In the mid 1980’s, Gresham almost made it to the Little League World Series, but for the last three decades, people outside of Oregon most likely had not heard anything about them.

This past summer though, Gresham put itself back on the youth baseball map by participating in the Little League World Series. There were only 16 teams, making them one of the top 16 little league teams in the world.

Participating in the series caused the team to not only receive recognition in the United States, but also worldwide.

“We got to be like superstars there,” Gresham outfielder Ethan Rose said.

People even began asking Rose and his teammates for their autographs. Both American and International fans sought to receive their signatures as if they were professional athletes. Those who could not communicate in English even went as far as holding out a pen, trying to communicate that they wanted an autograph.

It was not just the Gresham team that gave out autographs. All players were often surrounded by eager fans of all ages.

After games, the players were driven to The Grove, where the players and coaches stay. Though The Grove was very close, the players had to be driven because if they walked, they would most likely be swarmed with crowds of people wanting their autographs.

They ate all their meals and spent all their free time there, as well as watching games at the different fields.

“Staying in The Grove was awesome,” Rose said.

All the players loved the space because there were ping pong tables, a junior olympic sized swimming pool, television and video games.

When the players were not relaxing, they were playing, practicing or watching other teams play. When they had the chance to, they watched the games at the field, but they could also watch them on television.

They could watch the games on ESPN just like the rest of America. Every game that was played in the Little League World Series was televised.

“My favorite part was playing on the nice fields and ESPN,” catcher Tyler Pederson said.

They got to be televised on ESPN, just like the big leaguers do. The fields also were professional and had professional designs. They had light and dark grass stripes mowed into the fields, much nicer than random cuts like most little league fields.

In their third game, Gresham played Uganda. The Ugandan team was the first team from Africa to ever play in the World Series. For Gresham and Uganda both, it was the first time they got to play on such a nice field. For Uganda, it was the first time the players all got to wear cleats.

Playing the African team made the Gresham players feel a lot better for what they have when they come home, not just in baseball, but in their everyday lives.

The city was so proud of the team that there was a parade in their name. The parade was from East Hill Church down Main Street. At Main City Park, the team stopped their short parade and signed autographs for the fans and citizens of Gresham.

“I loved coming home and signing autographs at the parade,” first baseman Tyler Linch said.

This would be one of the last times the team would sign autographs together. The last time was at the Teddy Bear Parade.

These two parades marked something more than just a deep postseason run. Players had to adjust to no longer being in all of the spotlight or chilling at The Grove. All the players are now at home readapting to school like all students are.

They got to hang out with their non-baseball friends, which they could not do during the long summer.

“When I got back I liked being able to sleep in my own bed and seeing everybody who was supporting us all of the way through,” Pederson said.

For some of these boys, it was not just their friends they had not seen during the tournament. Coming home may have been the first time they had seen their parent for a long time.