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A huge treat just like last year, and then the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets playing in the late afternoon at downtown renovated Bowman Field, and this one counts in the standings.
By Arnie Leshin
Little Leaguers welcome Major Leaguers to the big stage at Williamsport, Pa.
Leave it to the biggest, best and most popular youth activity on the planet. It’s now in its 75thyear, and LL is always going forward, and for the second straight time the spotlight fell on the Major Leaguers.
Last year, it was the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, this time it was the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets who flew into the Williamsport airport, bused to the ballpark, and met with the youngsters ages 11-13.
Not just met with them, it was more than just that. It wasn’t a single, it was like a home run for both. It was something you don’t see everyday. Once the Phillies and the Mets exited their buses, they were greeted by youngsters dreaming a dream. And those at the airport rode with the players, and had a dreamlike time.
Greetings were ball one, Autographs were ball two, exchanging cards and caps were ball three, and ball four was the Major Leaguers entering Lamade Stadium.
The kids did, too, and were allowed to sit alongside any of the Phillies or Mets. They had questions to ask players they had only seen on television, others changed seats after recognizing the names on the back of the uniforms.
The Phillies, in a pennant race in the National League, landed first. It was perfect timing. They quickly assembled and mingled with the Little Leaguers before stepping onto the buses, but not alone, for right there the youngsters sat among those they idolized, took cell phone selfies, got into conversations, and tried to grasp what was happening.
Most baseball fans would go a lifetime without even shaking hands with a Major Leaguer. Not even an autograph, nothing like what these Little League boys were experiencing.
“I couldn’t wait to get here.” said Mets’ third baseman Todd Frazier. “It’s been 20 years, but these are great memories seeing not only present Little Leaguers, but meeting up with guys I haven’t see in years.”
It was 1998 when Frazier was the Most Valuable Player after his Toms River, N.J., Mid-Atlantic team turned back the Southeast champions from Greenville, N.C., 3-1, in an all-USA final.
Frazier, now 33 and in his 13th season in the Majors, had a 4-for-4 day that included the 3-run home run that erased the 1-0 deficit. He was also the winning pitcher.
On this day, there were the kids who were actually asking for permission to sit among several of the Phillies and Mets, but there was no problem whatsoever. The event staff assisted them to the seats and the Major Leaguers welcomed them as neighbors.
“Unreal,” said Mets’ Michael Conforto, whose Redmond, Washington West Regional champions didn’t make it past the first round of the double-elimination event. “I remember playing here, it was at time nerve racking, and I had never played before so many people. Now, to just return here is just unreal.”
First the Major Leaguers took in the final innings of the Mid-Atlantic-Southwest contest at LamadeStadium, and then went across the street to check out the Japan-Panama game at Volunteer Stadium, which Japan won 6-1.
Three LL games will be played today, and then every one of the 16 teams will bus downtown to watch the Phillies versus the Mets, who are not having much of a season, but are still a popular franchise, especially when the Mid-Atlantic Regional was won by the Mid-Island LL team from Staten Island, N.Y. is in this field and is now 2-0 after this morning’s 2-1 win over Texas East, the Southwest Regional representative.
Yes, only Little League can put on a show like this. Not only LL can come up with quality volunteer umpires. Not only LL can fly in two Major League teams, transfer them to the buses, than have them mingle with the youngsters.
Mid-Atlantic winning pitcher, 13-year right-hander Gabriel Bruno, had just finished up on the mound against the Texas team from Houston, and his favorite player is Phillies stellar right-handed Jake Arrieta, so Bruno was realizing another dream when he joined Arrieta in the TV booth.
“Oh my god,” Bruno said, “I couldn’t believe it. Me getting a chance to sit there with the earphones on alongside my favorite player, and he was just great. We went back and forth asking and answering questions.”
And the popularity of Little League, which gets better and greater every year, deserves another five stars for this well-done happy tine production. Redundant maybe, but it never stops, just grows bigger every year.
Batter up.
