Long Beach PONY Baseball 2007

LONG BEACH AT THE 2008 WORLD SERIES

KEY WORLD SERIES LINKS

DAILY WORLD SERIES RECAP

LISTEN TO ALL OUR GAMES LIVE ON WJPA WEBCASTS

WJPA World Series Page (Corrected Link!)
The main update site for games, and the place to hear the games on the webcast

World Series Bracket
World Series Tournament Bracket

RELATED GAME LINKS

Game 1 - Long Beach 5, Tamiami, FL 1 (Sun, 8/10)
- GAME 1 (FULL BOXSCORE)
- Observer-Reporter - DeJong's return lifts Long Beach to win
- LB Press-Telegram - DeJong dominant in Long Beach's victory
- WJPA Radio call of Long Beach vs. Tamiami, FL
- LBPostsports.com - Long Beach Pony Wins First World Series Game

Game 2 - Long Beach 10, Hagerstown, MD 4 (Tue, 8/12)
- GAME 2 (FULL BOXSCORE)
- LB Press-Telegram - LB Pony has challenge
- LBPostsports.com - LB Pony Team Continues World Series Play Tonight
- WJPA Radio call of Long Beach vs. Hagerstown, MD
- Observer-Reporter - Long Beach one win from final
- LB Press-Telegram - Long Beach, Harper overpower Hagerstown
- LBPostsports.com - Long Beach Pony Wins 2nd Game of World Series

The Long Beach PONY All-Stars wish to thank
the following supporters of our World Series run. We could not have done it without them:

Mike Sieckert - 2008 Long Beach PONY President
Denise Bunney - PONY Region Director
Walter Schmidt (SoCal Sportswear) - Uniforms, Shirts, Jackets
Sarah Williams - Local Assistant Team Parent
Denise DeWolf - Local Assistant Team Parent
Sandy Hardy - Local Assistant Team Parent
the Merrill Family - All-Star Sponsors
Mindy McCarthy - All-Star Sponsor
Judy Jakemer - All-Star Sponsor
Broadway Glass - All-Star Sponsor

There are many, many, more people we could list here....and we apologize for any ommissions from this list. You are all very much appreciated and a big part of this great journey.

FRI 8/8 - Our adventure to Pennsylvania got off to a less than stellar start as the plane ticket arraingements were botched by the Pony Headquarters. Instead of the team leaving as schedule on Friday at 8:30 AM, it was determined that our tickets were actually for the day before. This caused the Pony staff to scramble to find seats for our team on Friday. the result? We wound up on three different flights, each with a different layover city, and the flights left LAX at 6:40 AM. This meant a 4:15 AM picjk-up at Whaley park, and a long day on the plane to PA.

The good news was that everyone made it safely and realtively on time. We were greeted at the hotel by Chase DeJong who returned from Florida to joins at the World Series. The teams here are much bigger then we remember from last year, and it seems very strange to be here again. It feels like we were only gone a week. People are very happy to have us back, and our old friends remember us too.

We start the festivities off tomorrow, but for now it's time to get some much needed rest for everyone.

SAT 8/9 - The official start of the 2008 PONY World Series began with the managers meeting at 9:00 AM. Rules were reviewed, new team hats were handed out, and the the coin tosses were done for all games in the tournament. (We will be the visitors for most of our games). Later in the morning, the teams headed over to Lew Hays field for team photos. The 8th annual Friends Game featured two teams of physically or mentally challenged boys and girls, who got the opportunity to play (and win) against the World Series All-star players. Long Beach's Thomas Walker was a key participant in the game helping out the kids on offense, and then taking a big K when he got his chance to bat. This was a very memorable experience, especially after the game as the players congratulated each participant with high fives and words of praise and encouragement.

