Another Year.. Another Babe Ruth World Series

The hubby was awarded another chance to umpire at a Babe Ruth World Series. This time in Glen Allen, VA so it was going to be a new state that I get to watch baseball in. Like usual, he drove out and I joined him for the last 2 days of the World Series.

This works out great for several reasons:
1. He gets to bond with the crew before I get there.
2. I don't have to waste all my vacation time watching baseball for 7 days
3. I get to see the games that really count -- the semi-finals and finals
4. We take our time on the way back and make a vacation out of it

The only thing I really miss is the Banquet of Champions -- a more dressy dinner before the World Series starts. There is always a keynote speaker, usually someone from the baseball world. This year it was Richard and Kathy Verlander, the parents of Justin Veralnder -- Major League Pitcher.

Once the games began, it was 4 pool games a day for 5 days. There are 10 teams -- 5 in each pool. Each team gets 1 day off during pool play. Since the umpires work 4 man crews, they work 2-3 games a day. It's fun but grueling 5 days because you're at the ballpark for 12 hours or so a day unless there's rain (and there's always rain). After pool play, the 3 top teams from each pool make it into bracket play where the top team in each pool gets a bye in the quarterfinals. The winner of the quarterfinal finals play the top seeds to determine who plays in the championship game.

Speaking of rain... the 1st game of the quarterfinal was called in the top of the 7th due to rain. They were going to play the rest of game 1, all of game 2 and then the semi-finals on the same day. No big deal, right? Unless the hubby has to be on the bases for Game 2 at 1:00 and you're flight doesn't come in until 12:10. I told him I could Uber it but the UIC said to go pick me up. Good thing I was early.  Instead of missing the quarterfinals completely, I actually got to see Game 2 where Oregon came from behind to beat Glen Allen, VA and put them in Game 1 of the Semi-Finals.

The hubby had the plate for Game 1 of the Semi-Finals -- Oregon and Centreville, VA. Again Oregon came from behind to win and snuck into the finals as they backed into bracket play. It was a good game. Once his game was done, the hubby was done for the day, so we got to watch the last semi-final -- Hawaii vs New Jersey. Hawaii won easily as was expected.

For whatever reason, they decided to the move the championship game from 6:00 PM to 2:00 PM which put a damper on any plans to explore the area but allowed everyone to go out to to dinner afterwards, pack, and get some sleep before having early flights in the morning. Because Oregon was out of pitching for the most part, Hawaii had an easy victory. I was glad Hawaii won but still disappointed that Oregon did not.

It was another good World Series. The hubby made new friends and caught up with old ones. I lost my fitbit on the last day. Glen Allen was a great host with a great facility. As the hubby always said, he will always go as long as they want to keep sending him.

Another Year, Another World Series

When the hubby got his letter for the Babe Ruth World Series, I was expecting some place like Iowa or North Dakota…not Massachusetts. My first thought was Massachusetts?? I have to plan a trip home from Massachusetts?? By the time he came home that night, I was much more receptive to Massachusetts but still disappointed we weren’t going to North Dakota.

Like last year, the hubby drove out to the World Series and I joined him for the last 3 days. This year because the drive was farther he left a day early and spent the night near last year’s World Series… and stopped in Cooperstown for pizza.

Before the games actual start, there is the Banquet of Champions. Because the World Series was in Westfield, MA near Springfield, the banquet was held at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Luckily the hubby and I stopped there on our Whirlwind Tour of the East Coast in ’10 otherwise I would have been disappointed that I couldn’t go even though I hate basketball. They closed the Hall of Fame and let the teams have time to visit the Hall of Fame before the banquet.

Instead of the normal 10 teams in the World Series, there were 12 teams for a reason only the baseball Gods of the Northeast Region understand. 5 of the teams were also in Jamestown last year. Because of the 2 extra teams, there were 6 games a day instead of the usual 4. 30 games in 5 days is a lot of games with only 7 umpires. Yes there are usually 12 teams at Regionals but you have 2 diamonds, at least 8-10 umpires, and 3 brackets which is just easier on everyone. There is nothing the hubby could do about it so he just worked a lot of games.

