This year there is an aching void in our summer sports calendar, and that is the absence of the annual Little League World Series due to COVID-19. We at Webb Weekly thought we would try in a small way to fill a little of that void by providing some memories of those involved in holding the LLWS as well as from the memories of members of the media that covered the Series.

Perhaps no one has more of an interesting perspective for memories than the people at Little League Baseball International, beginning with President and CEO Steve Keener,

“While this August marks 40 years as an employee for the organization, Little League has been a piece of my life ever since I was a child. My father served as a volunteer Team Host, and I can vividly recall coming to Lamade Stadium and sitting on the hill watching the games as a child.” Keener told Webb Weekly. “The one memory that always sticks out from that time is watching the pitcher wind up, throw the pitch, and hit the catcher’s glove, but not hearing the sound until about a half-second later. That was always pretty cool to me and showed the magnitude of the stage they played on.

“Now, after working for the organization for four decades, I could spend all day reminiscing about some of those incredible moments I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. Still, the ones that stand out the most are some of the firsts that I’ve gotten to experience.

“1980 – My first Little League Baseball World Series as a Little League employee. That will always be one of my most memorable experiences.

“1984 – Watching the first girl to ever play in the Little League Baseball World Series, Victoria Roche, and the inspiration she has provided over the years.

“1989 – Not only were we celebrating the 50th anniversary of the organization, but I had the opportunity to watch our first female umpire, Betty Speziale, take the field

“2001 – After expanding the World Series to 16 teams in this year, we also got to experience the first time that a sitting President of the United States came to visit the Little League Baseball World Series when George W. Bush came to Williamsport.

“2012 – Watching the first team from Africa make it to Williamsport was truly special. What was most memorable was watching the generosity and kindness the other teams and parents showed that team when they were here. A true look into what Little League is all about.

“2017 – The first-ever MLB Little League Classic between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. That day will always be special to me and is a testament to the relationship that we have developed with Major League Baseball.

“While those firsts will always hold a special place in my heart, this year is another first that I will never forget.

“Although we are all very disappointed that we will not be hosting the Little League World Series for the first time this August in almost 75 years, we look forward to returning to play in 2021 and making this experience bigger and better than ever for everyone involved. It has been an honor to experience a number of Little League’s firsts over the years, and I look forward to what the future brings as we join together as One Team. One Little League.”

Lance Van Auken, Little League Vice President and World of Little League Museum Executive Director, cites his memories.

“My first three Little League Baseball World Series tournaments, 1991 to 1993, were most memorable for me because I served in three very different roles each time.

“For my first, in 1991, I came to South Williamsport as a reporter for the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune. A team from Dunedin, a small town near Clearwater, won the Southern Region Tournament, and I was assigned to cover the World Series. It was the last year of single-elimination, and the team was knocked out early. It was a great thrill, and I was able to bring my son along. He traded pins while I worked. We both were awed by the whole spectacle. Side note: One of the star players on the Dunedin team was Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida. I’d covered the team in the earliest part of the International Tournament, so I was probably the first reporter to interview him. He was known simply as ‘D’ back then.

“A year later, I returned to South Williamsport as an umpire. I’d started umpiring at my local league in Florida (Cross Bayou Little League) 12 years earlier, and worked my way up the ladder until I got the call every Little League umpire hopes for.

“This time, my whole family made the trip with me, and I got to experience the World Series from the vantage point of a participant. It was a good feeling to make a bang-bang call at Lamade Stadium and find out later that the replay on ESPN confirmed I got it right.

“For my third Little League Baseball World Series, I was an employee of Little League International. I’d decided to give up sports writing after 11 years and took a job as the Assistant Regional Director at Little League’s Southern Region Headquarters in St. Petersburg. At that year’s Series, I worked in the Media Relations Office and filled in as Official Scorekeeper for a couple of games. A few years later, I was asked to move to Pennsylvania to work here.

“My journey with Little League has provided me with experiences I could not have imagined when I played Little League. I briefed President George W. Bush and his father before a Little League Tee Ball game, stood a few feet away from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Benedict XVI for their official welcome at the White House, played catch with Kevin Costner at Lamade Stadium, and met more of my boyhood heroes than I can count. But it was only special because I had my family along for the ride.”

Chris Downs, Little League, Director of Constituent Communications points to several memorable World Series that he remembers well, including 2002 when Kentucky pitcher, Aaron Alvey, had 44 strikeouts in 22 innings of work. 2006, when the Championship Game had to be moved to Monday, producing a sadly, sparse crowd. And 2007, when Warner Robbins, Georgia, won the championship on a walk-off homer by Dalton Carriker.

But perhaps Downs’ most interesting LLWS memory occurred in 2004.

