SCHAUMBURG, Ill. - There’s a reason why Gerard Hall flies around the bases a little faster when he steps onto the baseball field for the independent Frontier League’s Schaumburg Boomers. There’s a reason why he swings with more force, takes bigger chances, celebrates victories with greater grandeur, and holds onto losses like a grudge.

It’s gotta be the shoes.

Overlooking Gerard on the baseball field is a near impossibility, if not for his almost-fluorescent orange Nikes than for his outgoing personality and perpetual jubilant smile.

The shortstop says the shoes, which are now notorious at Boomers Stadium, match his on-field personality.

"I dress kinda the way that I play, kinda loud, but they fit just fine and I love them,” he says of his flashy cleats.

At times, Hall’s passion for the game resembles that of a boy playing baseball for the first time. The man affectionately known as “G” bursts out of the dugout on a daily basis, skipping over the first base line and elevating every few steps until he reaches his post between second and third base.

Gerard is as quick to celebrate every hit and defensive out as he is to visibly lament an error or missed opportunity, hanging on each pitch like it could be his last.

“You only get but so many at bats through a long game, so you wanna make sure that you compete and do your best to help contribute to what your team is doing,” Hall says.

A season-ending injury last year made Gerard even more eager to get on the field in 2013, helping shape him into the passionate, fun-loving player he is.

“To come back and play this year after being hurt last year, it’s fun. It was special watching what they did last year. They were in first place for a lot of the season; we did a lot of things well,” Hall says of his teammates. “To actually get to know them and then finally be out there with them and contributing to help get wins is very fun.”

But it’s not just fun and games for Hall; he’s still a competitor with one objective in mind: win a championship.

“That’s our number one goal every season. We have a very talented squad and we believe that we can win every single night out and that’s our goal — to win a championship, to win games on a daily basis, to get to the playoffs. We truly believe we can achieve those goals.”

And you can bet if Hall and the Boomers achieve their ultimate goal, next to his ball from the first hit in franchise history, next to the championship hardware in the trophy case, will be an almost-fluorescent pair of orange shoes.