WILLIAMSPORT — The United 717 dwarfed the single-engine Cessnas that dotted the tarmac at Williamsport Regional Airport Sunday morning. It was the only aircraft there that needed the mobile stairs to deplane. The first person down those stairs, at the bottom of which was a tunnel of Little League players waiting to greet the Pirates, was manager Clint Hurdle.
“What’s your name?” Hurdle asked the first kid in line, as they exchanged hats. “John? I’m Clint.”
Thus began the festivities of the MLB Little League Classic, where the Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals will play Sunday night in a minor league ballpark in Williamsport not far from Howard J.