Posted on 08/23/2007 1:12:18 PM PDT by hispanarepublicana
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.— Garrett Williams has pitched just one game in the Little League World Series, but opponents already have given him a nickname.
When Williams walks by the team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, the team shouts, “El Diablo.”
The nickname, meaning the devil, is a playful tribute to Williams’ 17-strikeout performance in Lubbock Western’s first game of the Series.
While many of the Western players said prior to arriving that they were looking forward to meeting the other players, it seems the Texans have developed a special bond with the Venezuelans.
“We share a dorm with them, so we share a bathroom with them, they play pingpong together down in the rec hall,” Western coach Gerald Arredondo said. “The other day, all the boys were with their parents except Bryndan was with me and the Venezuelans were going to dinner, so they took him and he was sitting there in the middle and that was pretty cool.”
The players have traded pins — a popular past time at the World Series — and they’ve attended games together when they leave the dorms.
Bryndan Arredondo said the language barrier hasn’t been much of a problem. He doesn’t speak Spanish and the Venezuelans don’t know much English.
“You find a way to communicate,” Bryndan Arredondo said. “You can use signs, or point to something, or I ask this guy (my dad Gerald).”
The elder Arredondo helps with some of the translations. He said Bryndan doesn’t speak the language but hanging around the Venezuelans has piqued his son’s interest in learning.
For the other players, the difference in language hasn’t prevented them from spending time with their new buddies.
“We hang out a lot because our rooms are right next to each other,” Western first baseman Tyler Thorne said. “They’re pretty cool. We have a pretty close relationship.”
Western qualified for the United States semifinals by winning Pool B, while Venezuela was the last game of the night on Wednesday. A win by the Venezuelans over Mexico would put them in the international semifinals with Chinese Taipai, the other representative from Pool D.
Several of the families from Western were in attendance for Venezuela’s final game of pool play.
The Arredondos were sitting in the second row behind the third-base dugout, where Venezuela was positioned. When Omar Villalobos hit a three-run home run in the first inning, the Arredondos waved in support to the Venezuelans as they went back to their dugout.
“The Venezuelans are pretty cool,” Western manager Ed Thorne said. “If we ever play Japan or Venezuela it will be pretty ironic because Japan is right below us (in the dorms) and Venezuela is to our right. So, we’re all together. To have that type of matchup, if it turns out to be that way, it will be pretty weird, but it also will be pretty cool.”
The Japanese team was working out on Wednesday at the same indoor facility as the Western All-Stars. While one team participated in batting practice at one end of the complex, the other team took fielding practice at the other end.
As the teams switched sides, several of the Japanese players held out their hand to give a Western player a high-five.
Japan advanced to the international semifinals by winning Pool C.
THANKS for the ping...been watching & cheering them on, but missed this article...lots of great coverage of this team and the entire LLWS! Wish I could be there for the big homecoming party...hope we get to see pics (hint, hint :)
looks like it will be Japan vs. Curacao and Lubbock, Texas vs. Warner Robins, Georgia to decide the world series championship game.
The Lubbock game is at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday on ABC, I think.
Little League baseball, absent the occasional nutty parent, is pure. I took a trip to watch my 6 year old grandsons play some games in this their first season. I loved every minute of it.
Isn’t that a great photo? (post #24).
Here’s a neat story: the team manager, Ed Thorne, has a son on the team, Tyler Thorne (#23 in the pic). The team coach, Gerald Arredondo, also has a son on the team, Bryndon Arredondo (#3 in the pic).
The dads first met in the hospital when both sons were born just hours apart in the same hospital and joked that maybe their sons would play sports together some day. Have they ever!
Cool, huh?
Yes, very cool. I’m 56, I still remember every guy on the team when I played at this age in the regional games. It’s a special time for young men. And young women these days as well.
I just hope those Venezuelan kids can grow up in a free country, but rapidly hopes for that are dimming.
Yes.....I’d look for kids/parents to start defecting in a few years?
Dittos here...Park behind my house...we started games at 10 am,broke for lunch,came back and game was over at 5 when we started to get called for dinner. Scores were usually 76-58. Right field was an automatic out because we didn't have enough kids. THEN Big Al,my friends Dad would pitch to us after dinner. I couldn't eat fast enough when we saw Big Al heading towards the field. That guy was awesome!
Anyone watching now? Japan and Warner Robins, Ga tied at 2-2 and going into extra innings!
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