NAME: Michael Leavitt

NUMBER: 13

AGE: 46

POSITION: Catcher, 1st Base, 3rd Base, Shortstop, 2nd Base, Center Field, Left Field, and Right Field (I never did get to pitch when I was young, although I always practiced and dreamed of the day that the coach would call out my name).

YEARS PLAYING: Decades of baseball and softball

PREVIOUS TEAMS: Glassell Park Cardinals, Campbell State Bank, Campbell All Stars, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, lots of community teams.

FAVORITE MLB TEAM: I was raised on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. No other teams mattered to me when I was young. I vividly remember going to Dodgers’ Stadium and seeing the huge green field from high in the stands. I always took my glove even though we sat way too high for any ball to ever reach us. I always had the hope that a foul-tipped ball would make it all the way to me.

I used to spend summers in Missouri and I would listen to the Cardinal games with my Grandpa Bob on those hot summer nights. A couple of times each summer, Grandpa would take us to the now retired Busch Stadium to see the Cardinals play. That stadium was gorgeous with the St. Louis Arch clearly seen beyond the right field end of the stadium. Oh, how I miss those summers when the days were long and the grass was so green! There was nothing like oiling up your glove at night and heading out with your friends in the morning to hit and chase balls dreaming that one day I would be suited up and playing for the Dodgers and pitching against my Cardinals.

FAVORITE MLB PLAYER: In my youth, I loved Wes Parker. He played first base for the Dodgers. I also loved Brookes Robinson who was a Golden Glove third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles. Watching him dive for line drive shots made my heart race as we would then go out and try to recreate the diving catches.

I also loved some of the St. Louis Cardinals players from that time. First of all, I admired Lou Brock because he was so fast when he was stealing the bases. Joe Torre was also an awesome Cardinals catcher and home run hitter long before he was a coach for the New York Yankees and now the LA Dodgers. Bob Gibson, also of the Cardinals, was my favorite pitcher because he would get the ball and immediately throw it. His games were fast and always under control... Wow, all this reminiscing makes me really miss my Grandpa Bob. He never was young enough to play ball with me, but he was always at my evening summer games and we loved to just talk baseball and listen to the St. Louis Cardinals on the AM radio. It is amazing how this sport bridges the gap between the old and the young.

The LA Dodgers’ long-time infield of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey also had a great impact upon me. They worked together as a team to make every infield play look like clockwork. It is the team that makes this sport a success. Sure there are shining moments for each player, but without the work of the team, it is all for naught.

GREATEST MOMENT IN BASEBALL: I am thinking back to my All-Star years that allowed me to play hard and to the best of my ability. I never hit a home run over the fence (although that was always my dream), yet I almost always got on base, stole my way around, and positioned myself to score. In those days, our games made it in the local papers and I just loved reading the accounts and reading my name (even though they always spelled it wrong - Levitt without the A). I remember our team winning the SE Missouri Regional championships in 1973-74. This was my first year to steal bases and face curve balls. I overcame my fear and helped my team win that trophy. I still remember the BBQ spare ribs restaurant dinner that was ours after the win. I have loved eating ribs ever since that summer season.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT IN BASEBALL: I’m going to have to think about that...... We say “Shake it off” dozens of times each game and I think that I have literally taken my own advice and shaken off the memory of all of the hundreds of bumbling errors that I must have made over the years on the diamond. I am also certain that some will come to me in the next few weeks and I will update my thoughts.

FAVORITE DREAM MOMENT IN BASEBALL:... Bottom of the 9th... I still long for the opportunity to hit one out of the park. That is why it was so fun to hit the ball over the big 40 ft. green fence at the Windsor fields in a Dodger’s 2007 practice. There is just something magical about the flight of a baseball as it heads out of the park. It seems to lift and float upwards forever. The feel of the ball exploding off the end of the bat is just so magical. When it happens, you don’t even have to be the one swinging the bat. The sound of the bat as it explodes and the ball starts sailing upwards and beyond just captures one’s soul as the ball heads over the fence.

I think that is why I will always remember the home run of the Dodgers’ Kurt Gibson back in the 1988 World Series as he faced the unhittable Dennis Eckersly of the Oakland A’s. The A’s were destined to stomp the Dodgers and by the 9th inning, it looked like they were going to succeed.  Then Tommy Lasorda called Kurt’s number even though he was hurt and barely able to limp to the plate. I vividly remember watching that game on TV and exploding with delight as he hit that ball over the right center fence. The A’s were demoralized and the Dodgers ended up taking the series. That was a dream moment that all boys, young men, and older men should have a chance to share at least once in their lives.

HOBBIES: Family, Backpacking, Fishing, Hiking, Baseball, Softball, and Basketball, which I like to play all through the year and hope to continue for years to come.

FAVORITE ICE CREAM: Daiquiri Ice with hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry from Baskin Robbins. Cold Stone’s French Vanilla with hot fudge, brownies, and strawberries is also a tasty experience.

CAREER: I am currently a Home Inspector. I never did pursue my young boy dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. I became too busy competing nationally in skateboarding back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

How has playing baseball made you a better person? Baseball has taught me patience and the ability to work with others. I would practice for hours when I was young with nothing more than a bat, ball, and my glove in the early morning sun. I would throw the ball against the wall and field it back against the wall. All the time I was doing this I would invent scenarios in my mind so that I would make the right play when game time came. It was important to me to get the right form and to be able to make every play possible. I did not view all of the practice as drudgery and instead turned it into a fun challenge with dreams of making the big plays in the real games. This type of attitude has carried through with me to this day. Hopefully it rubs off a bit on my young sons and the boys on our team.

What is the most challenging part about playing baseball? Baseball is a quest for perfection. Every player plays a different role on the team and they all have to work together in unity to pull off double plays, tag outs at home, and the elusive and rare triple play. The hard part is that you never know when it will happen. All that you can do is be ready when the chance places itself before you to perform.

I think often of the words of Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds. He was nicknamed “Mr. Hustle” and his famous quote was, “You practice the way you play!” He felt that he had to work hard every moment that he was on the field. He was also the first player that I ever saw who ran to first base after getting a walk. He did it just as fast as if he had hit a ground ball. He did this as a reminder that he was always ready to steal second base if the ball was somehow bobbled getting back to the pitcher. He also was the first player that I can remember who would dive and slide into first base while trying to beat out an infield hit. Mr. Hustle was the perfect title for him, and Pete Rose always will be an inspiration to me in the way we should play baseball.

What is the best thing a coach has either told you or said about you? I often heard that I had made a good hit or a good catch. I don’t remember any specific comments, although I am certain that I made some bonehead plays in my playing days as well.

What other information would you like to share about yourself? I love playing and coaching this game. I find myself standing out by third base and looking up at the beautiful blue sky and thinking how lovely it is to be at the ball field with my family. Winning or losing becomes secondary as I look at the green field under the evening lights and then look at the incredible sunset to the west and hope that my boys are having an equally great experience in their lives.

FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYINGS: “You got it... Take the next one for a ride... Hit away now.... C’mon... You got it!”