A first-year manager enjoys championship season

By Tom Verducci

Editor's note: We asked SI.com writers to share their memories from the best game they've ever seen. Here are their stories:

	SI's Tom Verducci (center) managerial debut proved memorable thanks to a magical rally. Courtesy of Tom Verducci
	Best Game I've Ever Seen RELATED: Click here to read all the essays REACT: What's the best game you've ever seen?

Dreams do come true just often enough, as movie studios, jewelers and toy stores remind you. Think of Ralphy, the kid in A Christmas Story, as our proxy for the wish fulfilled. His BB gun was my Electric Football or tabletop rod hockey game. Is there anything better than finally getting what you wished for? Yes. It is the completely unexpected gift, the one you never saw coming.

I enjoyed an entire summer of such a gift as the manager of my son Ben's 10-year-old travel team. It was my first summer managing and the kids, culled from three previous teams, had never played together before. We went 37-2 on our way to the regional semifinal game, where a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning put us six outs away from the end of our baseball summer.

We had hit a total of exactly one home run the entire summer, so getting back into the game with quick strikes was out of the question. In the third-base coaching box, I hoped that with the top of our lineup due, we could scratch out a run or two and see how our opponents reacted. What happened next never had occurred to me and, because this was my team and my son and these boys were at the sweet spot of childhood -- the wonder years, before cynicism grows -- it made this the greatest game I ever saw.

Our first batter hit a home run, the first of his life. The next batter, my son Ben, whacked a double off the centerfield fence that just missed going out. The next batter singled. The next batter hit a home run, the first of his life. Just like that -- home run, double, single, home run. We held a 4-3 lead we would not lose. We won the championship game, too, earning a trip to the Ripken World Series in Lafayette, La., with a 39-2 record. I'll never forget the smiles on the kids' faces, especially on those who were taking the first home run trots of their lives. I felt such pride and happiness for my son, and I was deeply grateful to share these times with him.

I've been fortunate enough to watch many, many games over the years in which baseball teams proved that as long as you have even one out left you have a chance. Time is never of the essence. No one can run out the clock in baseball. You don't have to pray you'll get the ball back with enough time left. The moments that stand out? Dave Henderson's home run and Bill Buckner's error in 1986. Kirk Gibson's home run in 1988. Kirby Puckett's home run in 1991. Joe Carter's home run in 1993 (which landed only about 20 feet away from me). Luis Gonzalez's broken-bat single to win the 2001 World Series.

All great moments, to be sure. I was there for all of them. But they hold no personal pleasure for me. As an adult, I never have been a fan of any team. I have no investment in the outcome any game. The game itself is the thrill for me.

As a manager last summer, however, it all changed, especially that one day when being down by three runs with six outs to go didn't mean the end to our season. It was better than a dream come true.

To read all of the Best Game entries, click here.