The Pool A Champion (Southwest) from Lake Charles, La. may have lost their last pool game to Hagerstown, Md. (Mid-Atlantic) which forced a three-way tie, but they managed came out on top based on the tie-breaker rule and advanced to the U.S. Semifinal game. Lake Charles defeated the Southeast champion, Tampa, Fl., 6-1 last night earning a berth in Saturday's United States Championship. Going 5 2/3 innings, Louisiana's Kennon Fontenot didn't seem to be as cool and collected as he did in his last outing. But he still got the job done. "From what I saw tonight, he gets ahead with the fastball and then gets you with the curveball," Florida manager Joe McGuire said. "I was trying to get my batters to step up in the box, but they would't listen."

Fontenot gave up two walks and two wild pitches in the first three innings. The only run that Florida was able to put on the board was on one of those past balls with a runner on third base. But after that run scored and a talk with his coach, Fontenot seemed to settle in. He took down the next five batters and this gave the rest of his team a chance to battle back and battle back they did. With 3 runs scored in the second, 1 in the third and another 2 in the fourth, they put the game out of reach of Washington. Fontenot recorded 11 strikeouts, bringing his total to 23 in 11 2/3 innings at the Little League Baseball World Series.

When Kennon pitches, I was telling coach Joe (McGuire), he's effectively wild sometimes," Southwest manager Charlie Phillips said. "He does give me a few gray hairs every time he pitches."

Louisiana will take on Waipahu, Hawaii in the U.S. final. Games will air live from Lamade Stadium on ABC, with the International title game beginning at 12:30 p.m. and the U.S. title game at 3:30 p.m. and this marks the first time since the Series expanded to 16 teams in 2001 that all four pool champions advanced to the final weekend.

BOX SCORE
Tampa, Fl. 001 000 - 1 2 1
Lake Charles, La. 031 20x - 6 6 1
W - Kennon Fontenot. - Michael McGuire. S -Jordan Bryce. 2B - Beau Jordan (SW). HR - Jordan Bryce (SW).

Hagerstown, Md. (Mid-Atlantic), knocked off unbeaten Lake Charles, La. (Southwest), 6-4 on Tuesday. It got a gem of a pitching performance by Andrew Yacyk, who struck out eight Lake Charles batters while surrendering just one hit in five innings. Hagerstown's top three batters - Ryan Byard, Yacyk and Zach Schreiber - proved that it may be the most lethal trio in the Little League World Series by going a combined 6-for-8 with six RBI and five runs scored. And the Maryland champions put up four runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth against a pitching staff that had allowed just one run and three hits in two LLWS games thus far. Hagerstown went 2-1 in Pool A play. But, alas, none of it mattered.

Hagerstown's 15-5 loss to Mill Creek, Wash., was too much to overcome as three teams tied for the Pool A lead. The tie-breaker went to which team surrendered the most runs in pool play. That was Hagerstown's 21. "Our game against (Mill Creek), we were well aware of what we needed to do. We only needed, what, 27 runs," Hagerstown coach Bill Abeles joked as he was corrected and told 17 by one of his players. "You start to overthink this wonderful game a little bit. We knew we wanted to win and leave on a positive note, but we knew it was going to be a bear to make the formula work in our favor."

"It was a great experience. What an experience - win, lose or draw. I hope the kids always remember getting to play in the Yankee Stadium of Little League baseball." Bryce Jordan went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI for Lake Charles. Peyton McLemore had a two-RBI double.

BOX SCORE
Lake Charles, La. 000 004 - 4 4 0
Hagerstown, Md. 004 20x - 6 8 1

W - Andrew Yacyk (1-0). L - Gunner Leger (0-1). S - Josh Barron (1). 2B - Bryce Jordan (LC), Peyton McLemore (LC). HR - Ryan Byard (H), Andrew Yacyk (H), Zane Schreiber (H).

Pool A Records - Lake Charles 2-1, Hagerstown 2-1.

The Little League Good Sport Award annually recognizes a Little League player who has demonstrated superior qualities of sportsmanship, leadership, a commitment to teamwork and a desire to excel. Kevin Trainor of Viera Suntree Little League in Melbourne, Fla., has exemplified all of those qualities, and this August at the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa., he will be recognized with the Little League Good Sport of the Year Award.

"Being a good sport has little to do with talent or ability and everything to do with character and attitude," Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. "Kevin is one Little League player who has demonstrated the ability to transform a potentially debilitating birth defect (Esophageal Artesia), into a willingness to lead by example and be a supportive teammate. These attributes nurtured through Little League often translate into success later in life, making Kevin a worthy recipient of this award."

