The Little League champs got a taste of the big time Saturday night when the Padres and their fans celebrated the Park View All-Stars at Petco Park.
The boys on Chula Vista's Park View Little League team weren't just taking in the Padres game against the Rockies, they were there for the star treatment, spending one-on-one time with the Padres themselves.
The Little League players received the red carpet treatment at Petco Park hours before the game even started. Park View star Luke Ramirez was seen helping Friars first basemen Adrian Gonzalez warm up, while some of the other kids took batting practice. Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn was at the park, too, signing the boys' jerseys.
“Today was great,” Luke said. “We got to go in the clubhouse and see how that is. All the guys are real cool, and it's fun to hang out with them.”
For many, the best part was just getting to know one another.
“It’s cool -- we really follow them,” Gonzalez said. “We are big fans of them also. Just being able to hang out with them, it's a lot of fun for us.”
To top it all off, the Padres unveiled a billboard on the back of the stadium scoreboard dedicated to the Park View team.
“Life for them has been good,” said Luke’s dad, Ric Ramirez, who was also the team’s coach. “A little whirlwind. Kind of a quick pace, but definitely good.”
The billboard can be seen downtown outside the stadium and will be up for the rest of the year.
