| North Port Sun (FL){PUBLICATION2} June 28, 2008 Little slugger headed to White House game North Port's Blake will play in president's Tee-Ball event ERIC McKINNEY Sports Writer NORTH PORT -- Blake might just be the luckiest 6-year-old in Florida. The North Port Area Little League standout has been chosen to represent the state in the first Tee Ball on the South Lawn All-Star Game scheduled for July 16 at the White House. Blake, along with 50 other participants representing the 50 states and District of Columbia, will meet President George W. Bush one-on-one following the game, where the president will present each with an autographed baseball. "What was my first response? I screamed," said Blake, shrugging it off like only a 6-year-old can. His mother Jennifer, chuckling off to the side, nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah, he's very excited," she said. "He said, 'I'm going to meet the president of the United States, and he likes baseball.'" President Bush began his White House Tee Ball initiative shortly after taking office in 2001, with 17 games featuring teams from throughout the country played to date. The 18th installment is scheduled for June 30, with teams from Camden, N.J., and Manati, Puerto Rico, invited to honor the contributions of Hispanic Americans. The July 16 all-star festivities, however, mark the first time whole teams will not be used. Instead, each local Little League organization from throughout the country was responsible for nominating one player to represent its state, with an essay from the league president explaining the recommendation. The 51 players will be divided into four teams to play two games of one inning each, with each player getting at least one at bat and playing on defense. "There hasn't been a team from Florida. So he'll be the first," said Little League senior communications executive Lance Van Auken of Blake. "We got hundreds and hundreds (of applications) from around the country. We're not releasing how many in each state applied because we don't want to make anyone feel less significant ... but in a state like Florida, where there's over 300 Little League organizations, you can imagine there was a lot." Van Auken said a six-person panel reviewed each application before selecting the 51 lucky kids, ages 4-7. "I actually remember this one," said Van Auken, just before reciting passages of Blake's essay that recalled volunteer work passing out food following Hurricane Charley, donating toys to the Ronald McDonald House and raising money for a child cancer patient. "We just thought that was pretty cool for a young man to be able to do that." While NPALL president Steve Saborse insisted Blake is one of the better players in the Tee Ball division, the fact that his community involvement proved to be the deciding factor made his parents proud. "It's nice to see that with everything that goes on in the world today, kids trying to make a difference do get noticed," said Jennifer, who explained that she grew up in a family that stressed community work and encourages the same with her children -- Morgan, 7, Logan, 3, Cash, 1, and Blake. That family history didn't hurt, either. After all, according to Jennifer, Blake's maternal great-grandfather, O.T. Russell, served as White House chief of communications while his great-uncle, Edwin McKenney, is retired secret service. Come July 16, Blake will have his own historical trinkets worthy of the family scrapbook. Along with the autographed baseball from President Bush, Jennifer said, "He'll have official White House All-Star Little League trading cards (and) a program with information regarding all of the 51 players." Considering Blake "would crawl across a room to get to a baseball and a glove and bypass every toy you can imagine" as a toddler, his mother expects the White House memorabilia to hold a special place in his heart. While Blake's room already serves as a shrine to his sporting icons, Jennifer insisted, "We might have to do a shelf all by itself." While at the White House, Blake and his family -- excluding Logan and Cash, who will spend the day with their grandparents nearby -- will enjoy a tour of the East Wing and a picnic on the South Lawn following the game. Their trip is being chronicled online via Blake's journal at www.parentsconnections.com (click on the baseball graphic in the upper-left corner). Saborse, who insisted he didn't realize Blake's community involvement or family history until he approached the family to write the essay, said the White House invitation is something the entire North Port community can be proud of. "It's probably a longer shot than making it in the Major Leagues," Saborse said of getting picked. "But I think the publicity is good for Little League in general. ... I think it's just great for the city of North Port to have a representative there." Van Auken said there's no way to quantify the effect President Bush's Tee Ball games have had on Little League since 2001, but added, "I know our numbers among younger kids have gone up in that time." President Bush is the only U.S. president to have played Little League, doing so with Central Little League in Midland, Texas, in the mid-1950s. He was inducted into the Little League Museum Hall of Excellence in 2001. "The president enjoys these games and enjoys having the teams on the South Lawn at the White House," said White House spokesman Blair Jones, "because he understands the role baseball has played in American history and its importance as a tool for fostering spirit and teamwork among America's youth." As far as the elementary student is concerned, it's just another game. "I'm looking forward to playing on the field, that's all," he smiled. "It'll be fun." You can e-mail Eric McKinney at emckinney@sun-herald.com. Copyright (c) 2008, North Port Sun |