Season13 Episode16 with the original Sandlot Crew from Lincoln Illinois.The Original Sandlot Crew: Where It All Began Long before careers, businesses, college degrees, championships and retirement, there was a group of kids in Lincoln, Illinois, who shared something much more important—the Sandlot. They didn’t have organized baseball every day. They didn’t need perfect fields, expensive equipment or even a full team. They simply found a place to play. Within roughly a mile radius of their neighborhood, the original Sandlot crew turned backyards, front yards, open lots, elementary school fields, junior high fields, high school fields and college fields into baseball diamonds. They played wherever they could, whenever they could, with however many people showed up—and they played for as long as they could. Those games became more than baseball. They became a classroom. The Sandlot taught them how to compete, how to solve problems, how to be creative, how to work with different personalities, how to handle winning and losing, how to lead, how to communicate and, perhaps most importantly, how to figure things out on their own. Decades later, the members of that original Sandlot crew took those lessons into very different lives. Kendal Hurley spent 35 years at State Bank of Lincoln. Starting as a teller and working in bookkeeping and virtually every aspect of bank operations, Kendal eventually became Assistant Cashier, then IT Director, and ultimately Vice President and Cashier. One of his proudest accomplishments came long before most people were thinking about computers: using one of the bank’s two Apple III computers, he taught himself how to automate financial reporting, create worksheets and improve inventory and operational systems—all without formal training. Ty Miller took a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri and turned it into a successful career in medical-device sales and sales leadership. Along the way, he built a 36-year marriage with his wife Bonnie, raised two sons, Ben and Max, and became a father-in-law to Morgan and Alexia. Now, Ty and his family are preparing to welcome the next generation, with Max and Lex expecting their first child—and Ty and Bonnie’s first grandchild. Phil Bowers went on to become a successful Central Illinois business owner, building a career around entrepreneurship and business. Caleb Miller became an entrepreneur and business builder, developing businesses, products and new opportunities while maintaining a focus on family, personal growth, fitness and making an impact beyond simply making money. Stan Werner took his competitive instincts from the Sandlot to Division I college basketball and later built a successful career in sales before retiring at just 53. Chris Gober continued the athletic path professionally as a collegiate baseball player and then spent two decades at St. Charles Community College in St. Charles, Missouri. He served as head baseball coach for 15 years while also serving as Athletic Director, making athletics and leadership a central part of his career. Bill Hurley spent 27 years serving the State of Illinois as a correctional officer, ultimately reaching the rank of Lieutenant. On paper, their careers could hardly be more different. Banking. Broadcasting. Business. Entrepreneurship. Sales. College athletics. Baseball coaching. Law enforcement and corrections. But underneath all of it is a common foundation. They learned to compete on the Sandlot. They learned to improvise when there weren’t enough players. They learned to create a game when there wasn’t a game scheduled. They learned to settle arguments, make their own rules, accept responsibility and keep playing. And they learned that you didn’t need much to create something memorable. All you needed was a few kids, a ball, a place to play and the freedom to imagine what was possible. That’s the story of the original Sandlot crew from Lincoln, Illinois. Their greatest accomplishment may not be what they did after they left the Sandlot. It may be what the Sandlot helped them become. **The Sandlot wasn’t just where they played baseball. It was where they developed the character, creativity, passion, competitiveness and skills that followed them for the rest of their lives.** Inside Baseball from a different perspective.
