Dan McEldowney and Mickey Stec love competing with and against each other, especially on the baseball diamond.
They do so as teammates in fall and summer ball, then as rivals during the high school season for small school powerhouses Park Ridge and Emerson, respectively.
“We’re always going back and forth,” McEldowney said. “Most strikeouts, ERA, wins … we bust each other on and off the field all the time, and it’s all in good fun.”
The competition between these two friends and pitchers has proven to be something special this season, considering the causes they have found a way to include in their varsity quest to be the best.
They also have managed to bring their coaches and teammates into the fray, linking two teams in Emerson and Park Ridge with an established tradition of doing everything they can to own a baseball rivalry that has them vying for the same league and State titles.
McEldowney and Stec together created Innings in Relief, a charity drive aimed at raising money for a pair of non-profit organizations based on the number of scoreless innings recorded by their respective pitching staffs.
They asked sponsors to donate a minimum of 10 cents per inning for every inning their teams hold an opponent scoreless. Park Ridge had posted 84 scoreless innings entering Tuesday’s action while Emerson is at 82 and counting.
“We all want to win,” Stec said. “We love baseball, so why not do something and help people by doing what we love. If we pitch well, everybody wins.”
You can’t help but marvel at the perspective gained for everyone involved along the way.
Emerson is playing for Nova Hope for Haiti, an Emerson-based organization tasked with bringing urgent humanitarian aid to the people of Haiti.
Park Ridge will earmark its donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the name of Jimmy Karpowich, whose father, Jim, is the pitching coach at Park Ridge. Jimmy Karpowich was diagnosed with diabetes last month.
“When I step on the mound, the main priority is to keep my team in the game and do whatever I can to help them win,” Stec added. “So obviously, if you throw scoreless innings, that’s great for the team.
“Scoreless innings means money for our charities, too – it’s the best of both worlds.”
For Stec and McEldowney, the idea of giving back was generated by a sense of community – partially brought about by their involvement in the process of applying for colleges. Once approval for Innings in Relief was granted by school officials, players on both teams sought sponsorships and the response was promising.
“Every college asks about community service, and it’s sort of drilled into their heads after a while,” said Dan McEldowney, Sr. “Both Dan and Mickey are juniors, and this is a big year for a lot of things. It’s a big year for grades, a big year for ball and a big year to show colleges their interest in the community, too.
“Everything sort of just clicked for them, and I think once they came up with the idea, they’ve tried to help as much as they could.”
Stec chose Nova Hope for Haiti not only because of its mission, but also for its connection to Emerson baseball – executive director Colette McDermott’s son Mickey played for the Cavos.
For McEldowney and the Owls, their connection to Karpowich was an obvious one.
“For all the complaints we hear about kids nowadays, there are a lot more good ones out there than negative ones,” Jim Karpowich said, “and this is proof of that. These kids at Park Ridge and Emerson are really embracing the idea of doing something great for others.”
Emerson and Park Ridge also have done well in the standings.
By ART STAPLETON
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