Governor proclaims July 19 All Stars Day
To see the full proclamation, click here.
"WHEREAS, congratulations to the Boundary County Little League All Stars (Yankees) for winning the inaugural Intermediate Little League All-Star State Championship by beating the North Boise Little League All-Stars 18-17, and representing Idaho as the Idaho Intermediate All Stars at the Western Regional Tournament," the proclamation begins, then names individually each of the team's players, with one error; it names Coach Cal Bateman as a player instead of his son, Brady.
"Whether out on the baseball field or in the community, I encourage players, coaches and parents to display good sportsmanship, remembering that you represent the state of Idaho," Otter wrote.
Coach Bateman and every member of the team are amazed and overwhelmed by the attention now focused on their incredible season, the first ever in Little League Intermediate Division play.
"Wow, that is amazing ...very cool," Cal wrote on receiving the Governor's proclamation. "I continue to be blown away by this whole thing."
Some of the team went directly to Irvine, where they'll take on California District 55 at 12:30 p.m. Friday, the rest of the team left Bonners Ferry at 4 a.m. today to rejoin the team.
The trip requires a lot of cash, and the amount of support the team has received, Bateman said, has been incredible.
In a letter to Newsbf shortly after the Yankee win Sunday (see Letters), he wrote, "After the awards ceremony the President of North Boise Little League, Richard Rene, grabbed the microphone and after several nice words about our team, challenged all the North Boise parents to open their wallets and check books and help send us to California. We sat there in awe as parents, coaches, and fans handed us money...when all was done they had donated right there on the spot $535 dollars to help fund our trip. We could not believe it ... A HUGE THANK YOU to North Boise Little League ...you have no idea how much your kindness and generosity has meant to us."
The Northwest Regionals pits this small-town team from Bonners Ferry against the best teams from the western United States, divided into two pools; Pool 1 includes Idaho, Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon and California District 55. Pool 2 includes Nevada, northern California, Southern California, Washington and Montana, and play lasts through the championship game to be played on Friday, July 26.
To follow the action, click here.
The winner of that game will go on to play in the Little League World Series in Livermore, California, beginning July 30.
Those who'd like to keep this dream alive can donate to the Boundary County Little League Fund at any Panhandle State Bank branch in North Idaho. For those outside of the bank service area, call 1-888-275-3434 to make arrangements.
Everyone's help is much appreciated.