After a couple hour break, we were back at the PONY fields for the Opening Ceremonies. Each team was introduced, and took up positions on the baselines. The national anthems from Chinese-Tiapai, Puerto Rico, and the USA were performed, and it was time for play to begin. We watched the Chinese team play a steady game and win 11-0 over Davenport. Iowa. In the nightcap, the Area host Johnstown, PA, stunned the crowd by capturing their first ever World Series win by defeating Puerto Rico 6-2. The players spent most of this time working the crowd and meeting the locals. When it was over, it was back to the hotel, and a firm curfew to get ready for our big day on Sunday.

The highlights of the day have been the bonding between our boys and the team from Taichung City, Taiwan. The friendship has been building since the early morning when the two teams got together and chose up sides for a big whiffle ball game in the parking lot. The team captains (Soloman for LB) picked players from both teams, and the boys played an inspiring game...even though they could not communicate very clearly at first.

Thomas Walker became the un-official international representative for the team, and has become very very popular with the Taiwan team. He has greeted them with 'hello' in their native language, eliciting smiles and a "Thomas, you very smart' reply from one of their coaches. During their game, Thomas would call out the name of one of their players, who sheepishly acknowledged each call of his name with a smile and a tip of the hat.

Later that night at the hotel, the same Taiwan player saw Thomas downstairs and called out for him. When Thomas looked up, the player tossed him a Chinese-Taipei practice shirt as a sign of respect and friendship. This touching moment was repeated moments later when Thomas returned the favor by giving the player a LB hat and practice jersey of his own. This truly magic moment was one that accurately shows what this event is REALLY about. Life changing experiences that will last a lifetime.

Time for bed, and dreams of tomorrow's competition. Stay tuned.

SUN 8/10 - The early morning wake-up calls went unanswered today, and we had to rush to get players up and ready for the World Series Breakfast. It turned out to be a good thing, as we were the last ones to arrive, and then ultimately the first to get in line to eat! Such luck!

The breakfast featured every team and their families and friends. Coach Ken spoke about the background of our league, our relatively small size (5 teams), and our sincere appreciation of being back again for the second year in a row. He also mentioned that Long Beach is planning on making a return trip again next year, to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Long Beach Pony 1959 championship.

After breakfast, the players had to hurry and get ready to go take some batting practice before the big game later in the evening. Once at practice, the focus wavered away from the game, and centered more around discussions of who would hit in the HR contest the following day. This was not the focus we wanted, and the coaches nipped that attitude in the bud quickly. However, there was lingering concern about how we would perform later in the evening.

After a short rest, the vans were ready to take us back to the field for the game against Tamiami. The conditions were perfect at the start of the game, and Chase DeJong reminded us of what we had been missing in the Zone tournament. He threw a complete game, allowing only 1 late run in the 7th, to lead the Beach to a 5-1 win.

Catcher Matt Maccarrone led of the 3rd inning with a solo home run to right center to break a scoreless tie. Soloman Williams had two big hits, and drove in 2 runs to keep Long Beach alive in the winners bracket.

The post game activities were shortened by a light rain that sent the team back to the hotel for some quality delivery pizza! Then it was time to return to our own rooms and get some much needed rest.

MON 8/11 - Monday morning arrived with a bit of rain fall on the ground, but that would be all for the day as the team got ready to head to the park for the Home Run hitting contest and the Fastest Runner competition.

Representing the Long Beach team in these events were batters Irie Elizalde and Soloman Williams, and runner Brett Harper. The contest got underway, and many players were struggling to hit more than 1 HR bfore 10 outs. After 10 players had batted, Soloman's turn came up. He was able smack 2 HR's out of the park, placing him in a tie with a 3 other players at 2 each. Next up was Irie, who found some rhythm and stroked 3 balls out of the park. Watching the final first round participants bat was a tense time as Soloman and the rest of the 2 HR players were on the bubble to advance to the second round. Unfortunately, there were two batters that hit more than 5 each, and Soloman was eliminated. However, Irie advanced to the final round of 4, representing LB. He would not capture the crown on this day though, as the Chinese-Taipei batter took home the trophy.

