MORGAN PARK — Win or lose, the Jackie Robinson West Little Leaguers are an inspiration and example of the what the South Side of Chicago is made of.
At least that's what's Francis Bruce, 59, of Morgan Park was going to tell her grandson DJ Butler over the phone after the 13-2, four-inning loss to Las Vegas Sunday in the Little League World Series winners bracket game in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
"I'll tell DJ, 'don't give up — you're a fighter. They always count us out,'" Bruce said after the watch party at Jackie Robinson Park, 10540 S. Morgan St.
The defeat sends the Morgan Park-based squad into a must-win game against Cumberland, Rhode Island, 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN2 in the double-elimination tournament. Another viewing party is scheduled at Jackie Robinson Park for the game, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Sunday.
“Jackie Robinson West has shown us before they know how to come back and dig their heels in when they're down — and I have faith that they'll do it again when they take the field again Monday,” Emanuel said. “These events have been embraced by the community, so we're bringing back the Jumbotron to Jackie Robinson Park to allow Chicagoans to watch the game together on Monday.”
Bruce was surrounded by hundreds of supporters rallying around the South Side kids to cheer on her grandson and his father Darold Butler, the team's coach. Among the supporters were Gov. Pat Quinn, Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) and Bruce's 89-year-old mother, who sat beside her.
"It really brings the community together, don't it?" Bruce said seconds after watching a long home run fly over the head of her grandson on the giant screen. "This is so historical. They'll never get this opportunity again."
A few feet back from Bruce, Beale sat intently viewing the game at the watch party, which felt more like a picnic, with homemade food in coolers and dancing between innings despite the somber mood following the first-inning grand slam by Las Vegas' Brad Stone.
"What you see here is a group of 12-year-old kids galvanizing a community. They're accomplishing a dream come true. We want them to know that we support them," Beale said gazing up from his chair at the giant screen over the center field gate.
Beale hoped the watch party and outpouring of support from the community would "rekindle baseball on the South Side," not strictly for the advancement of the support, but for what it offers children in the community.
"What it does is show [the kids] violence is not the answer, you can get into a constructive program," Beale said. "We have wonderful opportunities on the South Side, but they have to get involved."
Quinn was greeted by a throng of attendees eager to shake his hand as he tried to pump up the crowd while the team attempted to dig itself out of a 10-run deficit.
"I think it's really, really important as a family in Illinois to support the family at Jackie Robinson West, all the moms and dads, all the relatives and friends, who are supporting the team," Quinn said Sunday. "We're all in this together. This is Illinois' team, Jackie Robinson West, and if Jackie Robinson was here today, he'd be so proud of these young men and how they play the game."
For Ro Coleman, 42, the whole experience brought back some of his fondest memories playing for the last Jackie Robinson League team to earn a world series berth back in 1983.
"It all started here," Coleman said, pointing to the fresh dirt surrounding the mound at Jackie Robinson Park. "Growing up, if you wanted to play [baseball], you played J-R-Dub [a nickname for Jackie Robinson West]."
Coleman said the world series experience was one of the greatest of his life. His teammates became lifelong friends, and the trip to South Williamsport was his first airplane trip and helped introduce him to the rest of the world.
When Coleman and the rest of the team returned after their trip to the world series they celebrated with a parade through the streets of Chicago.
But when this team returns, Coleman expects the celebration to be even bigger because "the whole city will embrace them."
"It can do so much for their confidence and show them they can do whatever they want," Coleman said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
