In Irvine, There Was No Joy at Pizza-Ville

Bill Branson was at work at 5 a.m. Saturday to begin preparations for the biggest event ever at his business, Northwood Pizza. Hundreds of local residents would be there to watch a bunch of 11- and 12-year-old Little League all-stars try to win the world championship for Irvine.

But barely minutes into the game, which was beamed live by ABC to the pizza parlor at 1 p.m. while the rest of the West Coast had to wait three hours for a delayed telecast, the 300 people crammed into the restaurant and the 150others outside had little hope left.

The Irvine Northwood All-Stars began the game miserably and eventually went down, 21-1, to Hua Lian, Taiwan, in the finals at Williamsport, Pa.--the most lopsided defeat in the 41-year history of the Little League World Series.

There was sadness Saturday afternoon at Northwood Pizza, the team’s traditional hangout after victories. But the excitement the 14 all-stars had given their city and Orange County during their easy march to the championship final was not lost.

Bob Kreisberg spent the afternoon with a video camera recording the scene at the pizza parlor, getting the hoops and hollers. He said that his son, Jason, is friends with many of the team players and that he wanted to do this for their families.

“The parents are all back there, and I think they’d like a tape of what went on back here,” Kreisberg said.

Even at the end of the third inning with the Irvine Northwood team hopelessly down, 17-1, and almost half the crowd already gone, Kreisberg kept his camera zoomed in on the fans.

“They are heroes no matter what they do,” he said. “They are great kids, and we are very proud of them.”

By 11:30 a.m., Branson had hundreds of fans in his restaurant and was working feverishly to install three television sets outside.

“I’m just trying to keep everybody happy,” he said.

And the fans were happy, at least until the game began, and the Little League team that had marched to 18 straight victories without a hint of trouble quickly disintegrated. The Taiwanese team scored four runs before an out was recorded and led 5-0 after the first inning.

The crowd that only moments before was stomping up and down and waving at the remote television camera that was beaming the pizza parlor scene nationwide quieted quickly. But hope was not totally lost yet.

“It’s OK, we’ll get them back,” several whispered, while others nodded agreement.

Hope for a Comeback

Outside, a non-baseball-playing school chum of reserve player Erik Silberman stood quietly by a post watching the game. Josh Franklin said he wasn’t about to give up.

“It’s OK . . . ‘cause we can come back,” he said, then with a little doubt in his voice added softly, “at least, I hope so.”

An inning later, it was all but over as the Taiwanese pounced on the locals and extended the lead to 14-0. Josh Franklin still stood motionless by the post. A minute later he disappeared among the crowd heading out to the parking lot.

By the time the score was 17-1, only a dozen or so spectators milled around outside, and the crowd inside had thinned to 200 people watching listlessly.

Two innings before the three-hour, six-inning game finally ended, the television crew had packed their gear and were drinking mugs of beer.

“They don’t want any more crowd reaction shots,” shrugged the cameraman.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment belonged to Joke (pronounced Jo-Kee) Van Gent, mother of Erik Silberman. She couldn’t afford to travel to Williamsport to see her son’s involvement in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“But it’s OK because my ex-husband is there with him. Oh, but I’m so nervous and excited,” she said before the game.

End of a Dream

By the end of the game, Van Gent sat quietly, almost alone. She declined a television interview and, as a means to stifle a tear, she smiled.

“It’s too bad, but it was good that they got that far,” she said.

Although the march to a lifetime dream for the Irvine youngsters ended disastrously, a former teammate in the crowd still wished he was in Pennsylvania with them.

Derrick Uhl was a member of the all-star team and played in its first two tournaments this year. But he also was selected to play on an all-star basketball team that participated in the Junior Olympics in Florida earlier this month.

Derrick had to make a decision: stay on the team or quit and go to Florida. He chose basketball.

“It would have been great to go to Pennsylvania. But I thought they would win today,” he said.

Derrick, obviously pained by the lopsided defeat, left the pizza parlor with his father long before the game was over.

Doug Hink, one of the few Northwood Little League officials who did not make the trip East with the team, said the loss did not diminish the players’ achievements during the last several weeks.

“It’s fantastic what they have done. This is what they worked for all year,” Hink said. “They are still U.S.A. champs, and that’s a lot.”

Branson also said the accolades and celebrations the players will receive beginning today when they return to Irvine will be significant despite Saturday’s defeat.

“We’re a community out here, and it was community involvement that made this week great. That will not change,” he said.