Mary Kay Hopkins

When coach Charlie Phillips speaks, I listen! When the South Lake Charles Little League coach said in an interview that he felt that the Washington team SLC faced in the first game was one of the strongest teams in the World Series, it got my attention.

The game, televised on ESPN last night, started out as a pitcher's dual. SLC came to play and play they did. The kept their focus against a very strong Washington pitcher.

Kennon Fontentot's pitching? The Washington coach called Kennon a "fantastic pitcher" and said that "If there's somebody that throws harder, I'd like to see it."

Bryce Jordan, twin Beau Jordan, Peyton McLemore, Hunter Self and Kennon Fontentot all contributed at bat to a final score of 5-1.

LittleLeague.org offers the box scores, game story, and an interview which, for me, was difficult to hear.

The quest continues today. South Lake Charles, representing the Southwest Regionplays Jeffersonville, Indiana (Great Lakes Region) at 2:30 central time. Like all of the games, this match up will be televised on ESPN.

South Lake Charles are the Louisiana State Little League Champions and represent the Southwest Region at the World Series.

In less than a week, the Hobo Hotel for Cats will host their second annual auction.

Consider the reasons why this year's event will trump their first endeavor which was quite successful.

1. The auctioneer. Ben Mount! This is gonna be great. Ben loves cats. He loves the Hobo Hotel. He is a great auctioneer!

2. The location. The View! (That's the name of the restuaruant, which, has a view of Lake Charles)

3. The auction items (live and silent) Varied in value, but will have appeal to all.

4. The ticket prices. Only $25.00

5. The cause! The Hobo Hotel is the only no-kill cat shelter in Lake Charles.

Check out HoboHotelForCats.com for more details. You can even purchase a ticket to Kook Kats Night Out on line.

Even if you cannot make the auction, consider making a donation.

This article on SunGazette.com offers a profile of "Top 10 U.S. Players to Watch" in this year's Little League World Series.

I'm so excited that my favorite baseball player, Kennon Fontenot of Lake Charles, made this prestigious list!

Kennon will either play shortstop or pitch this Saturday night at 8:00 Eastern, 7:00 Central time. Like all of the World Series games, it will be televised on ESPN.

The Lake Charles Little League team has already made us proud, having won the Southwest Regional championship in Waco last week.

These are photos taken by Kennon's mom during the Southwest Regionals.

Of course, the entire Fontentot family, including my friend, neighbor, former agent, and now sales representative for KPLC TV, Stephanie (and Robert) Ryder are all enjoying the Williamsport experience.

Meanwhile, I'm relegated to taking care of the Ryders 2 cats and Trooper, the lovebird! Foul play!

At least the Ryders have a far superior HD TV and they left a refrigerator well stocked with one of my favorite adult beverages.

Hopefully, I'll receive some photos soon showing the Fontenot and Ryder clan enjoying Williamsport.

The South Lake Charles Little League is now enjoying Williamsport, PA and will compete in their first game of the Little League World Series at 8:00 Eastern, 7:00 Central time, this Saturday, August 16th. Like other pool games, it will be televised on ESPN.

With many of the regional tournaments played this past weekend, the brackets are now complete and available at littleleague.org for the World Series games.

Lake Charles is in pool A, representing the Southwest Region, having won the regional title in Waco.

Their first opponent, representing the Northwest Region, will be Mills Creek Little League.

Go South Lake Charles!

It is a few hours short of a week ago that my favorite restaurant of all time went up in flames.

From my office, where I am writing this, I stare sadly at the remaining shell of DeAngelos and wonder what the other "regulars" are doing. We have consoled each other via the phone or e-mail and been dealt with kindly by our friends who recognize our addiction to the quality of the food, caliber of the staff, the location, the happy hours and more. All of us have experienced "DeAngelos Deprivation" and it isn't pretty.

Why wouldn't DeAngelos be my favorite restaurant of all time? First class food, a well stocked bar, great wait-staff, across the street from my office and within almost-as-easy walking distance from my home. As several of my Margaret Place neighbors stood watching the LCFD deal with the final stages of putting out the dreadful fire last Sunday morning, we commented on our dependence on this pizzeria place with such warm tones and atmosphere. We were a despondent lot.

Several friends sent me one-liner e-mails like "What will you do?" and "Where will you go?" To my flippant reply of "In lieu of flowers, please send gift cards for Luna's, Pugo Street, or 710" I received one reply of "But that's not within walking distance!" another... "No, seriously, where will you go?"

Two of my favorite DeAngelos bar buddies met me on Monday evening at 710 Downtown to discuss this question. The appetizers and wait staff were both very good, but through no fault of theirs, it simply was not the same "Cheers like" atmosphere we had at 121 South Ryan. I've enjoyed Luna's, Pugo, and 710 before and will certainly see more of them in the next few months, but the longing has set in for my favorite hang out and conversations about the Tigers, real estate buzz and other local "happenings."

My understanding and fervent hope is that this institution will reopen. Imagine the re-opening celebration! Given how well this regional franchise did on day 1 six (or was it seven) years ago, I can only speculate that with its current popularity and loyal base, it will be a significant event.

Now, we were all pretty contented with how it was...sipping a Scotties Special or glass of Chianti over a specialty Calzone or whole wheat focaccia capri or Gamberetti and calamari, or the spin dip, or, oh-my-gosh, their latest, a specialty hamburger with your choice of top shelf cheese....but, a few changes that I've heard about include a place for private parties (this will be good since one of my neighbors simply ignores the signs), and a better arrangement for the bar.

I will try to post photos in a few days. For now, this link leads to coverage of the fire by KPLCTV.