This is a story about a hitter, a fielder and a college graduate with a video camera who captured a play that has been seen internationally on ESPN and the Internet.
The setting was last Wednesday’s District 13 Little League championship game between rivals Tri-Village Little League National and Colonie Little League a game ultimately won by TVLL 8-6 in seven innings.
TVLL had taken a 2-0 lead on Conor Costello’s two-run home run in the second inning and was looking for more. The Bethlehem-based team had two runners on base with two outs when Mike Graves strode to the plate. Graves made good contact with the ball and drove the ball to the deepest part of the West Albany Little League field.
It sounded good and had a good feeling to it, so I thought it was gone,` said Graves.
Colonie center fielder Jordan Johnson started running back to the fence, watching the ball all the way. As he neared the fence, Johnson leapt and leaned his body backwards just as the ball was descending.
`I didn’t know where the fence was,` said Johnson. `I just knew it was going to be a tough catch.`
Johnson timed his leap perfectly. The ball hit his glove just as his body hit the fence. Though his momentum caused Johnson to lean halfway over the fence, he never let go of the ball ` robbing Graves of a home run.
`I reached first base, I looked up and saw Jordan Johnson make the catch,` said Graves. `If there was one person on that team, it was Jordan Johnson who was going to make a great catch.`
`I’ve been involved in Little League for 18 years, and it was the most tremendous catch I’ve ever seen,` said Colonie manager Mark Rowland.
As soon as he collected the ball, Johnson started running toward Colonie’s dugout, receiving congratulatory high fives from several teammates as he jogged toward the infield. But as he neared second base, he got another high five ` from Graves.
`I was just running around, and he (Graves) said, ‘Nice catch.’ I wasn’t expecting that,` said Johnson.
`When you make a great catch like that, you just have to (congratulate the other player),` said Graves.
Graves didn’t even hesitate to congratulate Johnson. He jogged toward second base as soon as he saw the play and met Johnson there.
`I didn’t even say, ‘Mike, go shake his hand,’` said TVLL National manager Fred Powers. `To me, that’s the epitome of sports. He didn’t need to be reminded to appreciate a great play.`
The sequence of events would likely have been seen only by the players, coaches and parents that watched the game had a 21-year-old recent Liberty University graduate named Bill Monthie not been there with his video camera. Monthie, who had just earned a bachelor’s degree in video broadcasting, was filming the game for Colonie since his younger brother Ned was a player on the team.
`I knew (Johnson) had the ball in his sights by the look in his eyes, but what I didn’t know was it was going to be a home run,` said Monthie. `So, I see him go over the fence and make the play. I was shocked.`
When Monthie got home, he isolated the play, added a slow-motion replay of the catch and created a file that he e-mailed to every Capital District TV station. When it arrived at Capital News 9, the station contacted Johnson and brought him into its newsroom to tape an interview.
Station assistant news director Mary Rozak said that she also mentioned the highlight during her daily conversation with producers at CNN, which wound up asking for a copy of the video. Several hours later, ESPN called and asked for a copy, which wound up airing on several of its programs including `First Take,` `Baseball Tonight` and SportsCenter, where it was the No. 1 play of the day.
`In the span of 24 hours, it was all over the world,` said Monthie. `I never expected to have something I shot viewed by people all over the world.`
Johnson and Graves couldn’t believe the play wound up being No. 1 on SportsCenter’s `Top Ten Plays` list.
`I was very excited. It was like the icing on the cake,` said Johnson.
`I was just amazed and at the same time happy because if he didn’t make the catch, none of us would have wound up on ESPN,` said Graves.
Johnson’s catch looked like it was also going to be a momentum changer, as Colonie rallied to tie the game at 2 and then take a 6-5 lead on Liam Rowland’s grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning. But TVLL National’s Sam Powers belted a solo home run in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 6, and Peter Africano doubled in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Graves added an RBI single for an insurance run.
`Our kids didn’t fold (after Rowland’s grand slam), and they came back,` said Fred Powers.
It’s the third year in a row that a TVLL team has beaten a Colonie Little League team in the district tournament. TVLL National also defeated Colonie 14-13 in a preliminary round game this year.
`It’s been a competition for the two teams the last three years,` said Mark Rowland. `Every year, we play them right to the end.`
But it’s not every year that a catch like that takes place and is videotaped for all posterity. And for that, Graves and Johnson are thankful.
`I think I’m going to remember it for a very long time. It’s not everyday you can be on ESPN,` said Graves.
Of course, Johnson might have had a fonder memory of the play if things worked out differently on the scoreboard.
`I’d rather take the win than the catch any day,` he said.“
