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'Big Nate' & 'Little Nate' Share Bond On And Off The Field
8/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By Brett Brecheisen
Orleans Cardinals Media Relations
A screaming line drive comes off the bat of Cardinals first baseman Nate Freiman just over the Orleans dugout at Eldredge Park and into a crowd of fans scrambling to jump out of the way of the ball's path. It's quite a common sight at Eldredge Park this summer and one that Cardinal's batboy Nathan Garran thoroughly enjoys.
While many fans, from young toddlers to grown men with gray hair covering their heads, aren't thrilled by the prospect of being hit by a foul ball, Garran loves it. He doesn't hesitate when he says his favorite part of being an Orleans Cardinals batboy is “chasing foul balls.”
The 11-year-old is a baseball fanatic and quite modest. Although very shy in an interview, Nathan is extremely outgoing and loves being around the sport of baseball, the players, and the Orleans Cardinals coaching staff. He takes pride in being the team's batboy and when somebody tells him he's the best batboy on the Cape he quickly chimes in “Yes, I am!”
His father, Steve Garran, takes him and his sisters all over the Cape to many of the team's road games and the entire family attends each home affair. This summer, the family became even more involved with the organization when they decided to become a host family for two of the team's players.
One of those players was Nate Freiman, the team's tall first-baseman from Duke. Freiman stands at 6-foot-7 and makes the entire Garran family look short, particularly Nathan.
“He's tall,” Nathan said about his first thought when he met Freiman.
Many members of the Cardinals family distinguish between the two Nates as ?Big Nate' and ?Little Nate'. It isn't so much that ?Big Nate' is so big as it is that ?Little Nate' is just so small.
?Little Nate' was born with hemifacial microsomia with an expanded spectrum of symptoms. Although it isn't necessarily responsible for his size, or lack thereof, it has caused half of his face to be smaller than the other. ?Little Nate' was also born without an ear and has several other parts of his body that differ from others. The youngster is just 4-foot-4 and he weighs 50 pounds, almost half the weight of an average 11-year-old.
Being born without an ear has certainly caused many kids to stare or gaze at ?Little Nate'; but, as his father points out, kids pay so much more attention to minute details than adults do.
“A lot of kids stare at him but adults don't generally notice that he doesn't have an ear. The kids always notice and they are trying to figure out if that really is what they are seeing. An adult I had known for quite awhile had seen him 10 or 15 times and didn't realize he didn't have an ear,” Steve Garran said.
?Little Nate' has not let his medical condition hold him back from doing what he loves, however. The batboy has been playing organized baseball for five years and started taking karate lessons when he was just in kindergarten. According to his father, he excels at karate and really enjoys playing baseball.
The unique size difference between ?Big Nate' and ?Little Nate' has certainly become a sight to see at Eldredge Park and around the Garran house because the two have become really close friends this summer.
“I spend a lot of time with Nate. He comes to the clinic the Cardinals host every morning and he's always in my group. He hustles and he loves baseball. He just comes out here every day and works very hard. He's a big help for us and everybody on the team loves him,” Freiman said.
?Little Nate' became a Cardinals batboy three summers ago and the entire Garran family has become more involved with the Cardinals ever since. The family is also hosting Cardinals second baseman Alden Carrithers and was hosting former Cardinals relief pitcher Brad Gemberling before the pitcher switched teams.
“I think it's been a great experience for Nate. It's been an even better experience this past year having a player live with us but the guys always treat him like he is a part of the team. It is that inclusion that's really great for him and he feels like he has a bunch of big brothers. They look out for him and treat him really, really well. He keeps in touch with some of the guys from last year and I expect he will keep in touch with a lot of them this year, as well, especially Nate and Alden,” his father said.
Freiman and Carrithers take ?Little Nate' out for dinner with the team. They have gone on a whale watch together. After a summer of acting as big brother, Freiman could not have asked for a better situation.
“It's been great. They are a really nice family and it's been a really great place to live. The family is great and very supportive. They are always at the home games,” Freiman said. “Nate is a fantastic batboy and a really great kid,” he added.
The Garran family has enjoyed every minute of their first experience hosting a player for the summer and plans on continuing to do so in the future. With Freiman just finishing up his sophomore campaign at Duke, the Garran's are hoping that he will return to the Cardinals next summer so their bond can continue to grow.
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