Like the Regionals in Indiana, it was hot, humid, and rainy. Because of the rain on Friday, they had to move a couple of the games to Saturday. I get a text from the hubby saying he barely survived his plate game on Saturday because it was hot and then there was a rain delay. Since he wasn’t at the main field, there was no A/C to sit in during the rain delay so he baked in his plate gear. I was concerned when he said they took him off his next game and he was in the cooling tent because I knew what happened to one of the umpires at Regionals… and I really didn’t want the phone call saying he was being taken to the ER for heat stroke. I felt better when I got his text saying he was eating and going to the bathroom.

By the time I arrived at the World Series, there were only 6 teams left including the four semi-final teams from last year. Because of the threat of rain, they moved the quarter-final games from the evening to the morning so by the time the hubby picked me up in Worchester and got back to Westfield, the first game was already in the 5th inning. The kid threw a no-hitter for xxx and they ended up winning xxx in xxx innings.
The hubby was on the plate for the 2nd game -- Tri-County ME vs. Janesville, WI… a rematch of last year’s Semi-Final. Just like last year, Janesville came out flat and couldn’t hit the same “junk” pitcher from Maine. I was rooting for Janesville, especially since their shirts said “Lean on Me”. It was sad to see them lose after going 4-1 in pool play but that’s baseball… You play poorly, don’t expect to win.

The semi-finals were two good games. Tri-Valley, CA and Tri-County Maine faced off which was a rematch of last year’s championship game. I really was expecting a blow out like last year but it was a
good game. Unfortunately, Tri-Country just couldn’t manage to win the game. The other game was Bismarck, ND vs. Atlantic Shore, NJ. It was another good game. Bismarck ended up winning.

The final game was under the lights – Tri Valley vs. Bismarck. I was rooting Bismarck all the way. They were winning going into the bottom of the 6th when the pitcher from Bismarck got bowled over at the trying to tag the running out coming home. Then the wheels fell of the bus for them. Bismarck put up a good fight but ended up losing 9-6. I really would have loved to see last year’s champion go down.

Once the game was over, the guys packed up their stuff and I watched the awards ceremony for a bit. All the kids get a trophy and the team gets a trophy. Then they do the All World Series defense and offense teams. When all the awards were handed out, they gave a special award to the Babe Ruth Task Force member that was retiring this was his last World Series. For being around 80, he was a great guy. The hubby was with him the last 2 years at World Series and he thinks highly of the hubby. I know he will be missed.

Like always, the Babe Ruth World Series was a great time. The hubby made some more new friends and connections. I got to watch some good baseball. I wonder where and when his next World Series will be. One thing is for certain when and if he gets another one, it will be good baseball and good times.

A Gem of a Ball Diamond

The 13 year old Babe Ruth World Series was held in Jamestown, NY at Diethrick Park. It was a former minor league baseball park. At one point of time, it was the Expo’s Minor League team and there still an Expo Outfield sign hanging on the maintenance room.  The hubby wanted that sign.

The Expo Sign

The field was a typical old school baseball park with a big grandstand around the infield. The hubby said it reminded him of old Goodland Field in Appleton. There was a brick entrance way that was added later and you could still see where the locker rooms and things were under the grandstand.

The field itself was nice… a little deep for 13 year olds to hit home runs but a very nice facility. They really try to keep the park up especially since there is no minor league team just a Northwoods League type team.

Concessions were okay. Hot dogs, Burgers, and Italian Sausages were $2 but everything else was expensive. Soda/Water was $2-$3. I’m not sure what the nachos or ice cream was since I didn’t eat that. I just had a sandwich each day.

New York's version of an Italian Sausage 

Because of the cooperate sponsors, there was no admission charge on any day which allowed any one to come out to enjoy the games. And I didn’t have to worry about making sure I had my bracelet on and I could wander freely.

The one thing that struck me as unique was there was a soap box derby track right outside the park. From what I know of soap box derby, the hill wasn’t very steep unlike the larger hill that my niece races down in Green Bay. Maybe there are different types of hills?

There is a lot of history at Diethrick Park and hopefully there will be more history in years to come.  

