Little League Send-off

Coach Lee's blog post after last night's loss:

What a day!! We almost didn't get to play because of all the water in the outfield. What can i say about the 1st inning...it's baseball and you have innings like that...unfortunately we just dug too deep a hole to bounce out of....the good news is the boys seem more wired tonight than when they win, and it is midnight here...hopefully we can get them to bed soon as we have an early game tomorrow. The hardest part for the boys was facing family...they wanted so much to bring the title home for them (and believed in their hearts they would)...but after the reconnect in the tent, it was all good. The family and friends were awesome. TV land typically shows the boys that are upset. I do wish they would show the boys just 30 minutes after the game. We forget how it was when we were twelve, it really is only a game to them and life has already moved on. They are all arguing about which ones should pitch tomorrow. It is great to hear!!! For me, i figure it is God's way of keeping the boys and me humble. He does that every now and then, you know. They got to play for the US championship, it doesn't get much better than that at any age. The pressure is off and i am relieved. Tomorrow will be fun...till then.. coach lee

Article on the team's loss:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sp...McAllister_Park.html

Editorial on the team's impact on the city of San Antonio:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sp...still_SAs_pride.html

A river parade homecoming awaits the boys:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/ne...eams_homecoming.html

And San Antonio definitely knows how to throw a river parade!

Infield08

Thanks again for posting Coach Lee's blogs throughout the LLWS.For me,it made the series alot more interesting to follow.

Pass the congratulations on to the coaches and players of McAllister Park for a great season.

Aloha,Sugi.

Thanks to all for the well wishes! Like I said before, my son hasn't played LL for years but it was awfully fun to follow the hometown team! Coach Lee's son Wyatt attends my daughter's school and his older son is in the band with her so I will definitely pass on the congratulations.

I will try to post photos of the team's welcome home celebration at the San Antonio airport tonight as well as the river parade that honors them this coming weekend. Meanwhile, here's possibly the final blog post from McAllister Park Coach Lee Willis:

The trip is winding down to an end....what a ride!!!! It's late at night and it's hard to believe we have played 2 of the 3 other best Little League teams in the world, in the last 24 hours. I am so proud of these boys. Not just the way they played, but the way they handled themselves, in victory and defeat, with fans they didn't know and the media. It is a testament to how the boys were handed over to Mike and me 2 1/2 months ago...We did not build their character, we just showed it off. Coaching them has never been hard. Like being grandparents, we have enjoyed them and now get to give them back. There are big plans back home and the boys heard about some of those tonight. Yes, they are wound up again. There are more happy times to come. The tough part for them , like when we return to work from vacation, will be getting into the swing of things...it will take time. Many highlights again today. The best was seeing the smile on Wyatt's face today(not as big as the HR but close) when he got a package from the Pennsylvania Game Warden Commission, complete with videos, books and a job application. The outdoors mean way more to him than baseball (TV land has made that known). I cannot say how proud i am of him , and my time here with him, well.... i can't even start to describe without getting emotional. His siblings as well as everyone else's here have been beyond supportive...they too all had a blast!! It has been a trip full of smiles. These memories will be passed down to great grandkids....We are blessed and we know it. God has given us that extra helping and we are thankful!!! Many, many have written notes here, some i see, and for some reason others i do not. My son Colton set this up for me and i don't even know if i could, or how to respond. For all the comments i say thanks. All are traveling tomorrow and some parents, to get home before the kids, are leaving early, 3:00 am in the morning. Prayers of thanks and safe travels would be appreciated...There are no more games to watch video of so i am going to call it an early night (midnight). Thanks a million...coach lee

San Antonio TV ratings through the roof:

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/...un-for-ksat-tel.html

Cross-cultural friendships mark LLWS:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sp...McAllister_Park.html

Hundreds of San Antonio residents, including countless squealing girls, welcomed the McAllister Park players home at the San Antonio airport tonight. I'm sure the boys were loving every minute!

http://www.mysanantonio.com/ne...rk_team_cheered.html

A few more photos from last night's homecoming at the San Antonio airport:

San Diego was in a frenzy watching the little guys I can assure. I'd be interested to see what the local ratings are as it seemed like everyone was talking about it...

Pronk, when you refer to the "little guys," are you referring to the San Antonio players? If so, here's a bit of information which might interest you.

The local newspaper reported that 106,350 San Antonio households -- or about 23% of the homes in the area -- watched the U.S. Championship game between San Antonio and Chula Vista. This apparently was the largest local rating for a Little League broadcast ever.

It's been interesting watching the news this week. While about 50% of people polled approve of the team's upcoming river parade being funded by the taxpayers, 42% think the airport celebration was enough, given the current economic climate.

City officials are now doing damage control, and the information they have provided is interesting:

* The airport celebration cost taxpayers $2,100
* The river parade will cost taxpayers $7,900 (as compared to $100,000 spent on each of the San Antonio Spurs' NBA Championship river parade celebrations)
* Combined with a $5,000 gift the county gave the team for travel to Williamsport, there will be a total taxpayer cost of about $15,000
* However, based on a media research group's findings, the total worldwide TV audience outside San Antonio during the LLWS was 153,106,895 and the exposure the city of San Antonio received was worth $2.1 million in advertising dollars. According to calculations, this is worth $6.4 million in publicity value to the city of San Antonio.

That information alone should silence the critics. Additionally, corporate sponsors have already committed $5,000 to the river parade with more sponsors lining up. In the end, all the city celebrations may end up costing taxpayers nothing.

I personally am looking forward to attending the river parade and countless others are as well. The newspaper has been chock full of congratulatory letters to the editor, with one writer even saying he nominates McAllister Park LL manager Mike Shull for president for 2012!

I'll post photos after Sunday's big event.

As promised, here's a photo of yesterday's river parade celebrating McAllister Park's 4th place finish in the Little League World Series.