Kevin, 13, is the son of Kevin and Dorothy Trainor, and is a recent graduate of Manatee Elementary School in Viera, Fla. He will be attending Kennedy Middle School in Rockledge, Fla., this fall. A Little League participant since he was a league-age five-year-old, Kevin played much of this season at shortstop, second base and showed his greatest improvement as a pitcher.

"As coaches, teammates, umpires, and all that have come across him on the baseball diamond can attest, Kevin exudes all the qualities that constitute sportsmanship, respect and human decency," Mike Neal, manager of the Viera Suntree Little League Diamondbacks and Kevin's coach, said "There are times when he has had great success, and there are times when opposing hitters have had success against Kevin, but he handles both situations with the same unwavering respect for the game and with great sportsmanship."

Kevin was born premature and without an esophagus. To date, he has undergone several medical procedures and surgeries to correct the birth defect.

"Playing Little League gives Kevin a sense of pride," Kevin's father, Kevin Trainor, Sr., said. "It has taught him about the importance of teamwork, having fun and enjoying the challenge of competition. His drive and determination are apparent to his teammates and coaches. The fact that Kevin has been named the 2008 Good Sport Award winner is a tribute not only to him, but also to the Viera Suntree Little League, along with league vice president Dave Zavetz and coach Mike Neal. Both have spent tireless hours instilling sportsmanship principles in every player under their tutelage."

"I feel Kevin is a little more thankful than most because of the hurdles he's had to clear in his brief life," Mr. Trainor said. "When he found out we'd be going to Williamsport, he was shocked and tremendously excited. He's looking forward to seeing the best players at his age in the world."

The Little League Good Sport Award Program was established in 1989 to amplify the importance of Little League as a leadership training program, utilizing baseball and softball as a vehicle for instilling in children valuable principles, while never figuring in the youngster's playing ability or personal statistics.

Fans and families are attending the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series in record numbers. The single-day attendance record for a non-championship day was broken this past Saturday here in illiamsport. "Broken" is perhaps not descriptive enough, however. Smashed is more like it.

"We heard that maybe our attendance would be down this year because of gas prices and a slowdown in the economy," Lance Van Taken, Senior Communications Executive for Little League International, said. "But those may be having the opposite effect, " Van Taken said. "People know they can attend the Little League World Series for free. Parking is free too. Where else can you feed a family of four for less than $20, and watch world-class baseball without paying a cent to watch the games?"

The previous record for a non-championship day was set on Saturday, August 18, 2007, when 27,986 fans attended games at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium. On Saturday, August 16 of this year's World Series, the total attendance for the day was 30,443, an increase of nearly nine percent.

Since 2002, the number of fans attending each day's events at the Little League World Series has been established using digital counters on the metal detectors at security checkpoints. Each fan entering the Little League International complex must pass through the security checkpoint. On Friday, the first day of the 2008 World Series, the attendance was 19,735.

The largest attendance on a championship day came in the final day of the tournament in 1989, when an estimated 45,000 people saw a team from Trumbull, Conn., defeat a team from Chinese Taipei for the title.

Millions more are watching games from home. All 32 games of the 2008 Little League World Series are being televised on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. It will be interesting to see what the attendance will be at this years championship game on Sunday, August 24. The game will be televised on ABC and is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM (EST).

Every time Rapid City, S.D. (Mid-West), had a rally on Monday, Waipahu, Hawaii (West), answered. To be more precise, Kainoa Fong and Keelen Obedoza answered. Waipahu's eight and nine hitters combined to go 4-for-4, score four times and knock in three runners in the Hawaii champions' 6-4 victory over Rapid City. Fong and Obedoza reached base every time they came to the plate and had a hand in every Waipahu run.

Waipahu has clinched Pool B's No. 1 seed and will play Wednesday at 8 p.m. against either Mill Creek, Wash., Jeffersonville, Ind., or Hagerstown, Md. The opponent will be determined Tuesday. Waipahu broke on top in the second inning when Fong's double knocked home Caleb Duhay. After Rapid City responded with three runs in the fourth inning, Fong singled and Obedoza walked to get a Waipahu rally started. After the two went to third on an error, Khade Peters knocked them both home with a single. Pikai Winchester later singled home Peters to give Waipahu a 4-3 lead.

Rapid City struck back with a Cale Fierro to tie the game in the fifth. That stage for Fong's and Obedoza's final heroics. Fong singled to open the bottom of the fifth - his third hit - then Obedoza hit his first home run of the World Series to give Waipahu a 6-4 win. Obedoza then came in to shut down Rapid City 1-2-3 to pick up a save. Rapid City finished its first LLWS 0-3, but had its best showing on Tuesday in its final game.