13 Year Old Babe Ruth World Series

The Babe Ruth World Series is a week-long tournament for the Regional Winners held in various cities around the country depending on who bids for a World Series. Each age group (9, 10, 11 Minors, 12 Minors, 12 Majors, 13, 14, 13-15, 16-18) has their own site. This year the 13 year old World Series was held in Jamestown, NY August 15-22. The hubby was selected to be an umpire for the 13 year old World Series.  He drove out and I met him out there later.

The 10 teams at the World Series were:

Jamestown, NY 

Ithaca, NY 

Tri-County, ME

Poulino Metro, NY (The Bronx)

Tallahasse, FL

Janesville, WI (I was rooting for the home team)

Bismark, ND

Mountain Home, AR

Tri-Valley, CA

Camas-Washougal, WA

The first 5 days of the tournament are pool play. Each team is guaranteed 4 games. The top three seeds in each pool move onto bracket play. The top 2 teams get a bye for the first round of bracket play. I’m glad I was not out there for pool play. It was long days at the diamond. There were 4 games each day for 5 days. The hubby would get to the park around 11 AM and not usually leave until 11 PM or later. Luckily he usually worked every other game.  It would have meant pretty much the same schedule for me. That’s a lot of books and baseball. At least the facilities were nice but I would have been sick of hot dogs, hamburgers, and Italian sausage if I had to eat that for 2 meals a day for a 5 days straight.

By the time I got out there, there were only 6 teams left. All week I was hoping Janesville would make it to bracket play so I could see them play. They were seeded 2^nd in their pool and played the late game on Thursday. I certainly did get to see Janesville. They played Ithaca and beat them to move to the semi-finals on Friday.

The Janesville/Tri-County Maine Semi-Final was a great game. Janesville was down 6-2 going into the top of the 7^th. They ended up losing 6-5 and had the tying run on third. The hubby had the dish for that game and I think Janesville was hoping for a few breaks but he played no favorites.

The Agony of Defeat

The Championship game between Tri-Valley, California and Tri-County, Maine was a repeat of game 1 of the World Series. Tri-County won that one. They were not so lucky in the final game. I’m not sure Tri-County used up all their pitching to get to the finals or if Tri-Valley was sandbagging but Tri-Valley easily won 20-0 in 5 innings. It was 9-0 after the top of the 1^st. Personally, I like when there is a lot of runs before that means there usually is a lot of hitting. I like exciting games. I am not a fan of pitching duels. The hubby prefers the 1-0 game any day.

After the Championship Game, there are awards. They name an All-World Series Team, All-Defense Team, MVP, Sportsmanship Award, and other awards. If other teams were still, they were invited onto the field for the ceremony. There was some very nice hardware given out to the kids making the All Series Teams and getting other awards. I know one of the kids from Tri-Valley probably needed to buy another luggage to get all his hardware home.  He was just that good.

Championship Trophy

I am glad the hubby had the opportunity to be part of a World Series crew and that I was able to attend part of the Tournament. If he would get the opportunity again, I think that I would join him later into the tournament again.  By going to World Series or even the Regional Tournament, I can say that I have seen a baseball game in that state and slowly cross off states that I have seen a baseball game in. I’ve technically seen a baseball game in New York when we were on our honeymoon but only a few innings now I can say that I’ve seen an entire baseball game in New York…. Only 45 more states to go.

Getting to Jamestown

When the hubby got his bid to the World Series, we found out that if I came out for the entire trip we would have to foot the bill for the hotel for the entire 10 days instead of him getting his room covered. We decided that he would drive out to Jamestown and I would fly out a week later. This way we would save money on hotel, could take our time getting home, and I would not have to suffer through 5 days of pool play.

Once we decided that, I had to figure out where I was flying out of and flying into. Jamestown has an airport but only gets flights in from Pittsburg on SunAir. I could fly into Erie, PA or Buffalo. Erie was about 45 minutes and Buffalo was 90 minutes. I could fly out Appleton, Green Bay, or Milwaukee. Based on pricing regardless of where I was flying to, Milwaukee was cheaper.  Mom and Dad would take me to the airport. I could fly United into Erie and get in around 4pm or I could fly Southwest into Buffalo and get in around 11:30am. Because Erie was closer, we decided I would fly into Erie. I had a choice of taking an 8am flight out of Milwaukee to O’Hare or a noon flight out of Milwaukee to O’Hare. Either way I was on the 1:45 flight to Erie. Sit around an airport for 4 hours or sleep in… that was easy an easy decision.

