Bring ‘em Home

We’re heading up to our post-game location, for what we’re hoping is Park View’s victory celebration. See you after the game on ABC-10!

6 Outs to Go

After taking a 4-3 lead, Park View needs just six outs to become World Champions. But those are going to be six very tough outs.

Scared of Luke

Luke Ramirez is getting the Barry Bonds treatment today, with his second intentional walk in as many innings. Park View has too many good hitters not to take advantage.

Tie Game

Park View’s rally has tied the game at 3 in the 4th, and Chinese Taipei is on to their 3rd different pitcher of the inning. Both teams have been outstanding today and either would make a worthy champion. This has really been an excellent game.

Chinese Taipei Catcher

Park View got one run back in the rally, but the Chinese Taipei catcher, Yu Chieh Kao, saved a couple more runs from scoring in the bottom of the 3rd by blocking a pair of very tough curve balls in the dirt.

Intentional Walk

The crowd is not happy that Chinese Taipei is intentionally walking Luke Ramirez to load the bases. Let’s see if the red-hot Bulla Graft makes them pay.

Attendance

They just announced that today’s attendance is 32,400. The Padres are so jealous. Oh, and speaking of the Padres, I’ve heard they’ve invited the Park View players to take batting practice with them at a future game, and the Chargers will honor the team in pre-game ceremonies, as well.

Back-to-Back

Another homer has given Chinese Taipei a 3-0 lead, and knocked Isaiah Armenta from the game. Park View has their best hitters coming up in the bottom of the inning, so they need to answer with some offense, or they might be in trouble.

Long Homer

Just as we were talking about how good Isaiah Armenta was pitching, he gives up an infield single and a booming homer by the #3 hitter for Chinese Taipei, Wen Hua Sung. Park View will have to play from behind to win this one.

Sharp Defense

The Chinese Taipei second baseman, Po Chuan Pan, was charged with an error on the ball hit by Oscar Castro. Tough scorekeeper. I would have given Roberto a hit. Either way, Po came back by turning a nice double play to end the inning. Still scoreless, heading to the 3rd.

Throwing Park View a Curve

The Chinese Taipei pitcher is keeping Park View’s hitters off-balance with a lot of slow curve balls. It’s working so far, but I don’t think it’ll last too much longer.

U-S-A

Instead of P-V-L-L, Park View fans are now chanting U-S-A since they’re representing the whole country today. Still no score in the 2nd.

A Question

Where did Cotton-eyed Joe come from? And where did he go?

Lefty

Chin Ou, the starting pitcher for Chinese Taipei, is left-handed, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Park View. Manager Oscar Castro is left-handed, so they see plenty of batting practice from the southpaw side.

Setting the Tone

Starting pitcher Isaiah Armenta didn’t show any nerves in the top of the 1st inning, working around a single by Hao Yu Lin and striking out the side. Most impressive, all three Chinese Taipei hitters struck out swinging on pitches that probably would have been called strikes, meaning Armenta is showing excellent movement and velocity.

Weather

The weather couldn’t be more different than yesterday. Even a lifelong San Diegan like me is perfectly comfortable. Mid-70’s, nice breeze, just a few white clouds. Absolutely perfect.

Chinese Taipei

We’re underway. Don’t expect the Chinese Taipei team to get rattled like San Antonio did yesterday. They have a reputation for being very cool, calm, and collected.

Big Crowd

There’s an overflow crowd here at Lamade Stadium as we get ready for the first pitch. Vice President Joe Biden was just inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence, and gave a short address. He also spent a few moments talking to Park View’s players and coaches.

NHL player Chris Drury (’89 LLWS champ from Trumbull, CT) was also inducted. He had the best line of the ceremony when he said he wouldn’t have wanted to pitch against the kids from Chula Vista today.

