OK... Anybody who really knows me knows I'm not a sports fan. I don't know why, but both my brother and I somehow just didn't get involved in sports growing up in a poor plantation town.
Art on the other hand LOVES sports and he LOVES baseball and football. He still follows the Cubs and Bears even though we don't live in Chicago anymore. He passed on that love of sports to his children.
Tiffany was into skating and swimming. Keola was into every kind of sports, but he did love baseball like his dad.
In fact, Keola was in Little League for several summers when we lived in Illinois and was even part of one championship team. He was also invited to be part of a traveling Majors team when he was a little older (whatever that meant), but couldn't go because we had a trip planned for Hawaii. And Art? Well, he actually helped to coach a team one summer.
So OK, maybe I'm not into sports but I couldn't help but get excited about Hawaii's Little League Team when they played at Williamsport for the U.S. championship. I was happy and nervous for them and I could just imagine how their families felt.
And then I was certainly euphoric when they became the best Little League team in the nation. (This was Sunday's front page.) They'd won the U.S. championship on Saturday.
I was happy enough for them, but then Art said they would be playing for the World Championship on Sunday.
World? Seriously?
But wow! They won! The score was Curacao 3, Hawaii 13!
They mentioned that Hawaii has won the World Championships before. Really? I looked online and found all the years that Hawaii had also won the Little League World Series:
2005 Ewa Beach, Hawaii
2008 Waipahu, Hawaii
2018 Honolulu, Hawaii
I think I'm most proud of the fact that Hawaii's Little League teams are known for their aloha. The coaches remind the boys to always show kindness to their opponents and to play with good sportsmanship and dignity. They are representing Hawaii.
I saw them hugging the players from Curacao and couldn't help but smile and be proud of these young boys.
They have made Hawaii proud!
MONDAY MORNING POSTSCRIPT:
We just saw this front page headline in the Star Advertiser this morning.
Art and I especially loved what the Tennessee team manager, Randy Huth said during a postgame video. The Hawaii team had to win over the Tennessee team to win the U.S. Championship.
Mr. Huth said, "I hate that they're so good, but I also hate that they're all so nice. Their coach Gerald (Oda) is so great. Their kids are so well-mannered and very respectful. They're great."
We are now even more proud of them!
Congratulations to your Hawaii team! We were cheering for Curaçao as I from there. We all agreed though that, if they had to lose, we wouldn’t be too disappointed that it was to Hawaii. Great sportsmanship.
ReplyDeleteWe were very worried about pitcher, Qshondrickson Doran of Curacao when he injured his elbow after a throw. I really hope he's doing OK and not suffering any long term injury. That's always a worry for pitchers.
DeleteCongrats Hawaii
ReplyDeleteSomehow this win didn't get covered in our local paper. Congrats to Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you when I watched most of the game. You should really be proud. What a fine bunch of young men and amazing athletes.
ReplyDeleteI just watched this on the news, I wondered if you or Gigi knew--I should've known better! A wonderful news story, congrats Kay. 🙂👍
ReplyDeleteI was born without a sport gene I guess. I am much more interested in watching the Artemis go up than people throwing a ball back and forth with a third trying to hit it. But congratulations to Hawaii just the same. I wonder what it is that makes them such strong contenders?
ReplyDeleteWonderful news. Not much a sports fan either, my kid soccer teams pretty much it, but I love seeing kids do this. Congrats to them.
ReplyDeleteThat is heartwarming! I love that manners and good sportsmanship are also skills that are taught--not just baseball and winning. Congratulations to the Hawaii team!
ReplyDeleteI watched part of it. I cheered for your team.
ReplyDeleteI read about the game in our newspaper this morning, and thought of you.
ReplyDeleteLin says we had a little league team from our nearby town Santa Clara Utah who went and one of the players fell off his bunkbed and got a concussion so he couldn't play and they lost but were cheered on when they returned as it they had won...
ReplyDeleteHe fell from his bunk bed?!? Oh my gosh! That's awful!
DeleteCongratulations to the team!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your team ( and to their parents for all their hard work)....
ReplyDeleteWell-mannered, respectful, talented … these boys deserve the title!
ReplyDeleteThat's so great! Congrats to the team and to Hawaii!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome ⚾🧢
ReplyDeleteI played little league back in the day
Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWell done!
All the best Jan
Hooray! I saw it on the national internet news as they went from U.S. to World champs. So cool to win World again. They'll be glad to get back home to Hawaii. Nice to cheer something good in the country. Maybe good manners will make a comeback for everyone. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI really am glad that the coaches stress good sportsmanship and aloha to the boys. They said the boys have been so isolated from all the news that they are in for a surprise when they return to Hawaii.
DeleteCongrats! It's great when a local team does well, isn't it?!? The local team we root for is the Phila. Eagles. They'll try, but I don't think they'll do as well as your Little League baseball team.
ReplyDeleteWe are all so proud of them!
ReplyDeleteI heard about this on the news! Congratulations to the team and coach and all of their parent too. It takes a village.
ReplyDeleteThe acknowledgement of good sportsmanship from the team they beat is the best part.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your Hawaiian baseball players and that they demonstrated the Aloha spirt our whole nation should adopt.
ReplyDeleteMy nephew was into soccer when he lived on Oahu. A professional team was being formed they wanted him to join but he declined -- when at the Univ. he became involved in dance just trying to earn an extra credit and became enthralled with it, danced ballet becoming professional, won a scholarship, then came to the mainland, eventually NYC, left dance, wed and started family. Retired now. Dancers must be very physically strong like athletes.
It's great that they are such good sports! That reflects on their raising!
ReplyDeleteI read about this and thought of the Hawaii bloggers -- double reason to be proud.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the Hawaii little Leage team. My son went to Penn College of Technology. We bought a little house for him in Williamsport, about 1/2 mile from the site of the Little League Championships.
ReplyDeleteThat’s great, both for the winning but even more for the sportsmanship.
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful news! Such fun. We like our sports.
ReplyDeleteGood for them!
ReplyDeleteBest team best, kids best people best place to live in the world! So grateful!
ReplyDelete