Little League a big deal for Middle Georgia

During a broadcast of a Little League Baseball World Series game last year, ESPN took a shot at locating Warner Robins on a map for an on-screen graphic.

It missed by a few hundred miles.

Consider the next few weeks an opportunity to stick a neon pin south and east of that errant guess.

Beginning today, Warner Robins, Houston County and all of Middle Georgia will bear the flag for the Southeastern Region. For Little Leaguers in eight states, Warner Robins is no longer just a city. It’s a goal. A hope. A dream.

Think about that next time you’re experiencing one of those Watson Boulevard traffic nightmares.

Right now, seven very excited teams can hardly wait to load up and come to Warner Robins. The players for the eighth, of course, are already here but presumably equally excited to dig their cleats into the clay at Little League Southeast Park for the first time.

The ballpark is still squeaky-clean, bright-and-shiny new. That won’t last long. In a few years, it will start to wear. But it’s the kind of wear that gives color to those dreams. All the great ballfields, like a good glove, aren’t quite right until they’re broken in properly.

But for now, we revel in the new.

And we must revel in it. While it’s certainly easy to sit passively by and imagine hordes of out-of-towners rolling in to watch games and drop wads of cash, that’s not how this works. The crowds in the stands will need to be us — you and me. Sure, some folks will come from both far and not-so-far away, but the majority of the audience for the regional tournaments will have to be Middle Georgians.

After all, there is little argument to be made against attending. Tickets? Free. Parking? Free. School? It’s still summer for a few more days, so the kids are all right. The heat? All the more reason to get to the game early and grab a spot in the shade.

The Little League Southeastern Region softball and baseball tournaments are more than a sporting event. This is about community, sportsmanship and appreciating something pure.

This is special, and it is a big deal. Yes, for us, but also for them.

So the midstate, for a smoldering hot stretch of late July and early August, suddenly finds its chief export to be childhood dreams — and we’re all working on the assembly line.

It’s not a bad way to get on the map.

Contact Ryan Gilchrest at 256-9725 or rgilchrest@macon.com