Next up was the Fastest runner competition, which Brett Harper ran a solid 14.35 run around the bases. His time was good for 3rd place overall, as the Puerto Rico runner won the competition with a time of 13.96.

After returning to the motel for a brief period of down time (think laundry and telecommuting to work), the entire Long Beach congra=egation in Pennsylvania went to dinner at Angelos Italian Restaurant for a wonderful group dinner. Many thanks to the parent who coordinated the event. It was really great to have everyone together at one time and place.

From the restaurant the team headed over to Lew Hays field to watch the evenings games (or to be seen by the local female population....not sure which one was the priority?) The night ended with an 11:00 curfew, and a renewed focus to prepare for the game tomorrow. We have a busy schedule tomorrow including a luncheon at the Rotary Club at noon, batting practice after that, and then the game vs. Hagerstown, MD at 8:00 PM local time.

TUE 8/12 - The team awoke on Tuesday refreshed and ready for a busy day. Things started off with a team luncheon with the Rotary Club of Washington, PA. Our team represented Long Beach very proudly, and the Rotarians were again very impressed by our young men's poise, manners, and intelligence. Chase DeJong gave the opening invocation, and Coach Romo kept the audience on the edge of their seats during his recap of our journey to get here.

The next activity of the day came when a few players were taken in full uniform to the Pony International Headquarters for some advance video shots and on camera interviews in preparation for Fox Sports scheduled broadcast of the World Series final. Thomas Walker was asked to sit for one of the interviews, and he knocked it out of the park.

At the same time, the rest of the team went for some pre-game batting practice with Coach Rick and Coach Victor, before returning back to the rooms for a couple hours of rest before we headed back to the fields for our late game.

Finally, we got to play the game, and Long Beach jumped out early as Brett Harper led off the game with a bunt single, Daniel DeWolf followed with a double, and both runners would score before the inning ended. Ty Provencher took the mound for the Beach, and he came out strong. He would retire the side 1-2-3 in the first.

In the second inning Long Beach scored again on a solo home run by Harper, and in the 4th they would score 2 more times with two outs to take a 5-0 lead. Provencher kept the Marylanders frustrated through 3, but in the 4he encountered some difficulty as the bases were loaded with 1 out and a run across. Oliver Van Buskirk was summoned to relieve Ty, and he escaped the jam by striking out the next two hitters to end the inning.

With momentum back on their side, the Beach again rallied with two outs. This time they would get an RBI single by Avery Flores, and an RBI double by Harper to extend the lead to 8-1. Meanwhile, Van Buskirk kept throwing hard, and he completed his 2 2/3 innings of work without allowing a run or hit, while striking out 4.

In the 7th, Long Beach scored twice more, again with 2 outs. A Chase DeJong double brought home the final run of the night for LB,making the score 10-1. Cody Elder was handed the ball to finish the game, and he recorded the final out with runners on base, and Long Beach was heading to their lower bracket final on Thursday.

Finally, we had the van ride back to the motel, a quick bite to eat, and another good nights sleep with nice dreams of a World Series victory in each of our heads. What a great way to end the day!

WED 8/13 - With an off day on Wednesday, the team slept in a bit later than usual, and we all went to the nationally famous Waffle House for a mid-day breakfast meal. Returning to the WH brought back fresh memories of last years team, and the staff behind the counter remembered us, and how well behaved our teams were. After breakfast we headed back to the rooms, and Coach Romo worked his connections to book the team seats at the Pirates vs. Reds game later that night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

We chartered a bus to take the 49 members of our team and extended families that were interested in the game, over to PNC Park. The 40 minute bus ride took us through some beautiful parts of the country, highlighting the long history of this part of the nation. As is expected when traveling with small children, we had to make an emergency potty stop just a few minutes from the stadium. The bus erupted in cheers when Boston Bob returned to the bus, with a skip in his step, and we were able to proceed.

