I have been writing about baseball news both here in RI and around New England for the past several years. I have covered the district tournaments, then the states, the regionals, and now hope to continue to write the story of Team New England, Team RI, Coventry Little League, in the Little League® World Series. With any tournament, especially districts, there are rivalries based on geographic location. Warwick Continental vs Warwick North or Lincoln vs Cumberland or Middletown vs Newport – the kids all know each other, the parents know each other, and there may be some not so pleasant history among the coaches that makes the rivalries a bit more intense than usual.
All that being said, after the districts, after the states, and into the regionals, all of that rivalry stuff tends to go away and RI teams start pulling for other RI teams. After all, we are all from Rhode Island and have a lot of pride in our state. This summer in particular, on social media, on my Facebook page, and via direct messages I have received a huge swell of support for teams playing in state and regional tournaments. Yes, I have local fans from teams like Coventry or Bristol or Warwick that send good luck wishes and congrats to the teams. But, I have to mention that teams from outside of those specific Little League® organizations (Coventry, King Philip, and Continental American) have shown a ton of class and sportsmanship by sending their well wishes as well.
Every day I try to update social media with game scores, schedules, and up to date information around tournament time. And this season, in addition to the local Little League® moms and dads cheering, each RI Regional team had team presidents, rival coaches, and proud parents of rival teams cheering them on as well. It was great to see a post about Continental American in the Eastern Regional finals be supported by fans from Newport, Lincoln, and East Greenwich. When I shared that King Philip Little League had won their game against Team MA, I received congrats from Warwick, North Kingstown, and Pawtucket. And certainly, the outpouring of support for Team New England, Team RI, Coventry Little League has been tremendous. I’m even getting fan messages from NC, FL, and all 6 New England states pulling for Team RI.
The positive power of social media is truly amazing. There is a ton of fan support for baseball here in Rhode Island for these all-stars, their families, their coaches, and their organizations. It means so much to me to read and share this positive posts and comments from fans all over Rhode Island. And I know that the coaches and families really appreciate the support and positive energy these posts and photos bring to these kids. I am truly blessed to be a part of the Rhode Island Baseball Experience.
If you have a positive post, photo, or update to share on social media, go to my Facebook page – The Rhode Island Baseball Experience.
The Rhiter 
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