Following a little boy's dream

Five years ago I met a little 7-year-old boy.

It was at a barbecue on the east side of Tucson. The boy was running around in the patio and when I was introduced to him, the conversation lasted only seconds, but there were enough words spoken to discover the young one loved baseball and he would like nothing better than to grow up to be a star player and lead his team to a championship.

The boy was in town visiting his grandmother, but would be returning to Seattle, Washington to go back to school, be with his friends and play baseball.

His dream not much different than many youngsters who go to bed at night and quickly find themselves on a baseball field...on a football field or on a basketball court, leading their team to victory. Heck I went through those thoughts, just the other day...and I'm 68 years old. Sixty years ago you can bet I stuck my head in my pillow, went to sleep and entered my own fantasy world -- thinking...what would it be like to hit a home run in Yankee Stadium, or run 100 yards for a score in an NFL game, or drill a last-second shot to win an NBA game.

As I entered the "real world" of Little League baseball, I often wondered what it would be like to find myself in Williamsport, Pa., playing in the Little League World Series. Little did I know at the time, those moments are for a select few, the best of the best, the cream of the crop of 12 year olds, who somehow...someway make it to the big time -- the LLWS, to play in front of 30,000 people, not to mention the millions from around the world watching on television -- witnessing their every move.

I, of course, never realized my dream of being a Little League World Series hero, but that little boy I met five years ago has done just that.

Will Armbruester plays first base and pitches for the Eastlake Little League team out of  Sammamish, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. Will bats third in a hard-hitting lineup which is just one game away from the  U.S. Championship at the 2013 Little League World Series.

Sammarmish, the champions out of the Northwest bracket, will face Connecticut, the  Northeast champions, this evening for the right to play California, the West division champions,  on Saturday for the U.S. title. The California team is out of the San Diego area and they are members of the Eastlake Little League.

If Sammarmish wins tonight then the announcers will have their hands full announcing the title game, since both teams are called Eastlake.

As for the little boy I met a few years back, I just want to say, "Good luck, Will, and follow that dream.

Photo: Will Armbruester (sitting behind his coach) and a few of his teammates, awaiting their next game at the 2013 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

LLWS Update: Will and his teammates' run at the 2013 Little League World Series came to an end this afternoon (8-23-13) as Connecticut beat the team from Sammamish, Washington 14-13 in a slugfest to advance to the U.S. Championship game, scheduled for Saturday against California.

Final LLWS Update: Tokyo, Japan outlasts Chula Vista, California, 6-4, to win the 2013 Little League World Series championship today (8-25-13) in Williamsport, Pa. Tijuana, Mexico edges Westport, Connecticut, 14-13, to win the consolation title for third place.