WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – As their chartered bus pulled out of the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Training Center in Bristol, Conn., yesterday morning, the Toms River East American players were pleading with their manager to play the videotape.
The entire team (twelve 12-year-olds) just had to watch a replay of their victory Thursday night, when they captured the Eastern Region championship and advanced to the Little League World Series.
About 15 minutes later, once the bus rolled onto I-84 south, manager Mike Gaynor popped in the tape of the game, which had been broadcast on ESPN2.
And the party began.
“They were doing a lot of cheering,” assistant coach Richie Cunningham said soon after the team arrived at its dormitory in Williamsport yesterday. “And when Eric [Campesi] hit the home run, they went crazy.”
It was Campesi’s two-run, third-inning blast that gave Toms River a 2-0 lead en route to its 3-0 win against Middleboro, Mass., before about 4,000 fans, more than half from Toms River. Before the game, the players received a fax of encouragement from New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman.
Now it was on to Williamsport, where Toms River, the ’98 champion, is aiming to become the second U.S. team in Little League history to win back-to-back titles. Its title defense begins tomorrow at 6 p.m. when Toms River faces the Alabama state champion at Lamade Stadium.
It seems most people in Toms River never gave this team a chance to repeat. After all, it had nearly an all-new roster, with Campesi and Casey Gaynor being the only returning players.
“People were telling us back home that we’d be hit by lightning before we’d get back to Williamsport this year,” Cunningham said.
Even some of the players had their doubts.
“I didn’t think we’d go back,” said pitcher Casey Gaynor, the manager’s son, who pitched in the World Series final last season before 41,200 fans. “It’s a whole different team. I didn’t think we had enough experience.”
As it happened, the two veterans played key roles in getting Toms River back to the Series. In the Eastern Region finals, Gaynor continued his dominance on the pitching mound by throwing a one-hit complete game shutout. During the tournament the right-hander went 4-0, all shutouts, while allowing four hits and no runs in 24 innings. He will be the starting pitcher tomorrow.
“We expect these types of performances every time out,” Mike Gaynor said about his son. “I feel good as a manager, and I’m happy for him as a father.”
Upon arriving at Williamsport, Gaynor and Campesi showed their teammates around the Little League complex, including the game room.
“They know what it’s all about,” said Cunningham, whose son Chris is the starting catcher. “It’s definitely an advantage of having them here. They know what it’s like playing in front of 40,000 people.”
“I don’t feel any pressure,” Campesi said. “I know what to expect. It’s usually once in the lifetime. I’m excited.”