The Boys of Summer ‘03: East Boynton all-stars won games and hearts en route to Little League World Series glory
It was the Summer of South Florida.
As the Florida Marlins marched toward a 2003 World Series title, 11 preteens from Boynton Beach captivated a nation.
The East Boynton Beach Little League All-Stars, beginning with the District 7 tournament, won 17 of 20 games on their way to capturing a national championship and reaching the Little League World Series championship game, winning with grace and hustle and happiness. And even when they lost 10-1 in the LLWS finale against Tokyo’s Musashi-Fuchu All-Stars in South Williamsport, Pa., the boys from Boynton celebrated with their opponents and created memories that will last forever.
“We were just little boys playing the game we loved,” said Devon Travis, the team’s star second baseman and catcher.
Thousands lined Congress Ave. to welcome them home from Williamsport. They went to Dolphins and University of Miami football games and chatted with Pete Rose. They threw out the first pitches when the Marlins hosted the New York Yankees for Game 3 of the World Series and appeared on the Jerry Lewis telethon. They greeted President George W. Bush and presented him with a team jersey after he landed aboard Air Force One for a fund-raiser in South Florida.
They have gone their separate ways, with some never playing much organized baseball after that summer. Some moved away. Some drifted apart — members of the team went to middle schools and high schools scattered throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties.
But 10 years later, and with another Little League World Series set to begin today, that brief, shining moment when they were the best Little League team in the country — and very nearly the whole world — remains as bright as ever.
“An experience of a lifetime,” said Travis, a former FSU standout who’s now a rising minor leaguer in the Detroit Tigers organization. “There’s no other way to describe it.”
Just kids having fun
The 11- and 12-year-olds from Palm Beach County played their last game together against Japan in front of 41,000 fans who lined the fences and covered the hills and filled the seats in and around Howard J. Lamade Stadium.
Before that they wore Groucho Marx glasses at the LLWS opening ceremony. First baseman and left-handed pitcher Cody Emerson became known for wearing his hat crooked, just like Marlins rookie sensation and fellow southpaw Dontrelle Willis. They had pillow fights in their rooms and ran pranks back and forth with the all-stars from Curacao, who shared their bathroom in the team dormitory.
They signed autographs and raved about the girls who followed their every move.
“You’re 12 years old and girls were ripping at your clothes and throwing their numbers at you — any kid would be excited by that,” said pitcher and shortstop Michael Broad, who just finished his baseball career at the University of Miami.
Devon’s dad, Tony, an assistant coach, famously riled up the pregame crowds with back handsprings and flips, embarrassing the 12-year-old Devon as he answered interview questions on national television. Tony and fellow coaches Kenny Emerson and Joe Irene danced with Dugout, the LLWS mascot.
ESPN cameras followed them everywhere.
“Even the lunchrooms,” said Patrick Mullen, a key reserve who pitched and played outfield.
For the parents, seeing their young sons succeed at such a high level was one thing. Seeing how well they handled the pressure and the attention was what truly made them proud.
“It was a tremendous experience that the parents could see what their kids were going through,” said Ed Mullen, Patrick’s father.
Ed Mullen credits the coaches for keeping the players loose and never letting them feel pressured.
“They went out and they all had fun. They had smiles on their faces win or lose.”
Good sports to the end
Their enthusiasm was infectious; their sportsmanship revered.
They invited their national championship opponents from Saugus, Mass., to participate in the traditional post-game run around the stadium, erasing any bitterness that could have followed an intense 4-3 contest.
Perhaps the most famous photo from the entire adventure shows Broad and third baseman Richie DeJesus high-fiving Yuutaro Tanaka after his two-run home run in the championship game. Tanaka, who threw six innings of one-run ball, hit one of the three Japanese home runs that day.
But none of it mattered when the final out was recorded.
In the moments after Tanaka and his teammates received their championship medals, the East Boynton players joined the celebration. They ran toward the bust of Howard J. Lamade, the famed former Little League executive, alongside their Japanese opponents.
“That made me feel good,” Richie DeJesus, the team’s third baseman, said in describing it has his favorite moment of the LLWS. “It made me forget about the loss real quick and made me feel happy.”
They gathered around 4-foot-6 Ricky Sabatino, the smallest player at the tournament, and tossed him in the air.
“You could see the fun through the TV screen,” Travis said.
They were little boys playing the game they loved.
Staff writer Matt Porter contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The Boys of Summer ‘03: East Boynton all-stars won games and hearts en route to Little League World Series glory
