Texas Dad Loses Job, Dignity to See Son Play in Little League World Series

After twice being denied unpaid time-off to follow his son's Davenport, Texas baseball team to the Little League World Series last year, Kyle Lawson didn't think twice. He quit his job as a supply clerk and travelled to Williamsport, PA - only to watch his boy go 0-11 at the plate and make a throwing error that sealed his squad's early elimination from the tournament.

"I should have thought twice. Even just once might have been enough," the baseball dad conceded. "That was a bad, decision."

Whether his choice was worse than his son's to attempt to throw out a runner heading for third base in the final inning of a tie game from right field, only to sling the ball into the fifth row of the bleachers and effectively end his team's fairytale season, still remains to be seen.

"Those kids weren't the only ones crying that day," Lawson said.

Jobless and now homeless, Lawson currently spends his days harvesting scrap metal from dump sites while Kyle Jr. lives full time with his ex-wife, who has since moved to a different state.

"I figured seeing my boy play in the Little League World Series would be a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity," Lawson said. "And it was. For me to ruin my life."

Lawson's story does have a happy ending for one man, however. Jacob Ross of Davenport, who took over Lawson's former job.

"I really needed that job," Ross remarked. "And like his kid's baseball team, I know where family priorities belong. Dead last."