to watch,” said Craig’s grandmother, Dee Kerns. “I can really get into it.”
Many of the players’ families made sure the fans wouldn’t miss the action. On Monday, they rented a bus to drive to Abingdon for the quarterfinals.
“We try to get to all these games,” Angie Craig said. “It has been a great experience, I think, for all of us.”