Players take charge at Beckman World Series

The Rocks celebrate after winning the Beckman World Series Friday.

In this high school baseball tournament at Beckman High, the players ran the teams and the coaches sat in the dugout and took notes.

It was the annual Beckman World Series, which wrapped up summer baseball Friday for the Patriots.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo.

“We tried a new format with every team playing eight, three inning games,” said Beckman Coach Kevin Lavalle, who sat in a shady corner in one dugout to view the first game Friday along with assistant coach David Goldstein.

RELATED VIDEO: See Film Session below for Justin Goldstein interview.

“It was a lot of fun because the games were quick and competitive,” Lavalle said. “One of the things I have realized in the 11 years we have done this is that if we as adults and coaches just get out of the kids’ way, they will take anything and run with it. We ask our children to be leaders, and sometimes as adults we fail because we don’t give them enough opportunities to lead. Every year that we do this, I have been impressed with my teams ability to come together and simply enjoy the experience of playing baseball together.

“This year we had three teams, the Rocks, Papers, and Scissors. The seniors pick the theme, we buy them T-Shirts which they have to do the rest.”

The Rocks wound up defeating the Scissors to win the Upside-Down Vuvuzela Trophy, concluding the three-day event.

Just what is that trophy?

“Back in 2014 we decided that we needed a trophy and someone had brought a vuvuzela to the game, so we taped it to an aluminum can, slapped a sticker on it, and the rest is history,” said Lavalle, who prepared the field for play.

There were umpires,  a public address announcer and fans who showed up on a 90 degree day. And when it was over, the Rocks dog-piled on the field, similar to the dog-pile the varsity team did when it won the Pacific Coast League title in May.

“Myself and the other coaches sit back and watch,” Lavalle said. ” We evaluate and take notes, but mostly we just enjoy watching the kids play. This year all three of the managers did and excellent job. It’s enlightening to see them make a lineup and schedule all the innings for the pitchers. I think they learn a lot about themselves and each other.

“Then we clean up the field, go home, and pretend that we’re excited that we have a few weeks off. But, in reality, in a few days the kids and coaches will be bored and itching to get back on the field. It’s a lesson we learn every summer.”