As Luck Had It, Northwood Won : Superstitious Parents Serious in This Series

About seven weeks ago, when the Northwood Irvine Little League All-Star team began playing its first local tournament, Kathy Ebdon on a whim flipped open a tour book to see what hotels were to be found here in Williamsport, site of the Little League World Series.

To her surprise, she discovered the Northwood Motel, a 10-room lodging located just outside the city limits. Ebdon notified a fellow Northwood team mom, Linda Jones, of her find.

“Is that an omen, or what?” Jones said Wednesday in this central Pennsylvania community, host to the annual Little League World Series, and where superstitions, at least in a few parents’ minds, played a part in Irvine team’s 13-0 win Wednesday over Dover, N.H., in the opening round of this year’s series.

Ebdon, mother of center fielder Geoff Ebdon, has worn the same silver, double-looped earrings for every one of the team’s 17 tournament games.

Jones, mother of catcher Ryan Jones and wife of Coach Bob Jones, has worn the same pair of beat-up, old sandals to every game.

Jones also follows a strict pregame ritual in which she kisses her husband, takes his keys and money and tells him to be good to the kids.

Wolfgang Greinke, Northwood League president and father of shortstop Chris Greinke, has worn the same pair of plaid shorts to every game.

It made him stand out amid the jacketed, umbrella-toting crowd at Wednesday’s game, as he braved the chilly weather. But it’s hard to argue with the results; if it works, you don’t mess with it.

This is serious stuff, this Little League World Series, especially for the parents. They’re as wrapped up in all the excitement--as much as, if not more, than the kids.

“I don’t think it has sunk in (to the kids) that this is the ultimate, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Greinke said. “I don’t get that impression from them. They just want to play baseball and have fun.”

Ebdon added, “I think the kids will appreciate this more five or 10 years from now. The parents seem more keyed up because they know what this means.”

About 75 relatives and friends of the Northwood players made the trip to Williamsport to cheer their team on. Many didn’t arrive until Tuesday afternoon, so they haven’t had time to tour the quaint town set among the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

On the other hand, sightseeing is not the top priority here: Baseball is.

“This is something every Little League parent dreams about,” Linda Jones said. “We’re tired from all the pressure and the travel, and the emotional turmoil has played havoc with everyone--we all have bags under our eyes. But it’s great to be here.”

Added Cheryl Jones, mother of first baseman David Lambert, “I’ve been real emotional through the whole tournament. One minute I start to laugh, the next I cry. The way I look at it, there are thousands of kids who play Little League, but how many get the chance to play here?”

This summer has been a long, emotional and rewarding one for the players, coaches and parents. Asked to recall the day of the team’s first game, Don Tuttle, father of reserve infielder Didget Tuttle, said, “July 11--1981, it seems like.”

Tuttle missed last weekend’s Western Regional Tournament in San Bernardino because of a business trip. But he wasn’t about to miss Williamsport, and he flew in from Orlando, Fla., where he had been selling medical equipment.

“I always wanted to come to Williamsport as a kid,” Tuttle reflected. “I was just on lousy teams. It’s real exciting to see the kids do so well. This is like the (NCAA) Final Four. The goal was to get here, but now that they’re here, they want to win it.”

With one game down, they have that chance, and maybe a little more--as long as Kathy Ebdon keeps wearing her silver earrings, and Wolfgang Greinke his plaid shorts, and Linda Jones her sandals and husband’s wallet.

Laura Betor, David Lambert’s aunt, also hopes to chip in with her daily routine. “We’ve been praying a lot,” she said. “We answer to a higher source.”

Game story, Sports, Page 1.