Winners never quit, quitters never win. It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right …

The 14-year-old Babe Ruth players representing North Kitsap this week in North Carolina have heard these very true cliches before. They’ve spent countless hours hitting, pitching, running, stretching and everything in between. They’ve gone above and beyond what thousands of teams nationally aim to achieve each year — they’re among the final teams swinging toward the World Series.

The word “accomplishment” seems to fall short of what these young men have already done. “Determination” seems to fall short of how they got there and “talent” barely scrapes the surface of what they have shown throughout the summer season.

The entire team is to be applauded by the community it represents. Whether the NK players and coaches return as the world champions or not, we hope they realize that they have our support, our pride and our admiration.

These boys are the future of baseball and their love of the sport will be passed on here for years to come.

We thank them for their efforts to date, wish them the best of luck in the competitive days to come and thank them for their hard work as they continue to represent our priceless community on the diamond.