Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Most teams opted for tourism or quality time with their
families.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — A little worn out from the bright lights of the Little League World Series, Tyler Thorne woke up refreshed after sleeping in Monday morning.
An off day awaited the 12-year-old slugger from Lubbock, Texas.
“We’re going to lay back and have some fun,” he said before storm clouds moved over central Pennsylvania.
Every team got the day off Monday after rain forced a five-game slate to be postponed, pushing the tournament’s first round back a day.
Not to worry though, since there’s plenty to do besides play baseball, Tyler said.
“It’s been great meeting all the other teams coming out here to this awesome complex,” he said with a wide grin.
Coaches thought about contingency plans. There are covered batting cages for kids to take hacks, but that’s about all the teams can do when the fields are soaked.
“So if we get rained out, we may try to go somewhere with the families,” Walpole, Mass., manager Brian Oberacker said. “I don’t know what there is to do around here.”
Some teams planned to make the quick walk over to the Little League museum. Others gave their players the afternoon to spend with their parents.
Rare day off
Lisa Wiseman, mother of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, outfielder Majed Al-Harthi, said she hadn’t shared quality time with her son in a month, since the squad won its regional tournament in Poland in late July.
It was too expensive to fly back to Saudi Arabia, and then to the United States. Instead, the team flew directly from Poland to the United States, spending a couple weeks living and training in a Philadelphia suburb before arriving in South Williamsport last week.
“I just actually want to be with him and tell me his experiences and all,” Wiseman said.
In the past, other teams have planned ahead for off days, taking trips to a unique zoo nearby called, “Reptiland.” The Knoebels amusement park isn’t too far away. Japan’s teams in the past have taken boat trips down the Susquehanna River.
Penn State University is about an hour away from South Williamsport, and coach Joe Paterno has allowed some teams in the past to come visit preseason football practice. JoePa sometimes even gives a brief pep talk.