OxfordPress.com

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Hamilton resident Aaron Cook never got to play in the Little League World Series, but his presence was certainly felt here in Williamsport on Thursday.

Cook, a former West Side Little League player who is a starting pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, sent the Hamilton West Side All-Stars a care package with Rockies hats and T-shirts, which the players immediately donned for their afternoon practice.

"That's part of what West Side Little League is about — understanding who's been through your program," West Side manager Tim Nichting said. "Aaron came through our program, and we're proud of him. And we thank him for the gifts."

The package also included an autographed baseball for each player, but Nichting said he didn't distribute those.

"We'll give them the baseballs when we get back," he said. "We don't need a bunch of baseballs flying around our room."

The Rockies placed Cook on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, retroactive to Saturday, with a strained left oblique muscle.

Measles scare

About 20 minutes into Thursday's practice, Nichting was hastily summoned to a meeting with coaches from the other 15 teams.

Little League officials wanted to warn each coach that a player from Japan, who has not been named, has the measles and is quarantined until Monday.

"It's too bad for them, but it doesn't really affect us at all," Nichting said. "All of the American kids have their shots for school, so there's nothing for us to worry about."

Party in the streets

The West Side All-Stars and the rest of the 15 World Series teams were loaded onto floats and driven through Williamsport for the Grand Slam Parade, which marks the official kickoff of the Little League World Series.

"This is a lot bigger than I thought it would be," first baseman John Cornett said while waving to the crowd and dodging candy being thrown by the thousands of people lining the street. This really makes us feel special."

Good impression

It didn't take long for the West Side All-Stars to make an impression on team hosts Gary Weaver and Dan Ayers.

"These are great kids, and they're so low maintenance it's unbelievable," Ayers said. "They're one of the easiest teams we've ever had here.

"Last year the team we had complained so much about the uniform pants, you would've thought we were dressing 12 girls instead of 12 boys."

Either Weaver or Ayers will be with the team at all times during their stay in Williamsport, Pa.

Dear Hamilton

Anyone wanting to send a good luck message to the West Side All-Stars can do so two different ways.

The first is on the JournalNews Web site at www.journal-news.com, and the other is on the official Little League site.

"When people send comments on the Little League site, we print every single one and give them to the coaches and kids to read," said Weaver.

Following Wednesday's practice, Nichting read through a stack of 25 while walking back up the hill to the International Grove, where the team is housed.

"This is really neat that they do this," he said.

The direct link to send a message that will be hand delivered to the team is: www.littleleague.org/series/2007divisions/llbb/messageform.asp.

Black, not blue

Gone are the blue Hamilton West Side jerseys the team has been wearing since the District 9 tournament six weeks ago.

Beginning today, Hamilton will be sporting black jerseys that say "Great Lakes" in gold letters across their chests, referring to the region the team won to qualify for the World Series.

The players' numbers will remain the same as they've been through the whole tournament.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193

or jmorrison@coxohio.com.