Cougars: Inspired Youth

Some victories happen on vast fields with bats and balls and are celebrated with beers at a big postgame bash hosted by the Cougars.

Other victories occur in quiet corners with pencils and worksheets and are celebrated with cookies passed around by a saintly soul affectionately known as Miss Beth.

Beth Palmer, “Miss Beth”, was the organist at Epworth Methodist Church in Edgewater when she started a tutoring program in 1985. Why? Because kids in her children’s choir could not read the words of the songs they were singing.

Back in 1992, I was a 23-year-old night-school student who had previously failed out of college twice. While my performance at Investments and Econometrics courses were forgettable, I still had mastery over my alphabet, addition, and coloring skills. So I signed up as a volunteer tutor for the aptly named program: Inspired Youth.

Every week, I’d head to the church basement and spend two hours with Woody and Rashad, the boys who were assigned to me.

We would read Dick and Jane type books together, we solved simple math problems, and we usually capped the day off with coloring time.

Miss Beth was always prepared with a postgame treat: she would hand out two cookies to every kid and tutor to close out the session. The cookies were those off-brand Oreos, and Woody, Rashad, and I gobbled up those sweet treats.

After graduating and entering the working world, I moved on from Inspired Youth — but it stayed with me.

In 2015, about 20 years later, my alphabet, number, and coloring skills had reached elite levels, so I signed up to tutor again.

Most of the kids come from Goudy School. Did you know that the Goudy mascot is the Cougars?!

The program now had a website and had expanded — in fact, in a beautiful poetic twist, Miss Beth had partnered with Wilmette Junior High School to bring in Saturday tutors from the suburbs. WJHS students would bus down to Margate Park to work with kids from Chicago.

Charley and Miranda joined me a few times as well.

In 2018, Miss Beth was officially declared a "Living Treasure" by the Edgewater Historical Society for her lifetime of service in literacy and music education.

Remember those Wilmette kids?

Well, one of them was our own Big Ball Jimmy.

Jimmy and Captain Cougar at a postgame in 2013.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, he joined Inspired Youth in 2013 as an eighth grader. After graduating college and returning to Chicagoland, he picked up where he left off and rejoined the program as an adult tutor in 2017.

And now, in 2025, he was recently elected to the board of Inspired Youth!

As the voice of our youth, Mel Allen, would say after a great play on This Week in Baseball: “How about that!?”

Big Ball Jimmy — the guy who drives in runs for the Cougars — is now helping drive the mission of Inspired Youth.

He’s putting runs on the board and he’s putting his name on the board. From chalk lines to checklists, from extra-base hits to extra-mile service — our man is a leader.

On Tuesday, Jimmy helped lead another inspired effort - this time on the field as the Cougars tangled with the Muffin Men, the most youthful team in the league.

The inspired play of both young and old Cougars defeated the Double M 11–0 in just four and a half innings — maybe the fastest game in Cougar history.

First Inning

Martini took the ball and set the tone. After a leadoff single, he dialed it in with a foul out strikeout. Kev fielded a fly in left, Andy did the same, and that was that.

In the bottom of the first inning, Diamond Dave, with crayon in hand, was ready to color our scorebook diamonds and Pastor Ted said a prayer asking for scoring and safety. We started with an early spark: Kev hit an infield single, and Andy did a box-step in the batter’s box for a double into right center for the first RBI. Eddy’s sac fly made it 2–0. JD added a laser liner, Fort walked, and momentum was clearly wearing a Cougar jersey.

Cougars up by 2

Second Inning

After a single and a force-out courtesy of Big Ball Jimmy and Andy, the Muffin Men tried to run on the Cougars — again. And just like last season, we executed the Wheel Play and confusion reigned. Umpire Brad got to explain the whole thing again. Another out, and another teaching moment for the youthful opponent. Eddy ended the frame with a catch in center.

In the home half, Boom legged out a single, Kyle followed with same, and Kev punched in another run. Charley added one more, and Andy’s ricochet rocket — a ball that looked like a pinball off the third baseman’s shins — brought in two more.

Cougars cruising, 6–0

Third Inning

The top half was quick: Eddy catch, single, Fort catch, and Martini-to-JD forceout.

Then came more fireworks. JD stayed hot with a liner that split the middle, Fort doubled, and Big Ball Jimmy lived up to his name with a triple that flew just past the outstretched reach of the right fielder. Boom added an infield RBI, and the Cougars were out of the third with a big lead.

Cougars 9-0.

Fourth Inning

Andy made a clean field-and-fire play, Kevin hauled in a fly, and then Fortier added a little flash with a pivot-and-plant toss to JD to end a picture-perfect 1-2-3 inning.

Kevin opened the bottom half with another infield single. Andy sent him home with an RBI to the right side. Eddy followed Andy with another opposite-field single. JD lined yet another shot to load the bases, and Fort sent a sharp one to the left side to bring home one more. Two more RBIs. Two number ones on the board.

Cougars 11-0

Fifth Inning

With the mercy rule in effect if the young Muffins didn’t notch a couple tallies, the Cougars would win by slaughter. Kev caught a quick fly. A single followed. Fort made yet another smooth play to his right for a force, and with two outs, Crawdaddy signaled for one last tall offering and Martini obliged. Eddy tracked down the final fly in center, and the Cougars wrapped up a win in record time. Thirty minutes and only four frames of at-bats to seal the deal.

Cougars 11 MM 0

Some victories are sealed with home runs and handshakes. Other victories are sealed with crayons and cookies.

Win or lose, old or young, on or off the diamond, the Cougars always inspire youth.

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