I checked in and printed my boarding pass from home. I really like that especially since I wasn’t checking any bags. The hubby took my luggage with him. I just had my backpack and laptop. Once I got to Mitchell I was able to go straight to security which was a breeze. Then I entered the Recombulation Area..the only airport to have one. It's just a fancy name for the area to put your shoes on and get re-situated after going through security.

Once I got through security, I still had 90 minutes before boarding and there really wasn’t anything on my concourse. There was a sit down restaurant, a beverage kiosk, and that was about it.  I was really hoping that there was a Starbucks. The gate area was small too so I couldn’t even walk around. Good thing I had “Grey” to keep me company. If I wanted WiFi I had to pay for it. I used my free 20 minutes and that was all I got.

Finally it was time to board. Boarding was pretty easy. I had a window seat. Once everyone was boarded, the captain informed us we were waiting on maintenance because one of the engines needed oil. Once the oil was filled, we missed our push back window and had to wait to get clearance to push back. Needless to say we were late in leaving Milwaukee. My hour layover in Chicago was getting smaller.

Once we finally got to cruising altitude, our flight attendant attempted to give us beverages but before she could even get everything set up, it was time to start our descent. No water for me.  We flew half way to Michigan I swear before circling back to O’Hare. When we landed, ground control had us drive all the way around the airport before getting to our gate which we had to wait for. Now my hour layover is down to 15 minutes.

Of course, I couldn’t take off from the same terminal that I landed in. I had to hustle from Terminal F to Terminal B. By the time I got to my gate, they were not yet boarding. I decided I had time to go to the bathroom. Since there was a bagel shop next to the bathrooms that had no line, I grabbed lunch since I was starving. Luckily both of them were right by my gate. By the time I got back to the gate, they were pre-boarding.

There were no issues getting into Erie. We were only a few minutes late getting in mainly because we were late leaving Chicago. I found the hubby and off to Jamestown we went. Next time he gets a World Series in Jamestown, I will fly into Buffalo since it is easier to get to.

A little Piece of History

When I talked to the hubby one of the first days he was in Jamestown, he said he saw Babe Ruth’s limo and it’s not that impressive. I remember thinking, why does Babe Ruth need a limo and what’s doing at the 13 year old World Series. Then he sent me pictures and the light bulb went on. It was BABE RUTH’s limo as in the baseball player’s limo. It was a 1922 or 1923 Pierce Arrow Limousine. The guy who owns it got it from his uncle. The car made appearances at most of the games.

Friday afternoon while I was making my laps around the stadium to get in my steps in, I noticed that the Limo was out. I decided I want my picture taken with it. When the hubby came out of the locker room to watch the first game with me, I told him I wanted a picture with the Limo. When we got out there, no one was there and the hubby got to talk “shop” for a bit. We learned the history of the car and some of the rumors about the car like the inside fabric is the Yankee Pinstripe Uniforms when they run the World Series.

Not only did I get a picture next to the car, but I actually got to sit in it. With the steering wheel being so big, it was a tight squeeze to get in and out. The hubby was jealous because he didn’t think he would fit inside. We got our picture taken next to the limo as well.

On Saturday while waiting for the umpires to get dressed for pictures, I saw them drive the car out from underneath the grandstand in the stadium. I decided that is where the Crew picture was taken.  I got a few pictures of the umpire crew even though the sun was getting to the point of causing issues. Then the hubby and I wanted a new picture of us taken since the one from Friday didn’t turn out. Well who took the picture made it a movie instead.

After Tri-Valley won, they drove Babe Ruth’s limo out on the field for pictures. The hubby and I was finally to get one last picture of us next to the Limo and it turned out.

Yes I got to touch a piece of history. I got to sit in a piece of history. It was very cool to have the Limo there for the entire series. It allowed many people to see a piece of history. Thank you Jamestown Babe Ruth for this opportunity.