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 That's exactly what a 13-year-old Philadelphia girl named Mo'ne
Davis has done in this year's Little League World Series, where she
is dominating. But in her case, the phenomenon is stretching well
beyond the playing field.
All-Star Mike Trout of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels
has tweeted about her. So has National Basketball Association MVP
Kevin Durant. Replicas of her team's "Mid-Atlantic" jersey sold out
at the World Series stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Photos of Davis have adorned the front pages of newspapers in
Philadelphia and New York.
The right-hander with the calm demeanor, the smooth windup and the
70 mile-per-hour (113 km-per-hour) fastball gets her next shot under
the bright lights on Wednesday when her Philadelphia "Taney Dragons"
team, which represents the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States,
faces a team from Las Vegas, Nevada.
It will be tough to top her first two performances.
Davis pitched a 4-0 complete-game victory in Taney's opening game on
Friday, becoming the first girl to ever to toss a shutout in World
Series competition, an annual international tournament hosted by the
Little League organization.
Philadelphia's second game Sunday night - a dramatic 7-6
come-from-behind walk-off victory over Pearland, Texas - drew a 1.5
television rating, the largest recorded audience for
non-championship Little League game on ESPN2. In the Philadelphia
market, the game pulled a jaw-dropping 6.7 rating.
"The Taney Dragons have really taken the city by fire," Philadelphia
Mayor Michael Nutter said at a City Hall pep rally complete with
Philadelphia staples like soft pretzels, Tastykakes, a brand of
snack cakes, and the Phillie Phanatic mascot dancing to the theme
from "Rocky," a movie franchise set in the city.
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One fan held up a sign that read, "Mo'ne Throws Like a Girl!"
Joe Ritchie, who coached teams the past four years in the Taney Youth
Baseball Association, credits the team's popularity, in part, to its
racial and economic diversity.
"Largely, the folks that make it to the World Series are wealthy
suburban clubs," he said.
"They’ve got the fields. They've got the indoor practice facilities. We
did it differently," he said. "We play on these city fields. Finding
practice space is tough. The fields are generally not in great shape.
Sometimes you'll have to pick up glass."
Though Mo'ne is one of just 18 girls to have ever competed in the
history of the Little League World Series, being in the limelight has
clearly not gone to her head.
When an ESPN commentator asked her how she is dealing with all of the
interview requests, she said calmly: "I can always say, 'No.'"
(Reporting by Sean Landis; Editing by Frank McGurty, Steve Ginsburg and
Eric Beech)
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