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An event like no other
By Robert Rodriguez, CNNSI.com For individuals who have swung an aluminum bat or worn their baseball jersey four hours before game time, watching the Little League World Series was something special. Every person, whether they were the coach's son or a high school has-been, must have felt a since of pride watching 11- and 12-year-olds playing for the love of the game. Remember the player from Davenport, Iowa who got in the game at the closing moments of the U.S. final against Bellaire, Texas? His team was losing 8-0 and he pinch hit just so the coach could follow the rules of allowing everyone to play. Yet he spanked a single to right and advanced to second. All the while, his smile was brighter than the lights at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. And he was joking around at second while enjoying his moment in the spotlight. And who could ever forget Davenport's manchild, 6-foot-2-inch, 231-pound Julian Vandervelde. Everyone had a big guy like him on their team -- just not that big at that age. Or the faces Venezuela's Marcel Prado gave to the Tokyo pitcher in the international pool final while in the batter's box? Do that in the majors and you'll see the commissioner's name on the baseball up close. Whether they like it or not, pro baseball players are role models. That was very evident throughout the championship. Bellaire's untouchable pitcher Ross Haggard's delivery resembled that of television announcer Orel Hershiser. And many of the players flicked their bats like Derek Jeter. No downtown skyline view or luxury box seats seen at today's ballparks can touch the nostalgia of Lamade stadium. Seeing the backdrop of the Pennsylvania hills from home plate or the thousands of fans on the hills behind the outfield fence are Kodak moments. The Little League World Series is a baseball event like no other. Just ask baseball's Gary Sheffield, Derek Bell, Wilson Alvarez (who played on the Maracaibo, Venezuela LLWS team in 1982) or hockey's Chris Drury. They are a handful of professional athletes who experienced Williamsport as a youth. Like those athletes, these youngsters who shined so bright in this year's tournament will have memories few will ever experience. That's why, year in and year out, the small town near State College remains the ultimate goal in youth baseball.
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