LEE'S SUMMIT, MO — A local little league baseball game was brought to a halt over the weekend after confusion arose over who the crowd was cheering. Young Jayden Wears was unsure whether the fans in the bleachers were, in fact, cheering for him, or for his teammates — Aiden, Braiden, or Cayden.
"I got excited at first, but then I wondered what name they were saying," Jayden said following the game. "I was out in center field and kept hearing people yelling what sounded like, ‘Look alive, Jayden!,' but then I realized it might be people cheering for one of the other kids. It's a problem that happens pretty regularly, actually."
As the fans were shouting encouraging comments, Aiden Johnson (who was playing second base) thought for a moment the cheers were for him. Likewise, Braiden Padget (in left field) was initially emboldened by the vocal fan support. At third base, Cayden Jenkins thought for sure the cheers were for him until he realized his own father was, in fact, cheering for Jayden.
"We all play sports together, so it gets confusing," said one parent. "During basketball season last fall, we told parents they needed to start shouting last names to help us differentiate. If this continues to be an issue, we'll just have to have them write our names on signs instead of cheering."
At publishing time, the boys had all come to a mutual agreement to all feel encouraged by any cheering that rhymes with their names, including their unathletic friend, Hayden Gretz, who has never made it off the bench.
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