“After delivering a campaign speech at nearby Bloomsburg University, Vice President Dick Cheney made an impromptu visit to the Little League Baseball World Series to watch the Lamar National Little League from his home state of Texas play a night game at Lamade Stadium,” Downs recalled. “Mr. Cheney and his entourage wanted to enjoy a LLBWS game like “common fans,” so he decided to sit on “Little League Hill” beyond the center-field fence. To accomplish this, several members of the Communications and Museum staff were tasked with gathering several blankets from the laundry, along with plastic chairs, and creating a space for the VP to sit with his family. A separate location nearby was also cordoned off the Press Pool reporters. The VP, his family, and the reporters watched three innings from their location on the lower hill. Members of the Communications staff were shoulder to shoulder with the secret service. While maintaining the perimeter, I personally was asked several times who the VIP was. One such overheard conversation involved a few teenagers who surmised that to be that important, the person is probably ‘the Mayor of South Williamsport.’”

Ken Sawyer is the dean of the “mic men” that cover the Little League World Series, and he has several great memories of the Series.

“My first LLBWS was in 1971, and what a fantastic way to start with Lloyd McClendon and the Gary, Indiana crew. The Series was single-elimination, and the US and International teams were mixed right from the start of the tournament,” Sawyer said. “Chinese Taipei marched through their bracket to the title to face the North region champs. McClendon had reached base on every at-bat as he either hit a home run or was intentionally walked. The 12-year-old was certainly frustrated that people would not pitch to him, but he showed his team how to win anyway. Against Chinese Taipei, Lloyd pitched a marvelous game and hit a home run the one time the Far East champs pitched to him. When the game went to extra innings and McClendon had to leave the mound, the Chinese Taipei team took over to win the title 12-3. After the game, I learned an important lesson when I saw the very dejected Gary, Indiana players after they had left the field. They were eating and laughing. The tears were gone, and the memories would last them a lifetime. They had played out their hearts and were disappointed at the final score, but they had had fun and done their best led by a future major leaguer.

“So many other great times come to mind. I should not list them all, but the 1982 win by Kirkland, Washington 6-0 championship game win led by Cody Webster is right up there among the most memorable. That championship day, the many LL fans who wanted to see the Far East dominance end had their wish as Webster launched a mammoth home run and pitched a classic 6-0 win over Chinese Taipei. Another LLB legend was recorded that day. The Far East streak of wins had been broken. Another standout team was Trumbull, Connecticut, winning the 1989 series and stopping another string of dominance by the Far East.

“Night games starting in 1992 was also a great change in the Series that allowed many working people to get to the games and added an entirely new atmosphere to the LLBWS. It was so exciting to see the tremendous crowds following our Pennsylvania teams like Shippensburg, Pottsville, Red Land, and especially our own team from Keystone. WOW! Those were some magnificent days and nights.

“The extra-inning pitching masterpiece in 2002 between Walker Kelly and Aaron Alvey has to be among the best games ever played. Both pitching nine spectacular innings. It may have led to the pitching rules we now see. But what a game to see.

“I have had the honor to meet so many outstanding people at the Series, including coaches, players, team hosts, umpires, fans, ushers, security, staff, and especially my broadcast partners. I am amazed at how many people show up annually to support young people they do not know and how many lasting friendships start at the World Series.”

Mike Fogarty is one of the announcers that shares the mic with Ken, supplying color and other observations. His memory is not as recent as the one cited above.

“This remembrance goes all the way back to 1959. It was the first time that the LLWS was played at Lamade Stadium, then known as Lamade Field,” Fogarty stated. That year brought a 12-year-old superstar in the person of Art “Pinky” Deras from Hamtramck, Michigan.

“Deras was a tall young man with long arms. He reminded me of Nolan Ryan. And could he throw! One big step toward home plate, and here it came.

“Deras and I were the same age and wanted to see how fast he was. He was fast, had a curve, and had great control.

“Deras threw two shut outs in the 1959 LLWS. Unfortunately, his team lost to Auburn Hills, 12-1 in the championship game. It was a great start for Lamade Stadium.

“I understand that Art tried out for pro ball, but it didn’t work out, and he ended up with a career in law enforcement.”

Gary Chrisman is another veteran announcer, who has worked many LLWSs.

“I’ve done the radio play-by-play broadcasts of every Series since my first Series broadcast in 1974. I was between my junior and senior years at the University of Miami,” Chrisman, remembered. “Probably the broadcast highlight that stands out to me was the 1982 Kirkland, Washington upset of the five-time defending champion Taiwan. They had won a total of ten titles starting in 1969 and were going for six straight when Kirkland shocked the world — 6-0 behind the legendary performance of Cody Webster. In front of 40,000 fans. Webster hit a mammoth HR and totally shut down the Taiwanese bats, as the USA won their first championship in years. It was probably the most important win for the future of the Little League World Series, and its popularity, after the total Taiwanese dominance of the event. Ken Sawyer and I knew that we had just broadcast a real special piece of World Series history.