Starting Pitcher

In a slight surprise, Isaiah Armenta says he’ll be starting today’s Championship Game. Armenta, who is one of the youngest players on the Park View team, has been one of the team’s best performers on the mound the past two months, but was roughed up in Thursday night’s U.S. Semifinal game against Warner Robins, GA. He only recorded one out before he was lifted from the game.

Kiko Garcia, Seth Godfrey, and Andy Rios are all available in relief. The only pitcher not available is Luke Ramirez, and since this is the last game of the season, the coaches don’t have to worry about anyone’s pitch count unless they’re getting close to the maximum of 85.

Championship Sunday

First of all, I want to thank everyone who’s taken the time to check out the blog this week. I’m back at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, getting ready for this afternoon’s Little League World Series Championship Game between Park View of Chula Vista and Chinese Taipei.

The kids from Park View have become mega-stars this week, and I can only imagine what it’s like back home. Rod Roberto, the Park View Little League President, told me last night that he’s already turned down on offer from the Conan O’Brien show to fly the kids to Los Angeles in a private set for a taping. Rod says they need to get back to school. 

Rod also says he’s been contacted by the Governor’s office to set up a meeting with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and there’s also talk about a potential visit to the White House! Things just keep getting crazier and crazier.

On a much quieter note, Jeff and I visited the original home of the LLWS this morning. It’s a small, quaint field on the outskirts of Williamsport, about 4 miles away, but it’s a million miles from the TV cameras and gift shops of South Williamsport.

I’ll have some of the pictures for you tomorrow night when we get back to San Diego (I forgot my digital camera, but we got some good video).

Once again, I’ll be blogging during the game. At least until I need to leave my seat to get into position for our post-game show. 

Go Park View!

Notes from a Championship

Congratulations to the Park View Little League team on being crowned United States champions at the LLWS. Tomorrow, they’ll go for the World Championship against Chinese Taipei, and we’ll be there covering it for 10News with another post-game show.

I hope you caught tonight’s broadcast; I thought it went very well. We had parents, and coaches, and players, all celebrating right after the game. I hope that back in San Diego it felt like you were celebrating alongside the team.

A couple of quick notes:

Park View’s players had dinner with the Chinese Taipei players and learned how to say “1-2-3 Champions!” in Chinese.

I hear there’s an agreement that if Park View wins the World Series, the coaches will slide down Little League Hill, which was turned into a mudslide by today’s rain.

That’s about it. See you all tomorrow. Go Park View!

Blog Pause

I’m going to pause the blog for a few minutes as we move from press row to the top of Little League Hill for our post-game show. With Park View up 9, we have to consider the possibility that the game will end early. If you don’t hear from me again, we must not have a good internet connection up there.

A Light Blue Avalanche

A grand slam by Andy Rios keeps the 1st inning chugging along, with Park View now up 9-0. One game after allowing 9 runs in a single inning, the kids from Chula Vista have turned the trick themselves, and are still batting.

The coaches have to consider taking out Luke Ramirez. Since he’s still under 20 pitches, he’d be eligible to pitch again tomorrow. I don’t think it’s the right decision–you have to play to win tonight. But it’s worth thinking about.

Wooly Bulla!

The pitching change didn’t help. Bulla Graft goes back-to-back with Luke to make it 4-0. Still nobody out in the first, and San Antonio is falling apart, as two straight errors have put runners on the corners. The kids from texas need to take a deep breath and try to have some fun.

3 Batters, 3 Runs!

Big-time players come through in big games, and Luke Ramirez is showing he’s a big-time player at the LLWS, following a Andy Rios single and a Kiko Garcia walk with a 3-run homer. After just 10 pitches, San Antonio Manager Mike Shull has already taken his son, John, out of the game. 

This is very similar to how Tuesday’s game against San Antonio began, and Park View started swinging for the fences every at-bat, and ended up losing 6-3. Don’t think Oscar Castro and Ric Ramirez aren’t reminding the team of that fact.

A Rios Gem!

