Two kids stand in the backyard with a baseball glove and bat. It’s the bottom of the ninth, there are two outs, and the hitter is down to his last strike. Kids all across America grow up reenacting this situation as they dream of one day being on the big stage.

These days, baseball is a big business and kids grow up running their own fantasy baseball teams. They pick and choose their favorite players and compare stats to those of their friends. This trend has many young people looking at the game in a new way.

Craig Unger, a Gibault Catholic High School graduate and Waterloo native, is now the general manager of the Memphis Redbirds, who are the St. Louis Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate. The Redbirds serve as a final stop for most players before they reach the major leagues.

Unger’s baseball story starts as many have in the area; he played T-ball for the Waterloo Sports Association. Sponsored by a local ice cream shop, Unger remembers stopping by for a refreshing snack after each game. He continued to play into high school, but…>>>

Read the rest of this story in the July 15 issue of the Republic-Times. If you don’t already receive the paper, you can subscribe by calling 939-3814 or clicking here, or pick up a copy at any of these locations.