Just a disclaimer, this has nothing to do with UConn women's basketball so if you want to read about Elena Delle Donne's summer, Kelsey Bone's list of colleges or Geno Auriemma's cigar or choice, it will have to come at a different time or at another blog. Now on to the business at hand.

I caught the last inning or two of the Little League Eastern Regional and it brought back plenty of memories.

Shelton National hit two homers in the sixth inning to rally for a 2-1 win and earn a spot in the Little League World Series. Shelton became the first Connecticut team since Trumbull National earned a trip to Williamsport, Pa. in 1989 and won it all. I will be dating myself but I was 16 months into my professional career working for a bunch of weekly newspapers for Elm City Citizen Publications back in '89. Among the papers I served as the sports editor for was the now defunct Trumbull Reporter. I was able to follow Trumbull's run to the Little League Eastern Regional title and my company sent me to Williamsport for the World Series. It was the first overnight trip of my professional journalism career and I remember what an exciting moment it was in my young career. I remember I couldn't find a vacancy in Williamsport so I booked a room in nearby Lewisburg. I was only able to get a room for the first night so there was a chance I may not have a room for the bulk of my stay. Driving down I wondered if I might need to sleep in the back seat of my car in a rest area. Fortunately a room opened up for my entire stay and other than locking my keys in my car, it was a uneventful trip travel wise.

I documented Trumbull's run to the title both with a notebook and tape recorder but also with a camera since my company would spring for only one person to make the trip was a thrill of a lifetime. I did miscalculate a bit and ran out of film with about one inning left to play but hey nobody's perfect.

I had no idea when I began to cover this team that history would be made. Chris Drury, now with the New York Rangers, was the most famous player on the squad and he was a star. Splitting time between pitcher and catcher and serving as the leadoff hitter, Drury was indeed a star but he was not alone. He shared pitching duties with Andy Paul. They weren't so much the No. 1 and 2 pitchers as they were 1 and 1A. Ken Martin and Matt Basztura were the slugging stars of the team and slug the team did. Trumbull didn't so much win games as they overwhelmed their opponents. In recent years teams from the greater New Haven area have come close to punching their tickets to Williamsport. The Yalesville team a few years back looked destined to head to the World Series only to fall a win short and last year I was up in Bristol when Shelton National also fell one game short of heading to the World Series.

Now the Shelton National team will head to Pennsylvania with tons of their fans I am sure joining them. My best memories from covering that Trumbull team was dealing with the parents, an unassuming group who never crossed the line between passion and obsession. Never once did any of them ask me my their kid wasn't getting more press or why were there only photos of Chris Drury or Dave Galla, the second baseman and son of the manager. The story of Dan McGrath was particularly engaging. His family was moving out of the country - New Zealand if memory serves me correctly. But he wanted to play on this team so the parents let it happen. It was McGrath would caught the final out in the momumental upset of Chinese Taipei or Taiwan if you prefer. My understanding is Chris Hunn, who is at about the same point in his career as I was back in 1989, will be covering the event for the Register. I'm sure he will do a great job and much like Trumbull did with me 19 years ago, the Shelton team will give Chris and the other reporters who make the trip plenty to write about and document.

Now about Elena Delle Donne ...