Memories

Sports Illustrated recently had a feature about Chris Drury of the Buffalo Sabres, and what makes him a winner. I had the pleasure of covering Drury in the 1989 Little League World Series when his Trumbull, Conn., upset Taiwan for the title. It was the first LLWS I covered. The SI story talks about what a fierce competitor Drury is, and I saw it firsthand.

One day, I was chatting with Chris while Taiwan was playing one of its mid-week games. The conversation turned to the Taiwanese. Chris, gazing at them from atop the hill behind centerfield at the LLWS complex, commented with absolute disdain, "They think they're going to win. F*ck them." There was no false bravado in his voice, just honest confidence.

At that moment, I believed Trumbull had a chance. When I reported to others in the press section that I thought Trumbull could win it all, it was dismissed as the thoughts of a rookie reporter who didn't understand the Taiwan machine.

Chris has been one of my favorite athletes since that day on the hill.