DJ Farrar Tournament

The DJ Farrar Baseball Tournament is dedicated to the memory of DJ Farrar, who had a tremendous positive effect on the Montgomery Township Baseball & Softball Association (MTBSA) baseball program in his short lifetime. DJ was a courageous participant in the recreational and travel baseball programs from T-ball through the AAA program. DJ’s life was cut short on January 15, 2003 after a 2-year struggle with brain cancer.This tournament is to honor the wonderful traits that DJ exemplified throughout his lifetime – Sportsmanship, Effort, and Attitude toward the sport of baseball and in life.

Sportsmanship - As DJ began to understand the competition of the game, he never lost sight of the feelings of his teammates. He made friends quickly and earned and shared respect with his peers. In a difficult game, he was always positive and his excitement for the game was contagious. Although he always played the game to the best of his abilities, he also showed respect for the opponent. DJ was quick to congratulate a player on the other team for a nice hit or play. He would make a point to run past a specific player while switching from offense to defense and say let say "good play" or "great hit". Win, lose, or tie, DJ always shook hands with the opposing team with his head held high.

Effort - DJ was an inspiration because of the effort he put into his game. He wanted to be the first to practice and the last to leave. He was a hound for practice – he would dog his mom and dad to throw a ball or take some swings all year round. His father remembered taking a ball and gloves to wrestling practice in January and surprised him after practice with a father-son catch in the gym. DJ’s response…"SWEET!" He never said, "I can’t". Several times, he offered to pitch or catch when the coaches were concerned about him being tired, injured, or just overworked. During playoffs, he pitched every inning that his coaches would allow, including 5 innings in the championship game, and then played the last innings as catcher.

His work ethic was aces. He would listen to the coaches so that he never missed a strategy or signal. He would be the leader in any exercise, and first to cross the finish line whenever possible. On base, he would often give his third base coach the delayed-steal signal and put on his questioning face as if to say, "can I?"

Attitude - Until the age of 11, DJ could play with the best – and he did. He challenged himself to do his best and not let his team down. The players around him could sense this and they all improved together. He would not allow anyone around him to hang his head. When it was his turn to sit on the bench, he was still in the game. When cancer struck, he played his best and never complained that his best was not good enough. With double vision and poor balance from surgery, he played 1st base, stepped confidently into the batter’s box, and even pitched a few innings. As chemotherapy took its toll, he would be happy to coach 1st base and help his friends any way he could. He learned as much as he could to be the best base coach possible.

For these reasons, we honor him. His gift to all of us is to help us become better people and to always do our best. This tournament is not just for the best baseball team, but more for the best in the young men that play this great game. Please join MTBSA and the Farrar family in promoting this tournament and helping our children to grow in life and sports, and be proud of DJ, as he is proud of our MTBSA family and the baseball community.