We have new best friends, and they are terrific! The young men from Hanoi were excellent, friendly and courteous athletes, and it was truly a pleasure to meet them! In contrast to the empty feeling after our hosts, Lafayette, beat us last night (in their defense, it was midnight, and everyone was tired), as Mexico won 6-o today, our boys thanked and cheered the Vietnam team in heart-felt Mazatleco style, and took mixed group pictures. We were told repeatedly that Vietnam is hoping we go on to win the Series. Viva international friendships! The Vietnamese team told us that one of the Mexican jerseys we gave them would go into their “Hall of Fame” in Hanoi. Cool, huh?

It was a sunny, warm and humid day here in Indiana, and everyone was in good spirits. The crowd today was much smaller, no doubt because the local team wasn’t playing today (they only play every other day as long as they keep winning). Our boys played very consistently, scoring in four of the seven innings. Various bases were stolen, and after the game, several of our players were asked for autographs by young fans. It was wonderful to see.

Pedro was our pitcher today; he pitched the entire game, and he did a great job. Considering Mazatlán played the last game yesterday, the first game today, and travelled 55 hours to get here, our boys did not show any fatigue. Congratulations and job well done!

You can view the full game here:

http://livestream.com/accounts/1037086/events/4179081/videos/95630090/player?autoPlay=false&height=360&mute=false&width=640

Remember that from that same site you can watch all games via live-streaming.

We will play again tomorrow, Sunday, again at noon. We will play the loser of the game that is going on as I write this—either Puerto Rico or Michigan. Click here for a link to the updated bracket.

PS: Puerto Rico won vs. Michigan 3-1, so we’ll play Michigan tomorrow at noon. Go Patasaladas!!!!!

Thanks to so many of you who chipped in to help support these teenagers to reach their dreams! National champions, Mazatlán’s own Muralla Pony League (Colt) team travelled 55 hours—yes, FIFTY-FIVE HOURS! The Vietnamese team in this tournament only traveled 36!—to reach the World Series in Lafayette, Indiana. Teams that earned the right to play include Vietnam, Czech Republic, Mexico and the USA.

Greg and I are very excited to be with our local Mazatleco boys and their families, cheering them on. Click on any photo to see it larger or view a slideshow.

The team arrived one day later than planned, so didn’t have much time to get unkinked or settled in before the tournament. They arrived at the ballpark excited and raring to go! César Aguilar was the starting pitcher, and pitched a terrific six innings of the seven inning game, leading 3-2 over Lafayette’s All Stars. The seventh inning saw us go through two pitchers in the quest to find a closer, and led to a most discouraging 9-3 loss at midnight last night.

Mexico played their first game last night under the lights, which of course kids in Mazatlán are not accustomed to doing. The Mexican team had by far the loudest of any cheering section, complete with tricolor shirts, hats, face paint and flag.

We still have the opportunity to win the Series, though we have to win all the remaining games. While we played the last game last night, we play the first game today—not exactly thought-through scheduling, to my way of thinking.

A really cool thing yesterday was that all the players from all the teams in the Series went out onto the field, surrounding the in-field. Two teams of physically challenged kids played two innings of baseball, with help from the boys in the tournament. Talk about a tear jerker! The parents in the stand of these kids were bursting with pride and joy, watching their kids hit the ball and run the bases. A wonderful event to behold!

Long-time Mazatlán snowbird Valerie Bird’s niece and family live in Indiana, and drove two hours to join our cheering section last night. Mazatlán was well represented by the families that travelled north, and also by several dozen local Mexican-American families who showed national pride to turn out and cheer us on. Many thanks to them! Many of those families are also hosting our boys, so they don’t have to pay hotel.

Wish us luck today! It looks to be a hot one, which should help us. We play Vietnam at noon. Should you want to watch this live via video streaming, or see yesterday’s events, click here.

Here’s video of tonight’s game:

https://livestream.com/accounts/1037086/events/4179078/videos/95545895/player?width=640&height=360&autoPlay=false&mute=false