Not only did the great catch by SS Andy Rios turn into a inning-ending double play, but he also got Luke Ramirez off the mound without expending any more pitches.He was already up to 18 after just three batters. Again, 85 is the limit in Little League, and Park View is a little thin in the bullpen after using up three pitchers in the last game, so it’s important for Luke to be both good and efficient.

Smaller Crowd

The crowd seems a little smaller than Thursday night’s game, and even smaller than the International Championship earlier today, but the 4-hour delay probably is a big reason.

Better Late Then Never

We’re finally underway in Williamsport. A strong game on the mound by Luke Ramirez could ensure a Park View win, but there’s always that great offense to fall back on.

Star-Spangled Banner

Musician and former Yankees centerfielder Bernie Williams is on the field to play the National Anthem for tonight’s game on the electric guitar.

Introductions

Players from both teams are being introduced on the field right now. The game is about to start. Go Park View!

Still on ABC-10

While the national telecast is being moved to ESPN2 because of the rain delay, in San Diego, you’ll still be able to watch the game (and our 30 minute post-game show) live on ABC-10. The broadcast is less than 30 minutes away, and the weather is picture perfect now as Park View takes the field for infield practice.

Estimated Start Time

The good news? They’ve announced a start time. The bad news? It’s not until 4:00 San Diego time, 7:00 here in Williamsport. The grounds crew is having a tough time getting the field ready following the deluge. But we’re not going anywhere, so be patient, because the weather is beautiful and we will get this game in.

The Waiting Game

The teams are in the dugouts, but the grounds crew is still working on the field. If you’re watching the game on TV, you probably have more information than I do right now, because there are no monitors on press row and no announcements have been made on when the game will start. If the teams plan to take infield practice, it could still be another 20 minutes, although they might try to speed up the process.

Bizarre Celebrity Sighting

Jared from Subway is sitting right in front of us. He looks like he’s putting some of the weight back on.

Starting Lineup

The grounds crew is removing the tarp now, but it doesn’t look like we’ll be ready to play at 2:00. But it might not be too much longer, because the infield underneath looks okay.

Here’s Park View’s starting lineup: 1. Andy Rios, SS; 2. Kiko Garcia, CF; 3. Luke Ramirez, P; 4. Bulla Graft, 2B; 5. Bradley Roberto, RF; 6. Oscar Castro, 1B; 7. Junior Porras, C; 8. Isaiah Armenta, LF; 9. Seth Godfrey, 3B

Take Cover

With the rain blowing sideways into press row at the top of the covered stadium, I had to go and take cover for a few minutes. The good news? The rain has passed once again, so it’s up to the grounds crew to try to get the field ready for the game. But even though the tarp is on the infield, there’s now a lot of water in the outfield grass, as well.

45 Minutes Away

The Park View vs. San Antonio U.S. Championship Game at the Little League World Series will start in 45 minutes, according to an announcement just made here at Lamade Stadium. That means right around 2:00 San Diego time. Chinese Taipei now awaits the winner of the U.S. Championship, after defeating Mexico 9-4 in a game twice delayed by rain.

And speaking of rain, here it comes again. The tarp is being rolled out. Hopefully, it’ll clear up before the top of the hour. But right now it’s raining harder than I’ve ever seen in my life.

Back Underway

The International Championship has finally resumed, with Chinese Taipei leading Mexico 6-2 in the top of the 6th inning. The Park View game could start in about 30 minutes if there’s no more rain.

Diamond Dry

The grounds crew is using bags of Diamond Dry top get the infield ready to resume play. I just looked up “Diamond Dry” on the internet, and apart from about 30 online jewelry sites, I found that the light brown stuff that looks like dirt is actually made from corn cobs, and is sold by the pallet-full for prices ranging from about $450-$500. See, rain delays can be educational.