At the game, we enjoyed one of the most beautiful ballparks in America. We were also acknowledged on the electronic scoreboard as the 'Long Beach, CA PONY World Series team'. The Pirates were energized by our attendance, and defeated the Reds in a quick game that had us on our way back to the motel before 10:00 PM.

The players and coaches returned to their rooms, and in a short period of time, all was quiet. We will awake tomorrow with a focus on preparation for the game on Thursday night against Tamiami, FL.

THU 8/14 - We awoke on Thursday with the realization we were one game away from the finals on Saturday, and we had to spend a whole day waiting for our 8:00 PM start time. The weather was dark and cloudy, and there was a real threat of rain throughout the area. We took the team to the Wild Things batting cage to prepare, and then went back to 'rest' before we headed out to the field.

Out at Lew Hays field, the first game of the night featured Chinese-Taipei and Puerto Rico. In a close battle, Puerto Rico handed the Chinese-Taipei team their first loss, 7-4 forcing a rematch today to reach the championship game on Saturday. the game ran a bit late, so we had to wait a bit longer to finally take the field.

The game finally started, and we batted first (again!) as Brett Harper walked, advanced on Daniel DeWolf's single, and scored on a passed ball to give Long Beach the early lead. Soloman Williams took the mound, and retired the side allowing only a lead-off single. In the second, the Beach put two more runners on base, but could not get the timely hit and failed to score. Tamiami came right back and scored a run of their own on a double and single, before the final two outs of the inning were recorded.

In the third, DeWolf singled to start things off, Thomas Walker was hit by the pitch, and Chase DeJong singled in a run forcing a Tamiami pitching change. Williams greeted the new pitcher with a single, but that would be all as Long Beach took a 2-1 lead. Williams returned to the mound to face the top of the Tamiami order, and retired them in order.

The Beach scored a single run in the 4th on a bunt single by Avery Flores and a long double by DeWolf. Walker was hit by another pitch, but the Beach could not capitalize on it and had to settle for a 3-1 advantage. The bottom of the inning did not go so well. Soloman walked the lead-off batter (while throwing what looked like 7 good strikes in the at bat). The next batter hit a slow roller to Thomas , who slipped and was unable to complete the play. The next batter singled sharply to right, and the ball went to the wall scoring one run. After getting two quick outs, and an 0-2 count on the #9 hitter, a mislocated fastball caught enough of the plate for the hitter to reach out and single to right, driving in two runs and giving Tamiami the lead 4-3. Williams would get the final out, on a grounder to Walker.

With a need to respond to the Tamiami rally, Williams led off the 5th with a solid single up the middle. With Jake Hardy at the plate, Williams attempted to steal second, and beat the throw to the base. But as he slide, the break away base came loose, and at the same time the shortstop swiped Williams' arm off the base for a questionable out call. The inning would end without a run, and Long Beach still trailing by 1.

Long Beach sent Oliver Van Buskirk out to pitch the bottom of the 5th. He got off to a bit of a rocky start, by hitting the first batter and allowing a single to the next hitter. A long fly out to Harper in center, and an intentional walk of #45 Knez, loaded the bases. Oliver would strike out the next hitter for the second out on the inning, but a wild pitch would score runner from 3rd. Another walk load the bases again, but again Van Buskirk stuck out the hitter to end the inning with a score of 5-3.

With a 2 run deficit and time running out, Long Beach needed to respond. Tamiami made another pitching change, bringing in a lefthander to try and close the game out. Leading off the 6th was Van Buskirk. After taking the count to 3-2, he drove a fastball far over the fence in right field for a long home run cutting the led to 1. This energized the squad and also rattled the Tamiami team. Flores reached on an error, and after a ground out by Harper, DeWolf came up and doubled down the left field line to tie the game. Walker stepped up and drove a double down the right field line scoring DeWolf and Long Beach had regained the lead at 6-5. DeJong and Williams would both reach base on fielder's choices, before the inning ended on a come backer to the mound.

