CYPRESS : Champs for Good in One City’s Heart

Being second isn’t all that bad, outfielder Matthew Mims and his teammates on the Cypress Little League all-star team found out Tuesday, as hundreds of supporters turned out to welcome them home.

“I didn’t mind losing,” the freckle-faced outfielder said, but he was not sure what to make of all the commotion.

“I was just glad to be there,” he said.

The 12-year-olds placed second in the Little League World Series this weekend. The team’s hopes for the title were dashed Saturday by the team from Shippensburg, Pa., which turned a double play in the final inning to help clinch a 5-4 win.

But all that is behind the Cypress squad now. Clad in baseball jerseys, the pint-size heroes were given a police escort while waving to fans from the back seats of convertibles. As the parade neared City Hall, spectators cheered and a band played “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

After the ride along Orange Avenue, team members arrived at City Hall and were lauded by local dignitaries, including Mayor Cecilia L. Age.

“We are so proud of you,” Age told the team and 500 fans at the rally. “This is your moment in time. Relish it.”

The all-stars handled their day with modesty and a touch of embarrassment. “I guess we deserve it,” first baseman Jake Koziel said.

After some prodding from his mother he did admit that all the attention was pretty “awesome.”

During the last few months, the 14-member team has become the talk of the town. Residents have posted banners and signs to support the team. A fund-raising drive was even held to pay the local cable TV company to televise the games.

“I really admire them for going as far as they did,” Cypress resident Jeannine Heaton said during the rally.

Kathy Parker added: “We have been watching them from the playing field to the TV. It was really exciting.”