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Little League world series
Defeat sad, experience 'awesome'
Manager reflects on team's run; All-Stars spend time with families before heading home.
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Thursday, August 23, 2007
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Wednesday was a gloomy day for Hamilton West Side All-Stars manager Tim Nichting, and not because of the weather.
"There's definitely some disappointment," Nichting said the day after his team was eliminated from the Little League World Series with a 6-1 loss to Lake Oswego, Ore.
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"I really wanted to get into those semifinals," Nichting said. "I really thought that would broadcast Hamilton even more than it's been broadcast already. It was a great experience, but if we could've just got to the final four, that would've put another 20 percent on top of the whole thing."
Adding to the team's frustration was the fact that it easily handled Warner Robins, Ga., and now Warner Robins is moving on after beating both of the teams that knocked off Hamilton — Lake Oswego and Walpole, Mass.
"The sad part that we keep crying about is we beat Georgia 10-2, but we can't beat the two teams Georgia pounded," Nichting said, referring to Warner Robins' 9-4 win against Lake Oswego and 8-1 triumph over Walpole.
"And how we can't hit a 60 mph fastball, I'm not really sure," Nichting said, referring to only getting two hits off Lake Oswego's Levi Rudolph. "But we didn't do it. Sometimes that just happens."
Wednesday wasn't completely full of reflection and regret. Nichting turned control of the players over to their parents so they could go have some family fun. Some of them left the complex to go out to eat and see the town, while others stuck around and did some of the things they weren't allowed to do while they were still in contention, such as swimming and mud-sliding down the hill that overlooks Lamade Stadium.
Left fielder Derrick Best, meanwhile, wasn't feeling well and left town early Wednesday morning with his parents.
"Everybody's sad, but there's definitely been some relief, too," Nichting said. "We've just been chilling out and letting the kids be kids. We went at it as best we could, but now the kids are off doing their own thing, and it's just me being me.
"I'm old (47), so I see the bigger picture of what (assistant coach Kenny Coomer Jr.) and I accomplished with these kids. And it was pretty awesome."
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193
or jmorrison@coxohio.com.