“The other game that comes to mind was the 1989 championship game, when a team from the East, Trumbull, Connecticut, shocked Taiwan 4-3 in a thriller that came down to the final pitch. The hero of that Series was Chris Drury, who would go on to become a star hockey player in the NHL. Drury kept the big bats of Taiwan off balance all day with his great breaking pitch and off-speed delivery. Taiwan was going for its fifth straight title and was beginning to dominate the Series again, when Drury and his teammates played the game of their lives as the big crowd chanted ‘USA, USA,’ in that final inning. Broadcasting those two games and all the excitement of the crowd as the underdog USA teams made history were my favorite moments.

“Years later, we met and interviewed both Drury and Webster when they came back to Williamsport to celebrate the anniversary of their championships.

“One great memory of Webster and his manager Don Cochran and several of his Kirkland teammates, was when they came back to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their championship win. Cochran and the players remembered Ken and me very well from listening over and over to the cassette recordings of all the Kirkland games that we broadcast from that 1982 series. Cochran said, ‘I’d know your voice anywhere, I still listen to those games all the time on the cassette player in my car.’ We were all at TGI Fridays at the beginning of series week, and I remember saying to Cody, ‘Your performance was one of the greatest highlights of my broadcasting career, and here I am 20 years later buying you a beer in TGI Fridays.’

“The other highlights are growing up here and going to the games every year, was the chance to see some of the greatest names in baseball history up close — Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ernie Banks to name a few and having Kareem Abdul Jabber, Jim Palmer, Tug McGraw, Joe Torre, current baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, and others sitting in the booth during our broadcasts, were other tremendous highlights. Where else could you experience all of this over the years — only here in the town that I’m most proud of, my hometown, Williamsport, PA.”

Scott Lowery, another broadcaster, has seen the World Series from several perspectives.

“The Little League World Series entered my life as an eight-year-old and has been a huge part of my life ever since,” Lowery said. “Upon returning from the Air Force in 1971, I was hired by Little League, Inc. as their Summer Camp Director. Three years later, I became the organization’s Central Region Director until 1987. During that time, I had the privilege of escorting the Central Region’s representative to Williamsport for the World Series. The wonderful memories from those years are too numerous to recount in this space. The games have been fun to watch, and the many friends made memorable.

“During my first year as Regional Director, Little League volunteers in Ohio organized a welcoming picnic for me. In the years that followed (1975-2015), we returned the favor by hosting Central Region visitors with a backyard picnic often attended by 50-75 guests. That camaraderie shared was something very special.

“In 2001, with the expansion of the World Series to 16 teams, I was honored to join the radio broadcast crew of Ken Sawyer, Gary Chrisman, Mike Fogarty, Tom Speicher, and later Tom O’Malley in calling the action of Series games. The silence of our microphones this year will create a definite void in the enjoyment of Little League.

“My lifetime with Little League has provided the distinction of serving in the capacities as Regional director, member of the tournament rules committee, member of the charter committee, official scorer of the LLB Series, PA announcer of the World Series, newspaper coverage, and radio broadcaster in addition to the enjoyment of just being a Little League fan.

“As contained in the lyrics of the old Dean Martin song, ‘Memories Are Made of This!’”

Tom Speicher has served as the “Man in the Crowd” broadcaster or LLWS broadcasts.

“I’ve had the pleasure of serving as the ‘Man in the Crowd’ for the Little League World Series radio network since 1998. During that time, I’ve interviewed countless people, from the typical Little League parent to Hall of Famers, to celebrities. I’ve witnessed several historical moments and have enjoyed several slides down the hill live on the radio,” Speicher said. “I’m still amazed I haven’t been injured doing that! But whenever I think about the Series, one particular encounter always comes to the forefront.

“It was a sunny day at the Series in 2001, and I was scouring the lower hill at Lamade Stadium for potential interviews. I approached this burly, grouchy-looking guy. He was probably in his late 40s. I asked him if he was here to support one of the teams. A big smile came over his face. He informed me that he was here for himself. He drove from his Texas home because attending the Series was on his ‘bucket list.’ I asked him if the event was living up to his expectations. The big macho guy looked at me, gazed at the picturesque surroundings, and began to tear up, ‘It’s indescribable,’ he said.

“No truer words have ever been said,” Speicher concluded.

Gabe Sinicropi, in addition to his duties with the Williamsport Crosscutter as Vice President for Marketing and Public Relations, has served as a public address announcer at the Little Leaguer World Series for almost 20 years.

