By Ed Piper, Jr.
Something this reporter had never seen before occurred just prior to La Jolla's tournament game at Steele Canyon Fri., March 24: a standoff between players remaining on the foul line after the playing of the National Anthem.
Once the recording of the "Star Spangled Banner" ended, Viking and Steele Canyon players and coaches doffing their caps out of respect, they replaced their caps. But the two teams' players remained along the painted foul lines, the Cougars along the first base line in front of the home dugout, La Jolla players on the third base line.
The two umpires looked a little befuddled as the Steele Canyon starters took their positions to start the top of the first inning, yet Cougar players not in the starting lineup and most or all of the Vikings not budging an inch. Steele Canyon starter Tyler Luban threw his eight warm-pitches, the players on the lines standing like tin soldiers a short distance away.
Third baseman Brandon Navarro was taking practice grounders from first baseman Trevor Dickey only feet away from the Viking "tin soldiers".
Spectators looked at each other, wondering what was going on. Coaches in the Viking dugout did the same.
The umpires approached the remaining players, imploring them to leave the field. Several from both sides peeled away, until finally only one player on each side remained on the foul lines.
Yered Teodosio, a reserve second baseman for the Vikings, steadfastly stayed in place in front of his team's dugout. The plate umpire walked to his Cougar counterpart on the opposite side and told him to clear the field. He reluctantly did so.
That left the triumphant Teodosio the only man standing. "It was a standoff," said the 5'4" junior, obviously pleased at his apparent moral victory. "Yeah, I was the last one."
Teodosio, retired to the dugout, switched to taking up his game duties keeping the team scorebook.
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