West University Little League
Recent Minor A News
A nut, or maybe not ...
Yes, it is a nut. A small, shiny dark brown one, with a light tan patch, that comes from the official state tree of Ohio, the buckeye tree.
According to folklore, the Buckeye resembles the eye of a deer (a buck's eye) and carrying one is said to bring good luck.
The "Buckeye State" has been the official Ohio State nickname since 1950, as the "Lone Star State" is ours, but "Buckeye" had been in common use for many years before to describe the people who lived in the territory of what now is known as Ohio.
The first recorded use of the term Buckeye to refer to a resident of the area was in 1788, some 15 years before Ohio became a state. It started with a man, Col. Ebenezer Sproat, who had fought valiantly in The Revolutionary War, and was a friend of the then General George Washington, who was to become the first President of the United States a few months later, in 1789.
A towering man, 6'4" tall, with a large girth and swashbuckling mannerisms, Col. Sproat had led the legal delegation at the first court session of the Northwest Territory that year, the court seated in what is now Marietta, Ohio, a city which he had founded.
The Indians in attendance greeted him with approving shouts of "Hetuck, Hetuck" (the Indian word meaning, literally, "eye of the buck" but actually referring to the strong and hearty buckeye trees of the region) because they were impressed by his stature and manner.
Col. "Buckeye" Sproat soon took to the nickname (who wouldn't, really, if you were named Ebenezer?), proudly carrying it for the rest of his life, and the name gradually spread to his companions and to other local settlers. By the 1830s, writers were commonly referring to Ohioans as "Buckeyes."
So, the battling batters and becleated baggers of Buckeyes Baseball are either a bunch of nuts, though perhaps luck-bringing ones at that, or a band of strong and hearty, swashbuckling shellackers, on diamond and field.
Or ... maybe they're both. Nothing wrong with playing strong and being lucky.
Where The 'eyes have it!
Welcome to Buckeyes Baseball and our new website, hosted by our very own West U Little League. We hope you"ll spend a moment or two familiarizing yourself with Buckeyes Baseball via the site, where you'll have access to all kinds of information, from our roster to our game schedule to game and team stats, and where you can post your own comments, too.
Our Mission: To do our individual and team best at each practice and game, to improve our skills throughout the season, and to have huge fun along the way. And, of course, to give our opponents a tough run for their money in each and every game — one hit, one base, one run at a time, while respecting them and the game of baseball.
Ticket Policy: We are aware of the limited seating at Buckeyes games and the ever-increasing seat demand, and are currently negotiating with TicketMaster to resolve some of these issues going forward. Until then, unfortunately we've had to reduce our player-comp tickets to 10 per family, the players' siblings not counted in the ticket limit, at least for now. We apologize for this inconvenience but, as you know, we also owe a duty to the fans at large, and hope that our players and their families will understand.
Parking Policy: Currently, we have no reserved parking for Buckeyes Baseball games, but are working with the authorities to secure at least enough spaces for our players and families. Given the first-come, first-serve parking for now, we'd encourage everyone to arrive a few hours before each game and do some serious tailgating, where the players and coaches might gain sustenance before their contests on the field.
Coming soon ... the Buckeyes Baseball Store: To answer the overwhelming requests from our growing fan base, Buckeyes Baseball will soon be announcing the grand opening of its online store, offering team hats, jerseys, player-autographed bats, balls, baseball cards and photos and, yes, player-sanctioned bobbleheads, not to mention many many more awesome new Buckeyes products in the weeks and months ahead. All profits from sales will go to the Buckeyes Baseball Foundation, benefiting GameStop, LazerQuest, Skeeters, Fuzzy's, Pink's Pizza and Dave & Busters, to name but a few worthy recipients. So, as they say, stay tuned.
Thanks for visiting our site and, again, welcome to Buckeyes Baseball, where ... The 'eyes have it! ™