BOX SCORE
Rapid City, S.D. 000 310 - 4 4 3
Waipahu, Hawaii 010 32x - 6 9 1
W - Jedd Andrade (1-0). L - Jesse Riddle (0-1). S - Keelen Obedoza. 2B - Kainoa Fong (W), Pikai Winchester (W). HR - Cale Fierro (RC), Obedoza (W).

Pool B Records - Rapid City 0-3, Waipahu 3-0.

I first first learn about Canyon Lake Little League (South Dakota) third baseman Bill Hendricks at the Central Region Little League tournament in Indianapolis In., last month. It was there that I found out this 12-year old was going to enter Stevens High School as a freshman this fall.

According to his parents Craig and Concepcion Hendricks, after starting kindergarten that they really noticed that Bill was special. Each day Bill would look at his teacher's lesson plan and if any part of a lesson was missed, he would tell her. "He was reading her plan and going, 'oh, we didn't do this.'" Craig said. "That's when we knew he was on his way." So, after just two weeks in kindergarten, Bill advanced to first grade and later captured the Rapid City Spelling Bee championship while competing against older students. The next year, he attended second grade for just one day before moving up to the third grade.

Bill has maintained a straight A throughout school and has skipped two grades which is how he's able to enter high school in the fall. But the Bill's story doesn't stop here.

As the starting third baseman for Midwest champ Rapid City, S.D., he has been one of the driving forces in helping his team become the first from its South Dakota to reach the Little League World Series. "It's great to see a kid excel in that many different areas," Canyon Lake Little League president Dale Gisi said. "He's a great athlete and he puts a lot of hard work into everything he does."

His favorite subject in school is science and has taken first place in three consecutive science fairs. By the fourth grade, Bill had mastered the violin and then took on the tenor saxophone in the fifth grade. In the eight grade, he made the all-state band team.

I and the millions of people people watching the the Midwest Championship last month got to see and hear Bill play "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on his violin and it was great. And seeing how he had never played the song before and was handed the sheet music a few hours ahead of time, it was really remarkable how well he did.

"He's studied hard and he's worked hard to get this far," his mom, Concepcion said. "Socially and academically, he has no problems. He gets along with everybody and the kids love him. They see him in the hallway and they say, 'hey, you're the smart kid in the class!' "

Bill also has a talent for tennis, Bill enjoys baseball the most. "Bill has a good, solid glove, he can drive in runs and he doesn't strike out a lot. He's a good kid and a good baseball player," Rapid City coach Jeff Minnick said. "He's always giving positive information to everybody and patting them on the back. He's a vital person to our baseball team."

In the Midwest final, South Dakota's starting Pitcher Cale Fierro had already struck out 12 batters but had to leave the game having reached the mandatory 85 pitch count limit. The

As Rapid City closed in on a historic win in the Midwest final, it was Bill holding the ball. Cale Fierro had struck out 12, but had to exit after reaching the 85-pitch count limit. Canyon Lake led 7-1, but Minnesota had the bases loaded and there was just one out. Bill entered the game calm and struck out his first batter. The second batter grounded out to end the game and send Canyon Lake to the Little League World Series. "I was thinking it's just another game and I just have to throw some strikes," Bill said. "When I'm really focused I don't think pressure really gets to me. I just get up there and do what I'm supposed to do."

During the parent meeting after the championship game, Bill's dad gave me a copy of a short story Bill had written and I include it here. Whatever Bill Hendricks does in life, I'm sure it will be remarkable.

Let's Play Lifelong Baseball!
By Bill Hendricks

Welcome to Little League Baseball! Today, we've got a lifetime match up: The Impressions and the Benefits. Let's get to the lineups!

Starting for the Impressions are:
Pitching - Respect
Catching - Fun
First Base - Determination
Second Base - Cooperation
Short Stop - Team Work
Third Base - Competition
Left Field - Encouragement
Center Field - Thinking
and in Right Field - Leadership

Starting for the Benefits are:
Pitching - Self Confidence
Catching - Learning Skills
First Base - Making Friends
Second Base - Developing Coordination
Short Stop - Positive Attitude
Third Base - Life Lessons
Left Field - Work Ethics
Center Field - Helping Others
and in Right Field - Following Rules

Let's Play Lifelong Baseball!

I recieved an email the other day from fellow umpire Neale Ferguson after he had read my blog. He had such a good time he wanted to thank the organizers by putting together some thoughts and observations of his experience. Below is what he wrote.

Bow-Bo, Noodle, Biscuit and Wormy
"It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again."

As an adult, particularly as a parent, there is a certain pleasure in seeing a child do something for the first time. It allows us to shed for a moment the barnacle-like cynicism that as we accrue with age. So it was when the recent 9 & 10-year-old Little League Baseball Virginia State Tournament was held in my town the other week. It reminded me of what I love about kids' sports when it's done well. And very well it was.

