Vaughn Bergen: Just Like a Kid Out There

With his Aruba team facing elimination down 20-0 in the fourth inning of their Little League World Series game against Taiwan, 11-year-old Vaughn Bergen danced like he hadn’t a care in the world. And frankly, why should he have a care in the world? He’s 11 years old. He’s playing in the Little League World Series. When he leaves Williamsport, he will return home to FRIGGIN’ ARUBA (not a rich country by any stretch, I should note, but seated relatively comfortably between countries like Portugal and Cyprus in the GDP per c
apita power rankings).

Bergen’s father, Luigi (also a coach for the Aruban team), credits his son’s dance moves for the team’s late surge to cut Taiwain’s lead to just 17:

“The dancing thing got everyone smiling, and they started hitting the ball in that last inning,” Luigi Bergen said.

And they kept hitting. In Monday’s consolation game, Aruba beat South Dakota, 5-0. Vaughn knocked in the first run in that one.

“I was mad because we were not going to make it to the final,” Vaughn said when asked why he started dancing in the middle of Saturday’s game.

“My dad told me to enjoy myself, and I did.”

My only advice to young Bergen would be to continue to reap the benefits of his adorability while he can, because as soon as he hits puberty, all that this behavior will get him is a 7-minute on-air scolding from Bobby Valentine about how he’s an immature clubhouse cancer.