Every Picture Tells A Story

Yesterday began with Little League's World Series Challenger Game, Illinois v California, and our team in blue was pumped up for this one!  This is Little League's program for children with physical and mental disabilities, and being a part of this event is one of the most rewarding experiences one can have.

Plus, everybody's safe. 

The kids were so darn excited to be on the field at Volunteer Stadium, and so were their "buddies," the volunteers who assist them during the game.

Each of the players had quite the fan base.  And speaking of fans . . .

Team Czech Republic arrives to support their Challenger colleagues.  Several of the LLWS teams attended the game and made lots of noise.  The Canadians were one of our favorites with their simple cheer:  Eh!  Eh!  Eh!

Those surfer dudes from the West team also came out to cheer the Challenger team from California.  As usual, they were incredibly loose and relaxed, and would go on to win the U.S. Championship later that day.

But we were all completely STUNNED when Team Japan entered the stadium.

Why?  Because they would be playing for the International Championship in only two hours.  Not the typical pre-game warm-up most teams would choose. We were all so touched by their generous spirit. The crowd immediately realized the significance of their gesture, and they received a tremendous ovation from the grateful parents.

Homemade signs were everywhere, and the kids loved it.  In the background, you can see Team Australia, one of the most popular groups of kids in the tournament.

Here's one of my favorite photographs of a young player getting an assist from her buddy as the game was about to begin.

Jon Gregory makes the close call as this player slides into home, crutches and all.  SAFE!!

Here's the view from my umpiring position at 2d Base.  This was the only time I was allowed to take my camera onto the field during a game in Williamsport, and I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to capture this moment.  What a gorgeous day it was.



 

 

Chuck Latini prepares to make the Safe call as this player trots in for the easy score. 

As we left Volunteer Stadium to go prepare for the afternoon Championships, the umpires were quietly reflective.  Mike Legge, one of our Umpire Supervisors, stopped the group for what we thought was going to be a touching and insightful comment.

"Congratulations, guys,"  he said drolly.  "After 26 game, you finally got every call right."

It's hard to fully describe what it was like to be a part of this game - - very special indeed. If only each of you could have been there to see for yourself the joy each child experienced!  There's no way I can do it justice in this blog.

But I hope every picture tells the story.