“My favorite memory was the 2001 LLWS Championship Game with then-President George W. Bush in attendance along with 45,000 fans,” Sinicropi said. “As the PA Announcer for the Championship Game, it gave me an opportunity to see all the things that go into an appearance by a sitting President. It was mind-boggling. It was also the first year of Volunteer Stadium and the expanded LLWS.

“I mistakenly thought I may have an opportunity to announce/introduce the President to the crowd and was excited for the opportunity. But lo and behold, the President’s staff literally installed another sound system in the stadium JUST to introduce the President. As they installed the sound system during the week, I began to wonder if I’d actually be the one to introduce him. Then on Championship Day, the President’s ‘announcer’ introduces himself to me and gives me a little piece of paper that reads, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, George W. Bush.’ He then says, ‘If something happens to me or the sound system or if both my microphones malfunction, that’s the script we need you to read.’

“So, when all was said and done, I was third in line to introduce the President if microphone #1 and microphone #2 both failed, which they didn’t. So much for introducing the President! Nevertheless, an exciting experience to be part of.”

Ben Brigandi is the former sports editor for the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, and he has interesting memories of 2004 of the Curacao team, that had two future major leaguers on it, Jonathan Schoop and Jurickson Profar.

“Profar came back with the 2005 team, and then again as a teen to watch his younger brother Juremi play for another Willemstad squad. If that Curacao team wasn’t the best, they beat the best field if you go by future major leaguers, as the 2004 series had Christan Bethancourt (Panama), Michael Conforto (Redmond, Wash.)

“2011 was also a very memorable and interesting Series. Before that season, some of us at the Sun-Gazette wondered what it might look like if a local team got here. Would it be a horror show? Too much of a distraction? Could the team compete? We didn’t know. Montoursville came closest one year, losing in the state final before the Keystone machine got going this past decade. And it went about as well as anyone could have hoped. The players drew as many fan mobs this side of Mo’ne Davis, they handled the attention on-field and off as well as anyone I’ve seen and, from a coverage standpoint, they made it real easy. That was the year of Keystone and everyone else, and they made it the most fun series from beginning to end. One interesting postscript: Many of those players had good high school careers, and at least one played in college, but none of them ever won a state or even district title for Central Mountain High School. And that raises an interesting question: Given the choice, would a player rather win a state title or play in the Little League World Series? I think the Keystone players got the better end of that one.”

What may be the most notable Series and the one that fully illustrates the outstanding family spirit that Little League embodies was Brigandi’s experience in 2013.

“That was the year I was able to take my kids to the Series. Rain forced the Series into a game on that second Friday, usually an off day, between Westport, Conn., and Sammamish, Wash. Westport won the game, 14-13 in 9 innings, but I don’t remember much about it other than it should have been one of the worst days we’d ever had covering the Series. We needed that off day, or at least most of it, to be away from all the previous week spent in the daylong noisy sugar of a Disney-fied kids’ casino. But it turned into one of the best. Chris Masse wanted to do the game, so I took my first daddy daycare shift in nearly two weeks and took my girls, three and two at the time, to Lamade for the game. Plenty of room to store the stroller in the stands, and I still have a picture of them in their seats, nursing a water bottle, and a soymilk. They’ve returned plenty of times since, but that’s the only time they’ve stayed to a game’s conclusion.”

As to my own memories, for the past 16 years, I have been privileged to be the press box announcer at Volunteer Stadium and have seen many great games there during those years, but I have to reach further back to summon my best memories of the Series.

It was 1969, the first year I ever attended the LLWS. I was there to root on my friends from the Newberry Little League team. I had gone to school with many of them and knew them well.

I saw them lose a heart breaker to Santa Clara, California, 2-0. That Santa Clara team featured future major league standout, Carney Lansford. I then saw my friends win twice in the Consolation Bracket, beating Wiesbaden, West Germany, and a team from Puerto Rico.

My next favorite memory came two years later when I saw Lloyd McClendon and his Gary, Indiana, storm through the American teams before falling to Taiwan in the championship game. The biggest thrill that year came when two of my friends and I stopped off at the old Sheraton on the Pike to see Mickey Mantle on championship day. Somehow, we got his room number, and I knocked on the door, and Mickey Mantle answered the door in his underwear, and we asked him for his autograph. He graciously did so, and he asked us if we could go down and get him a coffee. He gave me money to do so, and I came back, and he let me keep the change. It was almost a year before I spent that change.

What all the recollections by all of these people show is that the Little League World Series is about more than just championship dreams and good baseball. It’s also about great memories. I am sure everyone is looking forward to next year and getting more great memories.