Championship Game

Sunday, Aug 26, 2012

We made plans last night on how to get a good seat for the final game today.  We got up early, drove to Williamsport, dropped the guys off in front of the stadium, (some illegal parking was involved), they carried the chairs in through security and found our sitting place.  Lydia and I drove around the corner and stopped (not parked as we were in a no parking zone) and waited for their call.  When we heard from them we drove to the handicapped parking lot and picked them up.  Then we headed into town and had breakfast.  The guys said there were a lot of people with the same idea but they did get decent seats on the 3rd base side.  We found a Perkin's not too far from the stadium and had breakfast.  Since we knew we would have a big breakfast we packed snacks for the day.  We will also go out to dinner after the final game.  A note on the packing of snacks and lunches, it seems we rarely ate the things we brought. 

For those who don't know, parking and entry into the Little League World Series is free.  There are a number of people who live around the stadium who use this event to make a few bucks and they allow parking in their yards for $5 a day.  Some even rent chairs made for sitting on the hill.  Those plastic chairs have their back legs cut shorter than their front so you sit straight.  Chairs like the ones Bill and I use, the type that come in a bag, tend to sit on a slant.  That can get uncomfortable. 

The forecast was for 50% chance of rain but we didn't see any signs of rain today.  It was probably one of the hotter days.  There was a lot of umbrella use for shade and liberal application of sun screen. 

The first game they play is a consolation game.  The losers of the US and International finals on Saturday play each other on Sunday before the big game.  Isn't that a lot like rubbing salt into a wound?   Only because they have to come early to get a seat does anyone see this game.  Many people place their chairs and then find a shady place to stay until the Championship game.  We came late as we were having a leisurely breakfast.  The game was Calif vs Panama.  Calif wins this one 12-4.  After the game we located shade in the second stadium, Volunteer.  Since it was hot, hot, hot Bill got some ice cream and I got a frozen lemonade to cool off with. 

Soon it was time to head back to our seats for the last game, Japan vs Tennessee.  Japan is the favorite to win as they are a powerhouse but we held out hopes for Tennessee.  It was not to be today as Japan won 12-2.  We did get a US home run hit close to where we were but nothing directly at us.  Terry can now check the Little League World Series off his bucket list. 

After the game we decided to drive back toward Milton to find a restaurant instead of eating in Williamsport.  Well, it became an adventure in NOT eating.  The first place we stopped at was closed as there was a meeting of some sort going on.  The GPS listed a couple more places but they weren't there when we got there.  We finally decided to head back to Good Will's which is close to the campground.  We were finally able to have dinner.  It wasn't as good as the last meal we had here but it was OK.  Lydia and I had prime rib that was a little too well done for us.  Terry and Bill both had liver and onions and said they were good. 

Back at the rig Bill was reading the newspaper we picked up and came across of picture of Terry and Lydia in the World Series special section.  We took it over to them so they will have that momento of their time.  We also said good-bye as they leave us in the morning.  We won't be leaving as early as they will and wanted to make sure we said bye. 

Back in our rig we cleaned up a bit and were soon in bed.  Tomorrow we head a little further east to the Pocono mountains. 

Here are a couple pics for you.