Last Night Hear # 13

The trip is winding down to an end....what a ride!!!! Its late at night and its hard to believe we have played 2 of the 3 other best Little League teams in the world, in the last 24 hours. I am so proud of these boys.Not just the way they played ,but the way they handled themselves,in victory and defeat, with fans they didn't know and the media. It is a testament to how the boys were handed over to Mike and I 2 1/2 months ago..We did not build their character, we just showed it off. Coaching them has never been hard. Like being grandparents,we have enjoyed them and now get to give them back. Their are big plans back home and the boys heard about some of those tonight. Yes, they are wound up again. There are more happy times to come. The tough part for them , like when we return to work from vacation, will be getting into the swing of things...it will take time.Many highlights again today. The best was seeing the smile on Wyatt's face today(not as big as the HR. but close) when he got a package from the Pennsylvania Game Warden Commission,complete with videos,books and a job application. The outdoors mean way more to him than baseball (Tvland has made that known). I cannot say how proud i am of him ,and my time hear with him,well.... i cant even start to describe without getting emotional. His siblings as well as everyone else's hear have been beyond supportive...they too all had a blast!! It has been a trip full of smiles. These memories will be passed down to great grand kids....We are blessed and we know it. God has given us that extra helping and we are thankful!!! Many, many have wrote notes here, some i see, and for some reason others i do not. My son Colton set this up for me and i don't even know if i could,or how to respond. For all the comments i say thanks. All are traveling tomorrow and some parents, to get home before the kids,are leaving early, 3:00 am in the morning. Prayers of thanks and safe travels would be appreciated..There are no more games to watch video of so i am going to call it an early night(midnight). Thanks a million...coach lee

U.S. Championship night

What a day!! We almost didn't get to play because of all the water in the outfield. What can i say about the 1st inning...its baseball and you have innings like that...unfortunately we just dug to deep a hole to bounce out of....the good news is the boys seem more wired tonight than when they win, and it is midnight here...hopefully we can get them to bed soon as we have an early game tomorrow. The hardest part for the boys was facing family...they wanted so much to bring the title home for them(and believed in their hearts they would)...but after the reconnect in the tent, it was all good. The family and friends were awesome. Tv land typically shows the boys that are upset. I do wish they would show the boys just 30 minutes after the game. We forget how it was when we were twelve, it really is only a game to them and life has already moved on. They are all arguing about which ones should pitch tomorrow. It is great to hear!!! For me, i figure it is Gods way of keeping the boys and I humble. He does that every now and then you know. They got to play for the US championship,it doesn't get much better than that at any age. The pressure is off and i am relieved. Tomorrow will be fun...till then.. coach lee

Day #11 Friday

What a day...up earlier today and off to practice. After about 30 minutes of fielding, the rain came down...no problem for us as the covered batting cages were open. We hit till lunch time. After lunch we had a special treat. They took our team to the fields where the 1st little league began...the best part was meeting three players that were little leaguers 70 years ago...talking to them, seeing the old pictures,and hearing their stories about back in the day was totally awesome!!! It was one of the coolest things i have done hear...i liked it more than the boys. We took some great photos there. Then back to the grove and the media blitz was on...four boys went with ESPN for a while and a couple more did live shots with WOAItv(Don Harris)...Ksat is here also...lots of media is showing up and security is much tighter. It has rained most of the day and a 60% chance tomorrow. I am not sure what the plan is if it rains, my guess, ESPN classic with a time change. Family and friends also flew in today. We ordered over 100 extra tickets today for extra people. Some are traveling tomorrow and need prayers for safe travels. Kylee(my daughter) got here today and her smiling face made my day!! Everybody is blessed with a gift,and mine is energy. I cant lie...i sleep well at night...you come hear you better have the same gift!! It is go,go,go. Tomorrow is no doubt going to be another big day. The media here still likes California..Mike,I and the boys like Texas. One thing for sure, it will be a blast!!! coach lee

Thursday day off

Well today was a much needed day of rest!!! Best news of all is Travis is out and spending the night with mom and dad..he got the good news at about 5:00. We were watching the game together when they came in and told us....boy was he happy...with another day of rest, well he might just be back Saturday!!! Today we basically practiced and ate lunch with our families and then watched games....it was actually a little to chilly to swim although they tried. i Spent some time with the boys between games and it so funny watching them sign autographs, take pictures with people they don't know, and just have a blast at the ballpark..It was an awesome experience to watch...the funniest moment today was watching Lorne Chan( the Express News staff writer here) try and hit 80 mph fastballs from the machine that the boys were hitting on...the boys, Mike and I were crying we were laughing so hard!!! He finally fouled one and the boys all cheered as he ran out!! The saddest moment was watching the New York team load the bus and head home...it reminded me of they last day of summer church camp when i was a kid...i really don't look foreword to Monday when all this comes to an end...i know the real world is out there, but i am not ready for it....it is starting to sink in that the ride is almost over for the boys and I, and no matter how many tokens we have, we cant stay on it...i keep hearing how everybody back home is really supporting us...for that we are very thankful. We have a big(no pun intended) rematch Saturday...i promise the boys will play their hearts out for San Antonio...We are also thankful for all the prayers...we can really,really feel and see the results of them....life is good!!!...good night....coach lee

