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Sports All-star action heats up in La Grande
All-star action heats up in La Grande
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 Shortstop Brandy Blackman monitors the infield situation Saturday at Sam Marcum Field. Observer photo/BRUCE MASON As they chanted in dugouts, cheered on their teammates, and donned their jerseys, caps and mitts, little did they know, they were leaving even larger marks somewhere else, somewhere their young eyes could not see, but somewhere they could definitely touch. Hearts. Big hearts. On parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who were proudly and lovingly watching this All-Star Softball Tournament, ignoring the heat, absorbing the moment. “We really support the kids — always have,” Milton-Freewater grandpa, Howard Kralman, said, who, along with grandma Liz Kralman, sat on third-baseline lawnchairs and ate cherries at New Girls Field, watching their burgundy-jerseyed grandkids swing at pitches. “It’s wonderful they put on these deals for the kids.” Across the complex at Sam Marcum Field was Raymond Dickenson, wearing a blue T-shirt reading, “Emma’s Great- Grandpa,” across the back. The shirt was a reference to Emma Travis, who played for the hometown La Grande Tigers majors team as a fourth-generation family member.
 La Grande parents, grandparents and kids eye the action on Sam Marcum Field. Must feel special for that great-grandpa. “It feels pretty good,” said Dickenson, 78, between jokes and laughter through his quick wit, even referring to himself as mediocre despite the “great” on his backside. “(Emma’s) doing great.” So was Madison Elliott, as her loved ones watched from their special section near the Tigers’ dugout at that same field. Elliott wore her powder blue flyer cap and dark blue jersey, while mother, Lynn and father, Jeff watched this 12-year-old pitch underhand from the mound. “It’s nerve-wracking,” Lynn Elliott, 37, said. “You want them to do well, and hope that they will.” Grandmother, Linda Elliott, 61, is familiar with such hope. Years ago, she watched her son, Jeff, play at this same complex as a little leaguer. And now, both mother and son sit behind the backstop together, as the next generation keeps their hearts warm. “I love it,” Elliott said. “You still have the same feelings. “They’re our heart and soul.”
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