Injured Teammate Honored by Weber Baseball Team

Tragedy exists in life. There is no special formula to avoid it. And as in life, tragedy also exists in sports.

But where there is tragedy, there is also chance, hope and miracles.

When C.J. Tantillo, a member of the eighth-grade baseball team at Weber Middle School, was hit by a car back in February, his life was held in the balance.

"It was a very upsetting thing," said Weber baseball coach Derek Novinski. "C.J. is a really, really good kid. We had him on the football team and he is just a wonderful young man. It was an unfortunate incident."

The 14-year-old Tantillo was left with a broken femur, and severe brain swelling. Had it not been for the quick and resourceful actions of the Port Washington Police as well as the efforts of the EMTs and surgeons at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, he could have died.

"He's doing really, really well," C.J.'s mother, Melissa Tantillo, said. "He's got a long way to go, but he's going to get there."

Tantillo survived the accident, and is now back at Weber Middle School preparing for graduation on Thursday, June 24. While he wasn't able to play for the eighth-grade baseball team this spring as he is still recovering from the accident, the team did something special to honor him — they all shaved their heads.

"Before the season started, we had a meeting, and we talked about the fact that they're in their prime and they have the opportunity to play baseball, so take advantage of it," Novinski explained. "One of the kids came up to me after the meeting and said that he was really moved by the speech and that the team was going to dedicate the season to C.J. In honor of that, they shaved their heads."

Because of the brain surgery, Tantillo was forced to have his head shaved to allow for the operation to go smoothly. The fact that his teammates followed suit in recognition of their teammate touched C.J.'s mother.

"I was overwhelmed," she said. "The entire town of Port Washington, the whole community, has been so supportive to us and so amazingly wonderful. This is just one more gesture, but it was by the kids. We were just overwhelmed."

In an act that goes above and beyond what most professional athletes would do, the Vikings have shown their community what it is to be a team and the solidarity that forms throughout the process.

"I know all the kids were looking forward to having him come back to school," Novinski said. "Miraculously, he's doing very well and all of the kids have been very supportive of him."

It was obvious that Tantillo's coach and teammates weren't about to let themselves, or anybody else, forget about their injured teammate.

"C.J. was so thrilled," Mrs. Tantillo added. "He didn't want his friends to shave their heads on his behalf, but they did because they love him and it was great."

The accident taught Tantillo and his friends and family to treasure and make the best of every moment they're given, and the actions of his teammates echo that lesson.