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City pride Hometown still thinks of Bellaire team as champs
BELLAIRE, Texas (AP) - Although they did not come home with the Little League World Series trophy, the Boys of Bellaire still became the prize of their city. The Bellaire All-Stars, lost the world title to Venezuela 3-2 in Williamsport, Penn. Although disappointed by the loss, the residents from this affluent Houston suburb stood before a large screen TV in their community center to cheer proudly for their beloved All-Stars. But it just wasn't the die-hard fans of Bellaire Little League focusing on the team. Bored little girls stood outside and whispered about crushes they had developed on the boys, who had seemed geeky only months before. Little boys tore around the community center, screaming and yelping, as their imaginations created bases out of chairs, walls and tables. Teen-agers lounged at the back of the dark gym in lawn furniture or stretched out on beach blankets. Some sat on bean bag baseballs, unloaded from an old Mercedes. "We are so proud of them to have gone so far," said Mandy Nathan, a Houston attorney, propping her own four-year-old son on her hip. "It is a real accomplishment for a town as small as Bellaire." Residents say their sense of community is a greater prize than any baseball trophy. The boys have brought the town's closeness into the national spotlight, but it existed long before the 12-year-olds made headlines. "The community support was here before," said resident Cathy Riggs. "I think that is why they have gone this far." This city of about 14,000, was long ago surrounded by its behemoth neighbor Houston's southwestward expansion. That proximity to Houston's main business centers has caused Bellaire's property values to skyrocket since the mid-1980s oil bust, yet the downtown area still retains a small-town feel. Two-story Georgian-style houses dot the city, which proudly proclaims its parks among the nation's safest, and posts photos of its purple-suited swim team, the Bellaire Barracudas, in city buildings. Bellaire resident Herv Fisher said he is amazed at the team's success. "They are just little guys," Fisher said. "A lot of them aren't over 5 feet tall and they are skinny. And they have beaten kids who are 6'2' and weigh 230 pounds." Bellaire is no stranger to baseball glory. The city's high school, part of the Houston school district, this past year tied South San Antonio's record of seven state championships. And New York Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. once wore Bellaire High uniforms. With its defeat, Bellaire failed to join the Houston National All-Stars of 1950 and Westbury of 1966 as the only other local teams to a win a world title. Liz Connolly, 12, said her fellow-seventh graders are looking forward to having the boys back home. "They have already missed school for a week and a half," the diminutive redhead said sternly. "I think they will fit right back in when they come back. I don't think they will have a problem with being stuck up. They aren't that into themselves." Welcome home, boys.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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