BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
If anyone knows what Mike Brach and the Freehold Township Little League Senior League all-stars are going through this week in Bangor, Maine, it’s Tony Richardson.
Richardson was the manager of the last area team that captured the Eastern Regional championship and advanced to the Little League Senior League World Series held that year in Kissemme, Fla.
That was back in 1992 when Howell Central Little League, led by lefty pitcher Joey Aragona and Greg Purcell, became the first team ever from the Freehold area to win a Little League Regional crown and go to a World Series. They beat Shippensburg, Pa., 6-4 in the final as Aragona, pitching on fumes, had just enough in the tank and plenty of heart, to hold off a powerful Shippensburg team that would come back in 1993 and win it. That year, ironically enough, the Eastern Regional was held in West Deptford, the same site as this year’s Region, which Freehold Township won without the loss of a game, beating host West Deptford, 14-3, in the final played Thursday afternoon.
Richardson noted that Freehold Township will be facing two challenges this week, one on the field and the other off.
"The competition in the World Series is going to be phenomenal," he said. "You’re playing against teams from around the world. Expect to see kids who are phenomenal players. The talent level does jump up."
As if that weren’t enough, there are off-the-field distractions.
"We were treated like royalty," he recalled. "It was red carpet all the way. Everything was top shelf. There are so many nuances to deal with."
The players will be put in hotels and they will have the chance to meet and get to know players from across the country and the world. There will be a lot of down time on the road. It is an environment they have never experienced before and with the players getting special treatment, it’s easy for them to forget what they came to Bangor for.
"They have to focus on winning that first game," Richardson pointed out. "We never recovered from losing a 6-1 lead in our first game. Winning that first game is important."
Freehold Township did just that, putting itself in a good position to get to Friday’s semifinals when they beat the Central Regional champion, Humblot Park Little League, Ill., 7-4, and followed that with a 16-2 win over Rotterdam, Netherlands on Monday.
Richardson is pleased to have another local team get to experience what his team did 12 years ago. It’s an unforgettable experience, he noted, one he and his players will never forget.
"I wish them well," he said. "I hope they win it. We got there and we just ran out of gas. We didn’t have the pitching depth. You have to have three pitchers."
Freehold Township has that with Brett Brach, Shawn Boysen and Jason Elo. They had a combined earned run average of 1.46 in winning the Eastern Regional.
Richardson gives Freehold Township a good chance at making an impact at the World Series. As an umpire he has umpired their league games and is familiar with the players.
"I know they are a very solid ball club," he said.