SEDALIA DEMOCRAT

Who are those kids pretending to be the Bombers?

By JOHN HANSEN

JUNE 29, 2013

They wore powder blue jerseys and white pants, with the Sedalia “S” displayed on their shirts and baseball caps. But fans may have noticed the Bombers who took the field on Saturday at Liberty Park Stadium for the junior Legion wood bat tournament were a few years younger than the more well-known Sedalia Bombers of the MINK League.

That’s because these were the junior Bombers — the Mid-Mo Bombers to be precise — a first-year squad of 15- and 16-year-olds who are sponsored by manager Jud Kindle’s elder Bombers.

“We got started late; we weren’t sure if we were gonna do this team or not,” said manager Jaric Reid before Saturday’s game against Chillicothe (the Cardinals, not the Mudcats). “Jud and I put it together at the last minute.”

The Mid-Mo Bombers — who play in the United States Specialty Sports Association-sanctioned BC Baseball League — have some players who didn’t make the cut for the Sedalia Rick Ball Ford Post 642 Juniors, and some who couldn’t make a full commitment to junior Legion baseball. The Juniors will play about 40 games, whereas the Bombers will play about 30.

Tipton’s baseball field would be the Mid-Mo Bombers’ home, but they actually haven’t played a home game this year. Also because of the late schedule-making, the Bombers don’t have the Juniors on their slate, but they could theoretically meet in Sunday’s first-place or third-place game.

“It’d be cool for the town,” Reid said of a Juniors-Bombers matchup. “We have a lot of local kids, and I think it’d be cool for the crowd. That’d be a fun atmosphere.”

It would also lead to an odd rivalry. The Bombers have five players from Sacred Heart (Reid is also the Gremlins skipper), three from Tipton, four from Knob Noster and one from Smith-Cotton. Those schools are also represented on the Juniors. So there would be a lot of teammate versus teammate matchups going on, and in one case, a battle of twin brothers — Sam Kindle plays for the Bombers and Jake Kindle is on the Juniors.

The Bombers’ roster makes for odd alliances, too. After all, Sacred Heart and Tipton are huge Kaysinger Conference rivals during the school year in every sport.

However, pitcher and shortstop Chance Spangler, of Sacred Heart, said the fact that they’re wearing the same jersey brings everyone together — Gremlins and Cardinals unite under the Bombers banner.

“I’ve played with some of them in the past; I’ve played against some of them in the past,” Spangler said of his Bombers teammates. “We’re just out here having fun; we’re not really rivals. We’re just trying to get together to win some games.”

The Bombers have had some success this year, taking second place in the Independence junior Legion tournament, and winning their opener in the wood-bat tournament on Friday. But the main point of the team is to give kids more playing time.

“I tried out for the junior Legion team and didn’t make it,” said first baseman and pitcher Sam Kindle, Jud’s second cousin and Mid-Mo’s lone Smith-Cotton representative. “And my dad told me about this, because I’m related to Jud, and I got involved. I like it a lot better. I get to play, because we don’t have near as many kids.”

While the Mid-Mo Bombers would be considered underdogs against the Juniors, they shouldn’t be counted out.

After all, they do have that “S” on their chests. In fact, some of the jerseys are hand-me-downs from the elder Bombers. Also, Jud Kindle lets the youths use his baseball academy’s facility as part of his informal sponsorship of the squad. (The Sedalia Bombers don’t fund the Mid-Mo Bombers, aside from jersey donations. The youths pay a fee at the start of the year, which covers league and tournament costs.)

When asked if he takes pride in the Sedalia Bombers connection, Reid said: “Absolutely. And I hope the players have pride in it, too. Some players who have worn these jerseys have been drafted and played in the majors.”

“It’s a big name to live up to,” said Sam Kindle, who regularly attends Sedalia Bombers games as a fan. “It’s really just cool to wear (the uniform). I’ll tell people I’m on the Bombers and they’ll say ‘The college kids?’ I’m like ‘No, the 16-year-olds.’ ”