Tamiami started the bottom of the 6th with the top of their order batting. A lead-off walk, was followed by a single to right field. Williams scooped up the hit, and threw to DeJong, who wheeled around and threw a bullet to DeWolf at third to catch the runner rounding third to far. This was a critical momentum play for the Beach. A pop fly to DeWolf at third was caught for the second out, but the next batter stroked a single to move the runner to second. A two out grounder to second resulted in an error as Avery slipped while making the play, loading the bases with Tamiami's biggest slugger coming to the plate. The call to the bullpen was answered by DeWolf , who got behind 2-0 to the fearsome hitter. The next pitch was a curve that didn't reach the target as it landed squarely in the back of the hitter, forcing in the tying run. (This was actually a very good thing, as he could have driven in many more if he kept his hot hitting streak going). DeWolf then struck out the final hitter of the inning as we headed to the 7th all tied up at 6-6

Matt Maccarrone led off with a grounder to second, but the ball was booted, and the Beach had a lead-off runner. Maccarrone tried to catch the Tamiami team with their heads down by stealing second, but the attempt was thwarted and Long Beach had lost a big runner. Van Buskirk grounded out for the second out, as Flores came up to bat. The number 9 hitter smacked his second hit of the game to right field. Harper followed with a grounder to short that was mishandled for an error. DeWolf came up and drove a pitch up the middle for his 5th hit, and an RBI to give Long Beach the lead. After a steal of second by DeWolf , Walker stroked a hit to right driving in Harper and Dewolf. DeJong was hit by the pitch, and Williams would walk to load the bases again, but the final out was recorded on a strike out as Long Beach took a 9-6 lead into the bottom of the 7th.

Waiting to close out the game was Chase DeJong, and he confidently strode to the mound. The first batter he faced had homered off DeJong in the previous game between these two teams, and he smacked another long drive that stayed in the park, but resulted in a triple. Unfazed due to the 3 run lead, DeJong got a ground ball out to Flores, which scored the run from 3rd, bringing up the top of the order again. But DeJong was throwing heat, and he proceeded to strike out the final two hitters, and Long Beach was heading to the PONY World Series Championship for the second year in a row.

We will have more info about the game on Saturday, but the information we have now is that the game should be broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports at 10:00 AM on Saturday (Only on satellite systems that can get the Pittsburg feed - DirectTV and Dish Netwrok customers). Don't miss your last chance to watch these young men play their great brand of baseball representing Long Beach, California, and the United States.

FRI 8/15 - With the big win on Thrusday, we had another 'off' day on Friday. While Puerto Rico and Chinese-Taipei were preparing for one more battle to reach the championship game on Saturday, we were able to relax a bit and focus on the Saturday game. We had a couple of solid batting sessions, before heading out to CiCi's All-you-can-eat pizza parlor, for dinner. We witnessed a thrilling (yet appalling) eating contest between Irie Elizalde and Oliver Van Buskirk, who were out to break the record set last year by Alex Campbell of 42 pieces. As the competition wound down, they were neck-and-neck at 36. But Irie put on a big final kick, and wound up winning (?) by finishing 45 slices (but not the crust), with Oliver a distant second with 38.

Meanwhile, back at PONY Headquarters we were applying the full court press on Fox Sports to get the game carried live back home. Unfortunately, it appears that all of our efforts were unsuccessful, other than the fact that the games cane be seen on DirectTV or Dish Network systems. (For a small additional fee to get the Pittsburg feed).

Over at Lew Hays field, we were able to watch the PR vs. C-T game, and were pleased with the fact that Chinese-Taipei defeated Puerto Rico 5-4. In the contest, the Chinese-Taipei team had to use their ace, leaving him unavailable on Saturday. Long Beach will have a fullly rested pitching staff, and will send their ace, Chase DeJong out to the mound on Saturday.

