Little League GIANTby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 22 Aug 2006 03:32 PM Have you been following the Little League World Series? You don't have to have a little slugger in your family to appreciate what's taking place on the field between these amazingly adept YOUNG athletes. It is truly a sight to see. Though, what may be attracting the most stares is a single little leaguer who towers over the competition. Aaron Durley, a 13-year-old first baseman for Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, stands an imposing 6-foot-8 and weighs 256 pounds. Personally, I think his size is a better fit for the NCAA Basketball Tournament than the Little League World Series... and it seems others agree. "I was standing next to him and I was up to his elbows," Scott Kingery, a 12-year-old, 4-foot-9 Phoenix shortstop, said after meeting Durley. According to a Pennsylvania newspaper (the Little League World Series is being played in South Williamsport), Durley has become as much of an attraction as the pool, the ping pong table and the video arcade in the dorms where the players are staying. A manager from an opposing team told newspaper reporters that he watched Durley attract attention while he was standing on a porch near a path to the cafeteria. "About four teams came through, and everyone wanted to know how tall he was," the manager said. "He said 'About 6-foot-8' about 40 times in a row." Even so, reports say that the soft-spoken Durley doesn't mind the attention. He even lets opponents snap pictures with him during down time. Even the ones who already have pictures of him from last year. Durley played at the series last year, too-when he was a mere 6-foot-4. Durley plays for his Arabian American squad from Dhahran (Arabian American is a fixture at the World Series, having qualified the last seven years, and 12 of the last 13. The players' parents primarily work for oil companies in the Middle East). Aaron's mother told reporters that her son didn't understand how much taller he was than most kids until he stayed at the Little League dorms last year... and now he just takes his size in stride. "He's been reared to say that the only thing you can control is your behavior. You can't control what other people think," she said. If fans weren't thinking about Durley's size it may be because they were distracted by the matching hair dos of the entire Arabian American team - the players recently dyed their hair blond for the World Series. Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantpopular culture tags User Comments  Libby Pelham |
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