James Harper, center, smiles as his grandsons, from left, Ben Harper, Jay Harper, Kory Connelly and Patrick McGuffie, embrace him. All four grandsons are involved in the Culkin Athletic Association’s baseball leagues. (Chad ApplebaumThe Vicksburg Post)

[6/15/03]Just a few minutes after I met James Harper Sr. I found out exactly who he is.

As we stood next to each other at the Culkin Athletic Complex he grabbed my elbow and said, “Do you want to see a miracle?”

This happened on a Thursday night a couple weeks ago. I was at the fields to interview Harper about him watching his grandsons play baseball.

The first game of the night was just into the second inning, with Harper’s grandson Patrick McGuffie out in the field, when Harper asked the question and pulled me a step closer to the field.

I didn’t answer him, I just looked where he discreetly pointed, to first base, and I saw a boy who had just walked.

The boy took a short lead from the bag as the next batter stepped up to home plate.

The boy was missing his left arm below the elbow, yet played smoothly, even moreso than many of the other players.

Harper kept his hand at my elbow and told me how wonderful it was that the boy plays.

“Can you imagine the dedication it took for him to go out there?” Harper asked.

Harper has watched the boy for a few years now, and speaks of him as if he were another grandson.

I looked into Harper’s eyes as he closely watched the boy, and could tell he genuinely cared.

Harper, who turns 70 in two days, spends most weeknights during baseball season out at the Culkin baseball fields.

Harper has resided in Vicksburg for 50 years and is retired from Cooper Lighting Corp.

He has three grandsons; Ben Harper, Jay Harper and Patrick; all three play baseball, and another, Kory Connelly, umpires at Culkin.

Sometimes four games will be going on at the same time, with a grandson playing in each. Those nights get a little hectic for Harper, but he manages.

Harper comes across as the consummate grandfather, doting on the boys every chance he gets.

But, as the night went along, I began to see what made him special. I began to see how much he cared about all the players out there.

After Patrick pitched a perfect first inning Harper walked over to the dugout to “brag on” his gradson.

Harper made a point of complimenting and joking around with all the players, not just Patrick.

Throughout the evening many of the young children running around the park would stop by Harper and play with him as if he was their grandfather.

All the while I tried to find out about him, asking him questions about his past.

He talked a little about playing baseball himself in high school. He kept playing through his time in the Navy, until he served in the Korean war.

He told me about his son, James Harper Jr., who is the president of the Culkin baseball league.

James Jr. walked up a little later and the father and son explained how important the family atmosphere of the league is.

The Culkin fields seem right out of an Americana dream, with children running around blowing bubbles or munching on freshly grilled hamburgers and a few friendly dogs wandering about, looking for attention.

In a time when the majority of little league baseball stories that gain national attention involve parents, coaches and umpires coming to blows, the Culkin fields are wonderfully bereft of ill will.

The Harpers come across as both the ideological backing and leaders by example of that attitude.

James Sr. explained that he never is boisterous in his cheering because while it might make one player feel good the opposing team would be slighted.

“It’s better you praise them off to the side,” he said.

Harper doesn’t question the umpires either: he knows most are volunteers, sometimes high school students or parents.

Harper said that to the kids playing, winning doesn’t matter, at least in the 8 to 10-year-old age range.

“Win, lose or draw, five seconds after it’s over that’s it,” he said.

As the game neared an end a mother sitting in the front row of the bleachers yelled at her son after he hit a foul ball; the evening’s lone blemish in spectator attitude.

Harper simply glanced over and gave a coy smile, and I couldn’t help but think of what he’d said a few innings earlier.

“Something like this, you wonder if people know what they got.”

Harper, for one, knows exactly how special it is.

So without much ado, the grandfather walked over to the next field to give his support to Jay Harper and every other player out there.

To Mr. Harper and every other grandfather, father and great grandfather, happy Father’s Day.

And to my dad back in Nebraska, thanks for everything.