Pocono News Section

Behind the Scenes at the Little League World Series

Behind the Scenes at the Little League World Series - Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 4:36PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 @ 04:36pm EST
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, LYCOMING COUNTY- From cutting the grass to fixing the scoreboard and about a million places in between, it's the people you don't always see, who play a crucial role in the success of the Little League World Series.

Many have been here for several years.

People like the gift shop employees who make sure everyone has a chance to pick up their favorite merchandise. Employee Candy Hein said, "It's wonderful meeting everybody, getting to know their nationalities, and getting to know a little bit about their histories."

Her co-worker Janetta Dudek, added, "When we open our doors, it's like opening our doors to the world. We are hosting this event and people just come from all over the place. They just love being here, and we love hosting them."

And the vendors at the concession stands. It's certainly no small task feeding thousands of people each day, especially when many don't speak English.

But they're up to the challenge. Concessions boss Steve Lazroff said, "Well the first thing I told everyone as I hired them was make sure you learn how to say hot dog in about a dozen different languages. But no, the biggest thing I think is, food is kind of a universal language. If you show anyone a hot dog, they pretty much know exactly what it is."

Or how about the team hosts, uncles as the players call them, who don't even get paid, but do their job for love of the game. Ed Weinhoffer's been a team host for 24 years.

This year he’s hosting the team from Saudi Arabia. He noted, "The best games, the best people, and the best players. That's why I keep coming back."

And there's really only one part he doesn't like. Weinhoffer explained, "My worst part of the whole Series? Is after two weeks trying to say goodbye. You build a bond up."