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And now, batting lead-off . . . Greg made his "little league" debut in 2003, playing for the Edgemont Panthers as part of Greenburgh Rec. Greg batted over .500, led his team in RBIs and played second base and centerfield, but the poor Panthers were 0-8. It was, at times, a long season. 2004 saw a new version of the Panthers, with only Greg, Ben Darger and Tim McGee returning as players, and coaches Ken McGee and Geoff Loftus also back for more. 
The Panthers started the season the same as they had ended '03, losing their first two games. And then . . . They won 3 of their last 5, including a final game victory, 8-4, over the first place Edgemont Yankees. There was a lot at stake in this game, as the Yankees had beaten the Panthers twice before, and there had been some trash-talking in the school hallways. Everyone on the Panthers played well, including one player who had his first and only hit of the season. Greg, hit lead-off for the 3rd game in a row, going 2-3 with a RBI, and then . . . in the top of the last inning, with a man on first for the Yankees and one out, the batter scorched a line drive past the pitcher, the Yankees attempting to rally . . . Greg speared it, yanking it out of the air with his glove, then turning to first and flipping the ball to double-off the runner and saving a huge win for the Panthers! Greg was surrounded by cheering teammates who slapped his back and gave him high fives. It wasn't the World Series, but you couldn't have told that by the expressions on the faces of the players, the coaches or the cheering parents on the sidelines.
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