Mudslides

The grassy hill above the stadium has always been a favorite spot for kids to slide down, usually riding an old piece of cardboard box. But the rains today have turned the dirt into their sliding lanes into mud, and many kids are skipping the cardboard and making high-speed runs down down the hill, either on their stomachs or their backs. 

Just don’t try to get a ride home in Mom or Dad’s clean car after the game.

A Losing Battle

The grounds crew is trying to get the field ready to resume play, but the rain has started again, and they appear to fighting a losing battle. The chalk lines to 1st and 3rd base have been completely obliterated and will need to redrawn. This delay could last a while longer.

Second Rain Delay

We’re just wrapping up a second rain delay here in South Williamsport. Obviously, the start of the Park View game has been delayed, but the plan is to get started about 20-25 minutes after the International Championship wraps up. No matter when the game ends, be sure to stay tuned to ABC-10 for our live post-game show. We’re planning a big event on top of Little League Hill, and the whole traveling group of Park View players, coaches, and family will be on hand.

Bat Change

I heard an interesting tidbit from one of the family members last night. Apparently, until their loss on Tuesday, Park View had been using the new bats supplies to them by Easton here at the LLWS. But after the loss, they switched back to their old bats for Thursday night’s thrilling 11-10 win in the U.S. Semifinal. I wonder which bats they’ll be using today?

The Tarp Comes Off

After a 20-minute delay, the tarp is coming off the field, and the International Championship is about to resume. Hopefully, that will be the only delay of the day, and the Park View-San Antonio game will start right on schedule.

Rain Delay

We’ve just entered a rain delay in the bottom of the 1st inning of the International Championship game. It doesn’t look too bad right now, but if it’s a long delay, it could affect the start of the Park View game. I’ll keep you updated.

Chinese Taipei vs. Mexico

The International Championship is underway. Mexico has had the most dominating pitching staff of the tournament. But Chinese Taipei is always the team to beat outside the United States.

Championship Saturday

We’ve already taken our seats on press row at Lamade Stadium here in South Williamsport, even though we’re still over an hour and a half away from the International Championship between Mexico and Chinese Taipei. So far, the weather is holding up nicely. Despite forecasts for up to 5 inches of rain dumped by the remnants of Tropical Storm Danny, it’s been dry this morning, and the sun has just broken out over the field. 

Of course, this isn’t California. So the weather now isn’t really an indication of what the weather will be like this afternoon. Actually, the weather now isn’t really an indication of what the weather will be like in 3 minutes. But, so far, so good. It’s hard to imagine even Mother Nature not smiling upon an event as great as the Little League World Series. She is a mom, after all.

I’ll keep you updated on any changes in this space. Go Park View!

Lines

With free admission, the lines to get into Lamade Stadium on Championship Saturday can get pretty long. On the bottom of the picture is the line to get into the stadium; at the top is the line to get into the gift shop:

Here’s the line to get into the stadium, cont’d:

Wet Forecast

There’s a concern that Tropical Storm Danny could play havoc with tomorrow’s game, but we’re nothing if not optimistic here in Williamsport.

So…when the U.S. Championship is played tomorrow between Park View and San Antonio, I’ll be there with live blogs during the game, and then stay tuned after the game on ABC-10 for live post-game coverage from Williamsport.

Coaches, players, and families are all invited to join me from the top of Little League Hill, win or lose, to celebrate a magic season, and hopefully, a berth in the Little League World Series Championship Game.

Media

Getting to Championship Weekend at the Little League World Series means a lot of media obligations, so the Park View All-Stars spent much of the day talking to reporters, and getting interviewed by ESPN staffers prior to tomorrow’s broadcast on ABC.

The kids are handling the media very well, even if it’s not their favorite thing to do. Asked if they’d rather face a 73-MPH fastball on the outside corner, or a group of reporters, they all chose the fastball.

And just like he stands out on the field with his 6′2″ frame, Luke Ramirez also stands out in a press conference. He seems very comfortable talking to the media, like he’s done it all his life. The kid is a star, no doubt about it.