Softball coach battling ALS appreciates getting more time with his team in regional playoffs

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.It’s a Tuesday afternoon at California High in Whittier and Condors softball coach Jason Ramirez is laughing. Javier Macias is hitting balls to a field of players and every time the assistant coach accidentally thwacks a foul ball over the fence, Ramirez’s soft laughter starts up again.

“You have to,” said Ramirez, who was diagnosed in mid-April with the disease that has no cure. “I feel like if I just stayed at home and didn’t do anything, you probably die faster. You’re not doing anything physical, you’re not using your mind. I don’t want to do that.” The regional playoffs coincide with travel softball tournaments, a circumstance that caused some schools to decline to play. That opened up a door for California, and accepting the invitation was an easy decision.

The Condors have dedicated this season to their coach, Jason Ramirez, wearing and selling rubber bracelets imprinted with “Play for J” and bringing glittering “Play4Jay” signs to every game. “But they don’t take into consideration that this is a team sport. It’s not something that you can do on your own. And honestly having us play for Jay and having us play for each other, it could help people could help realize that the sport is more than just yourself.”

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