We’ve watched Adam Moore play baseball since he was a shortstop in high school and his coach was trying to figure out how he could keep from starting a freshman on a varsity team. After all, everybody knew Moore was to be a catcher. But before he caught for his high school team he pitched and played the infield. When you can hit like he hit and you could throw a baseball like it was shot out of a cannon, the coaches found a way to play him every game. We found Chris Davis a bit later when he was pounding the baseball as a Texas Ranger-in-waiting, playing the infield in Oklahoma City. He too had crushed teenage pitching in East Texas, some said it was like watching a man play against boys. It was during that time the two players first met, when they lived less than an hour’s drive from each other, Moore in Mineola and Davis in Longview. While no one knew for sure that it would happen, almost everyone who knew either of them understood their dreams included playing major league baseball. And they have… both are living out their dreams in the “Big Leagues.” They met again during the first week of the 2010 major league season when Moore, who was a rookie catcher with the Seattle Mariner’s, and Davis, the starting first baseman for the Rangers, played against each other twice. For baseball fans who have watched one or the other over the previous years, having them both in the same game was like having your cake and eating it too. Fans from both East Texas communities made the two hour or more drive to attend one or more of the games, even including the mayor of Mineola. Both had their moments though Davis and the Rangers won two of the three games in the series. Davis made a spectacular diving catch to show off his defensive skills at first base and Moore threw out Davis trying to stretch a single into something more on a throw to the plate. What they have in common beyond youth is a work ethic that can carry them through their careers. And while they don’t play the same positions Davis and Moore get to meet and greet all of the current day greats in the American League. At one point or another, they all come to the plate or end up on first base. Just like the young entertainers in East Texas that we hope to follow over the years, these two athletes are a testament to the quality of baseball played in East Texas. With a little good fortune they’ll provide East Texas sports fans and major league fans good entertainment for years to come. Both players have gone on to other teams. Davis to Baltimore and Moore to Kansas City.