We have reached the final game of the 2008 PONY World Series Championships for the second year in a row. A tremendous achievement on it's own, but we have unfinished business to take care of, and we will need all of your support to bring back the championship to Long Beach, California.

Go Beach!

SAT 8/16 - We awoke this morning with a much shorter day than any other previous day here in Pennsylvania. With a 1:00 PM start time for the Championship game, we had to get up early, get some breakfast, sign some autographs, and get over to the ball field at 11:15 AM. Upon our arrival at Lew Hays field this morning, you could tell this was a much bigger game than we had ever played. The presence of 6 TV cameras strategically positioned around the field was an awesome and exciting sight for all to see.

There was some confusion surrounding the schedule of events leading up to the 1:07 first pitch, as they had to allow for some pre-game ceremonies. The delays caused our starting pitcher, Chase DeJong, to have to scramble to get his proper pre-game warm-ups in. After the teams were announced, and the national anthems from Taiwan and the United States were played, it was time to get the game started.

Chase took the mound and retired the first two hitters he faced, before giving up a double over Brett Harper's head in centerfield. The next hitter grounded to third, but the throw was over Soloman Williams head, and Taiwan had a 1-0 lead as the inning ended on a sharp grounder to third. On offense, the Beach sputtered a bit at the start and managed only a Daniel DeWolf single before the side was retired.

In the second, with two outs, a walk and a bunt single put two Taiwan runners on base, before DeJong got the lead-off man to line out to SS Thomas Walker ending the inning. Leading off the bottom of the second, Williams singled up the middle, Irie Elizalde singled to left, and Matt Maccarrone singled to left to load the bases with no outs. Long Beach was ready to break the game open, But two shallow fly outs and a fielders choice ended the threat without allowing a run. This was a big chance that got away but the team kept their heads up and went back to work on defense.

The third inning started with a walk, and a fly out to right fielder Victor Martinez. An attempted steal was thwarted by a strong throw and perfect tag to nail the runner. On the play Walker and the runner collided, with Walker's head striking the runners face. After a few minutes of assistance, the bloodied Taiwan player was helped from the field, and replaced in the line-up. A DeJong strike out of the very dangerous clean-up hitter ended the inning. Long Beach did not fare much better in their half of the inning, as DeWolf reached on an error, only to be doubled up on a liner to short by Walker . An easy grounder to second ended the inning with Taiwan still ahead 1-0.

DeJong was hitting his stride now, and retired the opponents 1-2-3 on two fly balls to second baseman Avery Flores, and another ground out to third. Again, the Beach had difficulty getting on base as all three batters were retired by the shortstop, sending the game to the 5th inning.

Taiwan got a 1 out single to right to bring up the top of the order. But DeJong induced a come backer that was turned into a 1-6-3 double play ending the threat. With the game slowly slipping way, Long Beach needed to make something happen. With one out, Flores reached base on a error, and was erased on a potential double play grounder by Harper. But the throw to first was high, and the ball wound up in the camera well sending Harper to second base. Up stepped 'Mr. Clutch' Daniel DeWolf who singled to left scoring Harper wit the game tying run. A long fly by Walker to the right field fence was caught for the final out of the inning, but the Beach was back in the game.

The 6th was more of the same from DeJong as two more fly outs to Flores, and a grounder to Walker ended the inning quickly. With 4-5-6 hitters in the order up, Long Beach looked to take a lead. Taiwan made a pitching change and brought in our friend Hu Chih Wei to pitch, and he also retired the side 1-2-3.

With one inning left to go before extra innings, and a forced removal of DeJong from the mound, Chase looked to close out the Taiwan offense. But a lead-off walk and a successful sacrifice bunt put a runner at 2nd with one out. A couple of pitches later, the runner stole third where he was quickly driven home on single. The next batter also singled to right, and both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. With runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out, another wild pitch saw the runners attempt to advance again, but the runner at third changed his mind when a hustling Maccarrone retrieved the ball and recognized that the runner on 2nd had run all the way to 3rd base, while the other runner returned to 3rd. the ensuing pickle resulted in an out at the plate. the batter then lifted an easy pop fly to Walker for the 3rd out, with Taiwan holding a slim 2-1 lead as Long Beach came to bat in the bottom of the 7th.

With only three outs left to use , the Beach responded quickly. Matt Maccarrone laced the first pitch he saw through the 5/6 hole, and the tying run was on base. This was a perfect time to bring up pinch hitter Oliver Van Buskirk to try and drive a ball. He swung at the first pitch and fouled it off, as the LB crowd begged for something good to happen. On the next pitch, they got what they asked for, as Oliver drove a high, long fly towards the fence in right centerfield. the Taiwan outfielder looked like he had a play on the ball. But at the last second he turned and watched the ball carry over the fence for an amazing pinch hit 2 run walk-off homer to give Long Beach the PONY World Series Championship title.

The scene at home plate was surreal as Van Buskirk numbly rounded the bases, tossed away his helmet, and jumped on home plate and into the arms of his exuberant teammates who mobbed him in the traditional championship pile-up of bodies.

The stands were going wild, and I think we heard the cheers from our fans and friends watching at Legends all the way back in PA. Oliver was quickly pulled out from the pile, and after the team handshakes, he was instantly interviewed by the Fox Sports announcers about his amazing feat. The trophy ceremony was held, and the 2008 World Series Championship trophy was presented to manager Ken Jakemer and coaches Rick Romo and Victor Merrill. Then it was time for the family and friends to come on out and take pictures, hug kids, cry a few tears of utter joy, and just plain bask in the moment.

We were bombarded by local fans and Pony officials congratulating us on the victory, and expressing shear joy in the fact that the trophy was staying in the United States. These people have been supporting us throughout our stay in their friendly town, an they seemed as thrilled and excited as our team and family members that we had won.

As we were leaving the field, and returning to the dugout to collect our gear, a PONY official came up and asked for Chase DeJong's and Oliver Van Buskirk's game jerseys. One of which will be sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown for one year, and the other will go on display at the PONY International Headquarters and Hall of Fame in washington, PA (Replacing the Heartwell jersey on display as the last West Zone team to win a World Series title back in 2003). We were then asked to attend the local Independent League Washington Wild Things game later that evening as quests of the club. We wound up taking over 45 people to the game, and the team was introduced out on the field where Oliver 'Walk off' Van Buskirk threw out the first pitch. We stayed a couple of innings before heading out as a team to eat at the Texas Roadhouse, where we had an amazing meal fit for World Champs.

Finally we returned back to the motel where the Taiwan players were milling about. Instantly the teams were together trading shirts, hats, signing autographs for each other and basically enjoying each others company for several hours before the police assigned to watch the motel asked everyone to return to their rooms at midnight.

With little more than 3 and a half hours before the bus trip to the airport, most of the players are planning to stay up. And who can blame them! We will arrive in LA around 11 AM, and will be bused to Whaley Park around 12:00 noon, where we hope to see all of our fans and friends who have been following us through this wonderful and amazing run.

This all-star experience has been an unforgettable journey where the depth and character of this team were major factors in the success we have achieved. Throughout the run, we have had different players step up and make major contributions in each and every tournament. The fact that this team finished with a perfect 15-0 record, while playing many high quality teams, and coming from behind in several critical contest, speaks volumes about the commitment and dedication of the players, coaches, and parents of these young men.

The coming days and weeks will be a whirlwind of activity as the team comes to recognize the magnitude of their accomplishment. They have proudly represented the city of Long Beach, the state of California, the Pony West Zone, and the United States of America, in bringing home the World Championship trophy. They have earned the accolades and recognition that is coming their way, and it has been my privilege and honor to recap the activities of this very, very special group.

Go Long Beach PONY - World Champs!