Little League World Series Visit
I had a chance to knock off one more event from my bucket list yesterday with a trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. Looking for a quick and cheap option to get to Williamsport I 
decided to rent a car from www.rentacarnow.com a web site that lists the best deals on rental cars in different cities across the country. I got an incredible deal from rentacarnow.com from a Hertz location right near my apartment. I picked up my rental car at 6:30 a.m. and headed out of New York City expecting a four or five hour drive. Google Maps predicted it would take roughly that long to get there with no traffic. I was really surprised that the directions were actually quite simple. In fact I probably didn’t need to write the directions down. Then again knowing me I could get myself lost on a one lane highway. According to Google Maps all I needed to do was pick up Route 80 West after crossing the George Washington Bridge and head like two hundred or so miles before I would hit Williamsport. Fortunately I got there in two hours and forty five minutes without even a speeding ticket. 
The first thing I did was to drive up to the Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum as I was scheduled to do a book signing for 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live. I had no idea but the museum parking lot over looks the famous Howard J. Lamade Stadium. I was so excited I literally ran up to the fence to take a peek at the stadium which I have seen on television for the last thirty years.
Seeing Lamade Stadium for the first time in person was an incredible feeling. I have grown up watching this event from its early days on ABC Wide World of Sports. I always dreamed of playing in the Little League World Series. I actually still do.
After a long nice look at the field I headed into the museum for my signing. An automated announcement from someone like Vin Scully greets visitors at the museum explaining the origins of Little League Baseball. Having the opportunity to do my book signing in the main room I still have the spiel ingrained in my head after hearing it all day. I know a lot more about little league baseball now for sure.
Before the signing I took a quick tour of the museum myself. I really loved the huge panoramic photo of the 1982 Little League World Series crowd that greets visitors in the main room. What scary styles we were all wearing back then! I was told by Janice Ogurcak who runs the show over there that many people have actually come to the museum and looked at the huge photo and recognized family members. No joke, one kid saw his grandpa in the photo one time. His mother didn’t believe him until he pulled her over to take a look and she almost fainted.
The museum is definitely a treasure for all of those who know what sports and little league specifically mean to children. It was great to see so many families enjoying the museum and having a great time. One of my favorite parts is that you can actually “play ball” in the batting and pitching areas, and then watch your form on instant replay. You can also experience the “hands-on” components of the museum such as the running track, push-button quiz panels, and the opportunity to do your own play-by-play commentary on a World Series game. Pretty cool for adults, I mean kids.
After the signing I headed down the hill to go see Lamade and the stadium grounds. There were hundreds of kids sliding down the hill on these cardboard boxes a neat tradition at Lamade. I wanted to do it myself and then thought better. Just behind the stadium there were tons of licensed vendors and Little League World Series sponsors offering up different promotional items for sale and give away. Having all these kids and families in one place is sure sweet for all those cookie and candy sponsors who were giving away tons of stuff for free. I had a press pass so I got to watch the game from the first row behind home plate. I got to see some of the Georgia/Washington game. The kid from Washington had a nasty curveball. I really was impressed. Remember also these kids are only batting from like 45 feet away which is really tough. After checking out the sights from behind home plate I had to go lie down on the grass in the outfield as well. I took a seat in right field and watched a little more of the game from there.
All in all the Little League World Series is a spectacular family event. I would definitely recommend as a great family summer vacation. I can’t say enough good things about the staff at the museum and all the volunteers who pull this one together.