U S semifinal recap

What a game!!!! Talk about an up and down day...We needed to get through tonight so we could heal and rest for two days. After lasts nights emotional win, i thought it might be alittle tough. I was wrong. We are on the east coast so you can imagine the popular choice tonight...the boys came out for the 1st time, since we got hear, hitting. The boys had big shoes to fill with Travis(hitting 700 avg. for the LLWS) out and they did...Drew and John started hot and stayed that way. We played defense like no one ever has in LLWS history and Drew's play made ESPN's Top Ten! They had tremendous confidence in Steven tonight and he showed everybody why. The boy is very special!! When we needed a shortsop tonight Nick volunteered, his 1st time there for us ever... New York has been in our building the whole time and i have become friends with their coaches...i can tell you as a group they are a 1st class act!! Their fans were the loudest we have heard so far..not counting ours of course whom i cant here from my cheap seat in the dugout!!! Travis is spending the night in the infirmary and will be there all day tomorrow...he is the only kid in there and is very lonely...he needs everybody you know to pray for him...he IS one of the most competitive kids i know and obviously was still sick when he played yesterday but wouldn't let on..missing the game was way worse than his illness to him..me and him will watch the games on TV tomorrow and i am looking froward to it...he looked great tonight and no fever so maybe he is starting to get better... he did come to the window from his two story room and all the boys and family cheered for him from down below outside...it was an emotional ending to another memory filled day...we have made the final 4 and i am not sure how, but am smart enough not to question Gods plans...however they play out it has been all good for me..sleep well, i will....coach lee

game 3 recap

Oh what a feeling!!!!!!!!! no recap of today...it is all about tonight....to call it emotional is an understatement!! The boys were quiet before the game but focused in a different way than the 1st two games. When we were standing out there for the National Anthem and the crowd of 22750( i hear a pool game record) started singing after the boy playing messed up, and it got louder and louder, ....well it was emotional is all i can say. The boys confidence really started in the 2nd second after Jacobs hit. They started making good contact,all of them, and it opened up in the 3rd. ..i guess that's just our inning. Drew and Travis's(prayers answered again!) hits really pumped the boys up. What can i say about the little guys tonight,T-roy(95lbs),KP(104 lbs) and Wyatt(really 92lbs)!!! My texts have lit up on everything from David over Goliath to all of Texas is thrilled and supporting us, to do you believe in miracles!!! My favorite one was when my sister texted me that Kylee said she was crying tears of happiness for her bubba!! (so was I!!!) Life is good right now for us in these trying times for many...we hope we are bringing a little bit of happiness to those who need it right now...For this mountain top high,we are thankful...the boys are asleep,its 1 o'clock(another small miracle)....till tomorrow...coach lee

Monday evening

Another day has just blown by. Today was supposed to be a slow one. We started with practice both fielding and hitting, 30 minutes in the pool, then off to lunch sponsored by a family in San Antonio,who played in the LLWS in 1969 for Williamsport and whose parents and sister still live hear. They fed 85 of us from SA!!! From there most of the boys watched the end of the Japan game and then they watched both Georgia and New York play to try and prepare for our game after California. As most of you have figured out by now, the game is for seeding only.We will be taking a conservative approach as the next game means much more. We need healthy players for the semi final round, that is our primary goal. The good news Nick is coming back strong..the bad news is this 24 hour bug has gotten hold of Travis. It started this morning and after a visit to the infirmary( i have a frequent visitor card) he is off site with his parents for the evening. Please, we ask for prayers again for a speedy recovery. Just like Nick,Travis is devastated right now...these boys don't want to miss a game. Today's e-mails to the team were interesting..from boys like Garrett Williams and Kenon Fontenot( two stars from recent LLWS) to teams we have played along the way..all telling us great job and good luck..tomorrow will be very interesting. Mike and I will be more creative than we want to be. Please keep the boys health in your thoughts and prayers. This is a TEAM of TWELVE and it is very hard to do with eleven. Thanks Coach Lee