Park View All-Stars en route to LLWS Championship
Little League World Series 2009: Chula Vista Park View All-Stars (CA) are just one step away from the being in the Little League World Series Championship Game (Photo: flickr.com)
There are at least three things I happily accept will always define who I am. Actually there are lots of things, but for the purposes of this article, I’ll focus on these three. First, I am a father who will always be there for his children (even if I have to get a personal loan to do it now and then). Second, I will love baseball more than any other sport until the day I die. Third, I am proud to say that I am a native San Diegan. Even though I don’t currently live there, I hope to return someday. These things are in my blood.
So you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered that the Little League World Series 2009 had Chula Vista as a participant. The Chula Vista Park View All-Stars are as of this writing just one step away from the Little League World Series championship game that will be held on Sunday, August 30 at 12 noon Pacific time on ABC television. All they have to do is win the United States Championship against McAllister Park American Little League out of San Antonio, Texas.
Chula Vista is a big part of south San Diego
For those of you who don’t know, Chula Vista is located within San Diego County. While it is a city in its own right, it is generally considered to be part of San Diego proper. I have many relatives who live in the community the Park View All-Stars call home. And as a father, whenever I see how happy these boys are to be in the position to represent their country in a baseball game, I fantasize about what it will be like for my children as they grow. You can be certain they’ll be exposed to playing baseball if I have anything to say about it; what they do with it will be up to them. I’ll just be happy to share the game I love with the two little people I love most in this world.
This team has the horses to win
The Chula Vista Park View All-Stars aren’t skating by in their games. They bring serious power to the plate, led by their two stars, Kiko Garcia and Luke Ramirez. An Examiner article dubs them the “Mini Bash Brothers” (after the Jose Canseco-Mark McGwire tandem that played MLB for the Oakland A’s in the late 1980s and early 90s), but I think it’s somewhat unfair to make that comparison. Let the kids’ achievements earn them their own fame. They aren’t the Bash Brothers, the 1927 New York Yankees “Murderers Row” (Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig), or the 1961 Yankees “M & M Brothers,” Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (all the Examiner writer’s ideas). They are the core of the Park View All-Stars. They are Kiko Garcia and Luke Ramirez, and that’s how they should be remembered. Oh, and that they rattle pitchers with their big bats. They make Little League parks look increasingly small with their power game.
They led the way in Park View’s LLWS opener
While it’s true that Garcia and Ramirez went 7-for-8 with three homers in a 15-0 win against the Russellville, Kentucky team from the tournament’s Great Lakes Region, the rest of the team has also contributed mightily. In a 14-0 win over Peabody, Massachusetts, the dynamic duo went 2-for-6 with a single RBI between them. But the rest of the team batted .500. They went 14-for-28 with 12 RBI. Shortstop Andy Rios went deep twice. Clearly, the Little League World Series 2009 feels Chula Vista’s might. They’re a dominant team with dominant pitching, too.
Perhaps they are a Murderers’ Row
I'd love for my kids to be able to do this (Photo: picasaweb.google.com)
OK, I will give the Examiner reporter some credit. The 1927 New York Yankees lineup was tough from top to bottom. In addition to Ruth and Gehrig, they had guys like Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri and Bob Meusel to knock pitchers out of the box. Chula Vista Park View has the same kind of punch, on the Little League Level.
After two games in the LLWS, Chula Vista Park View was hitting .484 with 10 homers (already only three short of a record set by 2005 champ Ewa Beach, Hawaii), a 1.045 slugging percentage and a tournament-high 29 runs. Chinese Taipei or Reynosa, Mexico will have their hands full trying to keep these bats down. I imagine we’ll see a slugfest in the final.
Call them the Blue Bombers
That’s what they like. Referring to murderers is unnecessary, although I understand it isn’t meant literally. I am looking forward to seeing what happens for the Chula Vista Park View All-Stars. They’re from my home town and make me wish more than ever that I was back there. Someday, I will be. Someday I will walk upon a baseball diamond with my children and play a pastoral game that defies clocks, defies time. Baseball is done once there is a winner after nine innings (seven for Little League games). It could take just over an hour or as many as necessary. I love that; too many people race through life. I’d like to enjoy it with the ones I love.
I think it’s about time I called home. I may need to get a personal loan to keep my cell phone service going, but it’s worth it to talk to the family back home.
Nokia 5610 Express Music Red Unlocked GSM Cell Phone
 |
Nokia 5610 Express Music Red Unlocked GSM Cell Phone Nokia 5610 Express Music Red Unlocked GSM Cell Phone |
USD 339$
Related Video:
