SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- The Little League Baseball World Series is an event none of these 14 sets of parents from Warner Robins would miss. Neither would the grandparents.
Some of the grandparents drove up with their children from Georgia where they’ve watched their grandsons play ball. Others came from much farther away.
One couple drove from Cave Creek, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, so they didn’t miss Logan Fink play in the biggest event of his life.
John and Pat Muehlenberg spent 36 hours on the road to sit in the front row at Lamade Stadium cheering.
They had just returned to Arizona a few short weeks ago from a trip to Georgia to watch Brad Fink’s son play in the district tournament.
“It may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see him in the World Series,” Pat Muehlenberg said.
All of the grandparents agreed there was not a moment they thought they should have stayed at home and watched their grandsons play on television, rather than sitting in the sometimes blistering sun.
The Muehlenbergs’ other son, Michael Fink, also drove from Rhode Island to watch his nephew.
“It’s kind of like a family reunion with one part-time person,” said Pat Muehlenberg, talking about the limited amount of time she gets to spend with Logan Fink because of the practices, meals and games.
Bill and Julianne Haskins are Jake Fromm’s grandparents. They live in Warner Robins and have followed baseball and softball for years.
“If they got here, we’re going to be here,” said Julianne Haskins.
The Haskinses have been worried about Fromm, who has suffered from a sore back. But Bill Haskins has a bad back and has walked up and down the hills here at the complex all week. He told his grandson if he could do it, then Fromm could do it.
Dave West, grandfather of Griffin West, drove up with his son Adam West from Warner Robins. Dave West said they left Aug. 16 in the evening, and he had no sleep until after they left the parade the next night.
“It’s every boy’s dream, every parent’s and grandparent’s dream to go see them” play at the World Series, he said.
Miles Patton, coach Shane Williams’ father-in-law and Logan Williams’ grandfather, made the drive with his wife, Kay, from Grove City, Ohio. They brought a few of Logan’s teammates from his Ohio travel ball team as a surprise.
The couple has put many miles on their vehicle -- driving from Ohio to Georgia for first the state then the regional tournaments and now to Williamsport.
Logan Williams “went from kind of clumsy to being able to make a high school team,” Miles Williams said.
The Sanderses, the other set of grandparents of Griffin West, said they were happy to see so many grandparents make the trip from Georgia.
Terri Sanders said her mother and 92-year-old stepfather, West’s great-grandparents, even drove down to Georgia from Tennessee to watch the state tournament.
“There were no ifs, ands or buts about it,” said Sanders. “If the Lord was willing, we were going to be here.”
