[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12336]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING CAPE COD BASEBALL LEAGUE'S ALL-STAR GAME

  (Mr. KEATING asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Cape Cod 
League's All-Star Game, which is taking place in Fenway Park on Friday, 
July 29.
  I rise, not just because this organization embodies the best of 
America's pastime, but because the league has decided to dedicate this 
year's game to the memory of Christina-Taylor Green, the youngest 
victim of the Arizona shootings that took the lives of six people and 
injured 13 others, including our colleague, Congresswoman Gabby 
Giffords.
  Christina was an avid baseball fan who hoped one day to become the 
first female major league baseball player. Her father, John, is a scout 
with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the family spent summers in Cape Cod, 
in part so he could scout players in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
  For those of you who are not familiar with the Cape Cod Baseball 
League, it's the Nation's premier amateur league and gives fans like 
Christina the opportunity to watch future major league players up 
close.
  In Christina's honor, league players will wear commemorative patches 
on their shirts, and her brother, Dallas, will throw out the first 
pitch.
  Additionally, Christina inspired the league to arrange for a Cape Cod 
Baseball League baseball to be brought into space by Congresswoman 
Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, and the astronauts on board the final 
mission of Space Shuttle Endeavor. The ``Spaceball'' covered 6.5 
million miles during this trip.
  Baseball games are wonderful examples of old-fashioned American fun, 
and I commend the Cape Cod League for their heartfelt tribute. Sadly, 
Christina, whose innocent life was lost too early, will only be there 
with us in spirit; yet that unique American spirit, to achieve new 
heights, the same we saw in her desire to be the first female major 
league baseball player, will continue to inspire us.

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