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I’m not going to lie, I saw this coming.

Ask any of the staff that I spoke with before the game. For some reason I saw this from the minute we got here. I was confident that Fairfield would win against Auburn the first time. I was confident that Pearland would beat them, and then I knew that if Fairfield saw Washington again, that it would all end.

Don’t ask me how I knew it, I just did.

It sounds like hindsight too. But, Auburn was here for a reason. Fairfield beat them because the team made some more plays and got a timely hit. Auburn wanted Fairfield again, they got Fairfield again, and they beat them. Hats off.

For more on that game, click here

With that being said, I feel bad for the boys. They had a great summer and did something that no 12-year-old team in Fairfield has ever done in reaching Williamsport. They’re champions and they deserve all of the honors, accolades and memories that they will receive.

Along the same lines, it sounds like Chris Daley is upset, but said there is a silver lining. He gets to help his oldest son move into Johns Hopkins on Thursday. He’s going straight to Baltimore from Williamsport and then back to Fairfield. Sounds like Larry Klein and the rest of the team will depart soon, but they’re allowed to stay until Sunday, so maybe they will.

I’m excited to be going home. I miss my bed, I’m pretty much out of clean clothes, and a week away has been a long time. Plus, Williamsport is only so fun to be in for so long.

But with all of that said, this was really a huge thrill for me too.

I’m honestly going to miss the interaction with the other press members. Mingling with people with huge beats, or famous people. I’m going to miss covering an event that my friends and family can watch on TV all over the country, I’m going to miss feeling like a big deal.

Events like this are why I got into journalism and now that it is over, it is hard to go back.

And I know it isn’t about me. It’s about those 11 boys and two coaches who took all of us for a ride. It’s about Nate Klein’s smile and Nick Nardone’s tenacity and Jack Quinn’s goofiness. It’s about fathers and sons taking bonding over baseball as far as it could go.

It’s about an event that is so good and nice, so honest and pure that not even ESPN could screw it up, although they do their damndest to try.

It’s about Dugout the mascot, and trading pins and small towns and cheering the team of youngsters as it takes the field, even as it trails by 11 runs. This whole thing reminds me why baseball is still the greatest sport around. I’m getting emotional just typing this all up. For anyone who has the opportunity, I’d recommend it highly, and if you have kids, take them with you too, they’ll love it.

And I’m happy that for one week, I was a part of it. I’m glad that through this blog and the stories that we’ve put together, that you back at home have been able to see in your minds eye what we’ve seen in person. I thank you all for participating, and all the kind and wonderful feedback you’ve given me. I also appreciate all of the wonderful people that I’ve met. Chris Daley summed it up best in tonight’s press conference:

“It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime.”

I’ll blog when I get home tomorrow and tie this all up. Or we could keep this space open and I’ll blog from Connecticut about the rest of the World Series. I’ll leave that choice to you. Send me your opinions. I’ll be watching either way.

(For the last time) Until tomorrow…

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