Sean Yamaguchi pointed straight up to the sky. Then the baseball gloves starting flying through the air over the Houghton Stadium infield in San Bernardino, Calif.
The celebration of Honolulu’s victory in the West Region Little League championship on Saturday was fun, exciting and even emotional for some.
And then it was over — quickly.
A few photos were taken and then a meeting with players and parents and coaches was held. Roughly five hours after the final out of an 11-2 win over Northern California, the team had already cleaned out where it was staying and was on a bus to LAX.
A cross-country flight was followed by a four-hour bus ride from Philadelphia to Williamsport, Pa. The team finally got to its destination at 9:30 the next night.
“We really didn’t have time to celebrate with our family,” said Honolulu coach Gerald Oda, who then added, “which is fine because the bigger prize is on its way anyway.”
Honolulu plays its first game of the Little League World Series on Friday at 2 p.m. against Peachtree City (Ga.).
By Tuesday, the kids had recovered from the long trip, especially when they got brand new equipment supplied by Easton.
“Let me tell you, nothing wakes up a kid faster than when they get free gear,” Oda said.
Rain in Williamsport finally subsided on Wednesday and the team was able to practice on fields outside Howard J. Lamade Stadium, which will come to life for the next 11 days, culminating with the world championship game next Sunday.
Honolulu will attempt to become the fifth team Hawaii to win the United States championship and third to win the whole thing — joining Ewa Beach in 2005 and Waipahu in 2008.
Oda, who led a team to the Cal Ripken World Series championship in 2005, has been coaching little league for more than two decades.
His brother, Keith, is one of two assistant coaches.
“Baseball has been a positive influence in me and my brother’s lives and it’s been a good way to give back to the community,” Gerald said.
They’ve coached a bunch of teams over the years and knew there was a possibility this team could make it to Williamsport once they saw the talent of the players selected.
At the same time, they’ve had teams just as talented in the past not make it very far.
“To be honest, I’ve been doing this for so long that you know that things sometimes just have to go your way,” Oda said. “Talent wise we thought we had a chance but you just don’t look very far ahead. Regionals were very, very tough and we were very fortunate.”
Honolulu outscored its four opponents 31-8 during its undefeated run through the regional.
Friday’s game will be telecast on ESPN, just like the regional championship. With an added week of buildup, however, there will be many more eyes glued to the TV for this next round of games.
“We are really stressing the importance that we’re no longer representing just Honolulu, but we’re representing the whole state of Hawaii,” Oda said. “We take that very seriously not only with how we play on the field but how we behave off of it.
“We tell the kids that people are going to judge not only you but the entire state and so far — knock on wood — the kids have done well and they make me feel really proud that they are from Hawaii.”