They came from all over: in cars daubed in paint and streamers, in caravans from the furthest regions of the state. For some this had been the longest trip they'd ever made. For others it was yet another field among hundreds they'd played on since they were in Pee-Wee league.

Like society itself, the microcosm that is little league baseball is a melting pot of all shapes, sizes, colors, and wealth. One player is heard to exclaim with awe: "I've never played on a field with lines before." The brashness of the city kids mixes with the old-world politeness of their country brethren. Tables at the opening dinner that had been reserved for each team were soon peppered with members from others as pins are traded and that most adult of abilities to relive and enhance sporting tales was practiced for the very first time.

There were the nicknames of course. Great ones. One of my favorites was Bow-Bo who hailed from Honaker. He couldn't exactly remember why he received that epithet just that two of his friends had bestowed it upon him. Now he's getting older, he told me quietly, he would like to be referred to as just "Bo". There were also Noodle, Biscuit and Wormy whose names will forever echo in some backwater of my consciousness.

Although of extreme youth, make no mistake these kids could play ball. There were shortstops that were like vacuum cleaners in the way the ball would always end up cleanly in the glove no matter where they had to field it from. We were treated to the sights of sluggers who could put the ball over the fence but were still young enough not to try and fake indifference to their accomplishment.

Games were intense. Who could imagine that a 2-1 ball game between teams of 9 & 10 year olds would be so compelling? The players rose to the occasion as they struggled each inning to break the game open only to find their opposite numbers equally as resolute to keep them in check. Fans cheered, cowbells rang, the clink of the ball as it met the bat filled the air, high octave calls of "cut it" echoed across the field. Overhead an airbus climbed out of Dulles airport. A few saw it. No one heard it.

There were blowouts too, but some of these transcended the realm of the ordinary. Not because of the baseball but because of the way the suffering players maintained their dignity and their opposite numbers gave them their respect. During one mighty thrashing I heard the coach reminding his players that: "These guys are our friends. We play basketball and football against them."

The players are told to put on their game faces. They do, but they last only as long as it takes to call "play ball". Their faces betray the terrible excitement of the game. You can see them live and die a thousand times during the game: as they face each pitch, when they field the balls that come their way, and when they attempt that throw to first hoping to beat the runner.

There's supposed to be no crying in baseball, but there was - just a little - and laughter - quite a lot - and there was every other emotion on display. The players wore them without self-consciousness: that was their privilege. It was there for everyone watching to see, and that was ours.

Being an umpire bestows a precious intimacy with the game and its players. Most vivid memories include a batter who swung wildly at his first two pitches but battled back by fouling off several strikes and leaving the balls to draw a walk. There was a look of intense relief, joy, pride, and amazement on that batter's face as he made his way to first base. This was no face you'd see opposite you at the card table.

Never more is the evidence of fear and anticipation on show than when the game is on the line. Bottom of 6, two down, two on, and two runs behind: The batter takes his last instructions from the coach. His last question/pleading is overheard as I stood nearby: "I only have to get to first base... right??" I find myself recalling a phrase from an old poem in which "Its beauty and its terror" is used to describe an object. I think I now understand how something could have those two properties at once.

The end of a game became a bittersweet moment. Sweet because there was going to be another game tomorrow, bitter because we were one game closer to the end of the tournament. Soon there would only be 8 teams remaining, then four...

There is a horrible type of cliché that one usually hears at occasions like this. It generally takes the form of "The game was the real winner", or "Everyone was a winner". Well no, there was a deserving winner and it was the team from SYA East. However, this was just one end product of the 7 days.

The true value of an event like this is to be assessed as the sum of a host of smaller victories: to overcome, to achieve, to get back up and do it all again, to accept defeat with grace. The latter was no better demonstrated by the pitcher who, having just been hit out of the park, joined the throng at home plate to offer his hand in congratulations to the batter as he completed his tour of the bases.

While the kids were the feature event, some reflections on the adults is only proper. The horror stories of over-competitive or over-compensating parents are the stuff of dark legend. As an umpire I felt a little trepidation before the tournament started. However, this was a needless worry, as the parents took their cue from their players and were gracious and generous.

Was the players' outstanding sportsmanship a function of their parents and coaches examples or were the kids the role models for the adults? It was both of course, although the tone of the week had been established by those responsible for organizing and running the tournament. This they communicated clearly to the managers and the officials. It was something they never let anyone forget for the duration.

Whether this is turns out to be their only tournament or they go on to many more, I hope that years from now Bow-Bo, Biscuit, Wormy, and Noodle will remember with advantages what feats they did during those tournament days, recall each others names, and their stories teach their sons. In doing so they too can once again dip themselves in those magic waters