Christina-Taylor Green: Field Named After Youngest Tucson Shooting Victim, Killed When Gabrielle Giffords Targeted

April 13, 2011 — -- The field where Christina-Taylor Green once played baseball and dreamed of becoming the first female major leaguer now bears her name and the statue of an angel.

"I know she would be looking down on us from heaven and you know she's gonna have that big smile on her face and she'd want everyone to be happy," said her father, John Green.

ESPN's "E:60" calls Christina-Taylor Green its "Angel in the Outfield."

On April 1, Little League's opening day, parents and children gathered to celebrate Christina-Taylor's life, and the renaming of Field 1 for her.

Christina-Taylor, age 9, was shot in the chest Jan. 8 outside a Tucson, Ariz., grocery store. She was attending an informal town hall meeting for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords when alleged gunman Jared Loughner opened fire. She was the youngest of six people killed.

Her teammates in the Canyon Del Oro Little League, just northwest of Tucson, said that although it felt good to play baseball again, they missed her.

"Without her, it's a little bit lonely," Nick Urias said.

One of two girls on the team, Christina-Taylor would challenge a coach to a footrace and win; throw long from third base; and sing Beyonce songs in the field. Mae Sinclair, now the team's only female player, said Christina-Taylor showed the boys how to play baseball.

"She would catch balls and she would stand up to the boys even if they say she's a girl, she's not allowed to play," Mae said.

Christina-Taylor Green Aspired to Be in Major Leagues

With the support of her father, John Green, a top scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Christina-Taylor aspired to be the first woman in the major leagues.

"I said, 'There aren't any [female Major League Baseball players] right now but that doesn't mean there can't be in the future,'" he said.

Her mother, Roxanna Green, said nothing prepares a parent for a child's death. "It was the worst day of my life," she said. "It was terrible."

"That was the hardest moment of my life," said John.

Dallas Green, Christina-Taylor's grandfather and a former Philadelphia Phillies manager, said the family suffered through rough times. "It just hurt like, you just couldn't believe it," he said. "I mean you just couldn't believe that it could happen to her."

After the shooting, messages lined the fence outside Christina-Taylor's school. Teammate Mae placed a baseball cap there.

She said she wrote, "Christina, I will miss you."

"I still do miss her," Mae said. She and her Little League teammates attended Christina-Taylor's funeral and John Green reached out to them.

"John got down on his knee and hugged every single one of those players and was encouraging them to be strong," said John Ward, Christina-Taylor's coach. "It was the most amazing display of strength I've ever seen."

"I know she would be looking down on us from heaven and you know she's gonna have that big smile on her face and she'd want everyone to be happy," John Green said.

For Mae, Christina-Taylor's example lives on and inspires. "She goes, 'You know what, Daddy? I think I want to follow in Christina's steps and be that first woman baseball player,'" said her father, Lance Sinclair.

"She was one of my best friends," Mae said. "She was a great baseball player."