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11 06 Tallink-9663
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No rest for weary as these Ocean View stars and coaches play on
Ocean View's Hagen Danner pitches in the first inning of a pool-play game against LaGrange, Ky., at the Little League World Series on Sunday. (Matt Slocum / Associated Press / August 21, 2011)
Not 20 hours had passed since Hagen Danner experienced the thrill of his young life, helping his Ocean View team of Huntington Beach win a Little League world championship by hitting a home run in a 2-1 victory over Japan.
He was as high as a Little League ballplayer could get, having starred as a hitter, pitcher and catcher on the fields of South Williamsport, Pa., performing superbly in six games before large crowds and national television audiences.
Already, Danner and his teammates were getting used to rock-star treatment, with fans scrambling for their autographs and photographs. Now a parade was being planned for them in Huntington Beach on Sept. 10, the Dodgers and Angels were planning ceremonies, and producers from "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" had already been in touch.
First, of course, there would be a raucous welcome in Orange County on Monday night when the team returned home.
But for Danner, two of his coaches and teammates Nick Pratto and Anthony Martinez, some of the trappings of newfound celebrity would have to wait.
They had to get to another baseball tournament.
By 9 a.m. Monday, Danner was on a field at Cooperstown, N.Y., preparing for the first game of what would be a tripleheader with his club team, the Southern California Rebels. (Full disclosure: I help as an assistant coach with that team in Southern California tournaments.)
While the rest of the Ocean View team celebrated its victory with free food and a replay of the game at a Williamsport hotel Sunday night, Danner and his parents, Scott and Lisa, were making a four-hour drive to upstate New York, arriving just before midnight.
The others, Nick Pratto and his father, Jeff, Ocean View's manager, and Anthony Martinez and his father, Jose, a coach, made the drive Monday morning, hoping to catch the last of the Rebels' Monday games.
A Little League championship is youth baseball's summit, but for Danner and the others headed for Cooperstown, it wasn't the end of the line. Not even close.
When their club team finishes up this week — there are three more games scheduled for Tuesday, and more Wednesday and Thursday — Danner and Pratto will have only a few days at home before they leave for Cary, N.C., where they will take part in tryouts for the United States' 14-under national team beginning Sept. 8.
So much for taking part in that parade.
"I'm sure he's tired," Scott Danner said of his son during a telephone interview Monday morning, noting that Hagen, while playing second base in the first game on the day, had let a ball roll under his glove and between his legs for an error. "He's probably looking for a little downtime."
Hagen confirmed it. "I kind of want to go home and sleep in my own bed," he said between games. "I'm tired of going. But this will be fun. It's a great time."
Nick Pratto and Anthony Martinez, who spoke by phone while being driven to Cooperstown on Monday morning, expressed similar sentiments. Both said they were a little tired and would miss arriving home with the rest of their Little League team, but …
"I'd rather be playing baseball than doing anything else," Martinez said.
Added Pratto: "I wouldn't miss a tournament for my life."
Their fathers were worn out too. Beyond coaching, for weeks they had been responsible 24-7 for 13 youngsters with, as Jeff Pratto said, "13 different ways of living." But now they were looking forward to watching some games without having to pore over scouting reports and videotape in preparation.
"It drained us," Jose Martinez said. "Toward the end, the kids were getting on each other's nerves — not on the field, but living together and always having to be together was different for them. Then yesterday was just amazing, but at the end of the day I just wanted to go home.
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Thursday, September 1, 2011
Simon's Tommasini.
Simon's Tommasini.
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You Want to Eat Where?
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Guzzle & Nosh
Snow's BBQ
Lexington, Texas (pop: 1,174)
Snow's shocked the Texas barbecue establishment when it came out of nowhere to be crowned the best in the state by Texas Monthly magazine in 2008. Since then, the tiny town of Lexington has been overrun by barbecue nuts from California, Alaska and even Hong Kong, all making their pilgrimage to eat the brisket. That may make the 90-minute drive from Austin sound like a cinch, but there's a catch: Snow's is only open on Saturdays, from 8 a.m. until the food runs out. Savvy Austinites know to get a spot in line no later than 9. 516 Main St., snowsbbq.com
Hell's Backbone Grill
Boulder, Utah (pop: 189)
Nestled within Southern Utah's jaw-droppingly beautiful parkland, 250 miles south of Salt Lake City, Boulder is considered to be one of the remotest towns in the lower 48. Since 2000 it's been home to Hell's Backbone Grill, which draws repeat visitors from as far away as France with dishes like tomato and juniper braised local lamb and apple cider glazed pork chops. Chef/owners Jen Castle and Blake Spalding were drawn to the region due to what Ms. Spalding calls "an awareness of how powerful place can be when combined with food in creating an unforgettable experience." The restaurant's commitment to local sourcing and sustainability is forged from necessity: The isolated location requires them to forage for greens, use fruit from Boulder's heirloom orchards, grow vegetables in the restaurant's gardens and rely heavily upon local ranchers. 20 N. Highway 12, 435-335-7464
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Mason, Tenn. (pop: 1,417)
Gus's sprang to international fame in 2001 when GQ magazine named it one of 10 meals in the world worth flying for. But owner Terry Bonner says folks have been lining up since his daddy set up shop in the sleepy town of Mason back in the 1980s. The secret's in the breading: a wet batter for which only five people on earth know the recipe. "Not bready like fast-food friend chicken," gushes Dan DiIulio, a San Francisco-based civil engineer who was introduced to Gus's by his Tennessean wife. "It's thinner and crispy and it has a little bit of spice to it, and the chicken is just incredibly succulent and juicy." Waits in Mason have tapered off since a Memphis franchise opened in 2001, but purists still seek out the original. 520 Highway 70 W., 901-294-2028
Erick Schat's Bakkery
Bishop, Calif. (pop: 3,451)
Climbers, backpackers and skiers make the European-style bakery 260 miles outside of Los Angeles a "must-stop" on their way to and from the Sierra Nevada mountains. The staff at Erick Schat's makes more than 450 items from scratch each day, the most popular of which are their killer sandwiches and the famous (and trademarked) Sheepherder bread, a hand-shaped French-style loaf that was introduced to the area by the Basque sheepherders over 100 years ago. "Eating a Schat's turkey sandwich on Thanksgiving while sitting in the nearby hot springs—that's one of my best food memories, ever," says Richard Saunders, a Baltimore resident who's been back five times since. 763 N. Main St., erickschatsbakery.com
Maple Sugar & Vermont Spice
Mendon, Vt. (pop: 1,083)
A Vermont institution since 1982, Sugar & Spice has drawn a giant breakfast crowd for as long as owner Lynne Manney can remember. The pancakes are so popular that skiers regularly make the 50-minute round-trip from Killington to carbo-load before a day on the slopes. A loyal fan like Lauren Hardy, a resident of Boston, will drive 170 miles just for a taste of the world's best pumpkin pancakes. "If you're not a skier, there's absolutely no reason to go to that part of Vermont besides Sugar & Spice," she admits. 43 Route 4 E., vtsugarandspice.com
—Elizabeth Gunnison
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