It’s been less than a year since 12-year-old Ricky Smith’s grandfather, Mike Smith, died. Growing up in Cooperstown, New York, made Mike an avid Yankees fan and a lover of baseball in general, a gene that later trickled its way into Ricky’s blood, too.
Ricky, a seventh grader at Tommie Kunst Jr. High School, pitches and bats left-handed, often plays first and outfield, and leads his little league team in home runs this season, according to his dad, also named Ricky Smith.
When he’s not playing little league, Ricky plays for Tigers Club Baseball, a traveling team based in San Luis Obispo that is headed to Cooperstown at the end of July for a national baseball tournament. Cooperstown is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and it’s where Ricky’s grandpa was born and raised.
“We said, ‘Wow, what a coincidence,'” Ricky’s dad said. He knew they had to find a way to attend the tournament.
But the trip won’t be cheap, and Ricky’s dad said he plans to raffle off a custom-built glider bench (pictured) in an effort to raise money for the trip. Ricky and his dad are selling three raffle tickets for $10. For more information, call (805) 878-0958.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 3, 2018.
