Congratulating the Warner Robins Little League Baseball Team from Warner Robins, Georgia, on winning the 2007 Little League World Series Championship.

I thank the gentleman for the time.

Madam Speaker, it is a real pleasure today to be here to recognize the achievement of the Warner Robins Little League team in winning the Little League World Series. An awful lot of people in Congress, including myself, watch those games, and it was a joy to do so and sort of relive my childhood, since baseball was my sport when I was a kid. I couldn't play baseball like those kids play baseball, but I still played baseball. It is truly the national pastime, and I would say to the kids that were so successful at this particular venture, and all other kids that play sports, that sports are a very important thing in your lives and you should try and do as well as you can when you're playing a game, be good sports, recognize that you're not always going to win, certainly treat the losers as the Warner Robins team did the Tokyo team, and then carry that same sort of spirit throughout our life, the same kind of drive, the interest in perfection, the commitment to doing your absolute best, and apply that in your school work, in the work that you eventually engage in as your vocation.

Don't get fixated on sports. Sports is a great, great thing for kids, and all kids should play sports. Don't be couch potatoes. Don't be just sitting there in front of a computer and playing computer games. Play sports, stay healthy, but then take what you learn on the field and apply it every single day. If you do that, you will wind up being successful in life.

Madam Speaker, I would like to basically read the resolution. It congratulates the Warner Robins Little League baseball team from Warner Robins, Georgia, in my district, on winning the 2007 Little League World Series Championship. This occurred on August 26, 2007, when the Warner Robins Little League team defeated the Tokyo Little League team by a score of 3-2 in a very exciting game.

Madam Speaker, I want to specifically congratulate the team players: Hunt Smith; Taylor Lay; David Umphreyville, Jr.; Nick Martens; Zane Conlon; Micah Wells; Dalton Carriker; Kendall Scott; Clint Wynn; Payton Purvis; Hunter Jackson; and Keaton Allen; and also the Manager, Mickey Lay; Coach, Mike Smith; Team Mother, Robin Smith; and President, Roman Jones.

I want to congratulate also the parents. It is an awfully big commitment for parents to make to see your kids through these kinds of athletic activities. Very, very few kids get to have the experience of winning a championship like this, but all kids are benefited from participating in sports.

Madam Speaker, the resolution goes on to resolve that the House of Representatives congratulates the Warner Robins Little League baseball team from Warner Robins, Georgia, on winning the 2007 Little League World Series Championship, and respectfully requests that the Clerk of the House transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the City of Warner Robins and to each player, manager and coach of the Warner Robins Little League baseball team.

To the extent that the Clerk needs help doing that, I am happy to offer my assistance.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 630) congratulating the Warner Robins Little League Baseball Team from Warner Robins, Georgia, on winning the 2007 Little League World Series Championship.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the author of H. Res. 630, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, realizing that I will not have an opportunity to call the Chicago Cubs champions this year, I am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H. Res. 630, a bill that congratulates the Warner Robins Little League baseball team. H. Res. 630, which has 55 cosponsors, was introduced by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall) on September 4, 2007. H. Res. 630 was reported from the Oversight Committee on October 4, 2007, by a voice vote.

Madam Speaker, Georgia's Warner Robins Little League team beat Tokyo 3-2, to claim the world championship title on August 26, 2007. This is the second year in a row that a Georgia team has won the Little League Baseball World Series Championship game.

Dalton Carriker hit a dramatic home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Japanese baseball team for the championship. Carriker said, ``I felt like I was flying, like Peter Pan. I didn't know what I was doing.'' This was a stunning home run that gave the United States its third straight Little League Championship.

Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Marshall) for congratulating the Warner Robins Little League baseball team from Warner Robins, Georgia, on winning the 2007 Little League World Series. I know that oftentimes individuals wonder why these things are done and what relevance they are, but the reality is that as young people grow to function with each other and learn the value of teamwork and learn what it means to win not just a game of baseball, but what it means to win in the game of life, all of the things that it takes to be successful as a Little League baseball team, those same principles can be applied to everyday life.

When we congratulate these young people, we are also encouraging other young people. I would love to see a Little League baseball team on every square mile, in every neighborhood, in every block, so that as many young people as possible would get the opportunity to experience what the youngsters from Warner Robins, Georgia, have been able to experience.

Madam Speaker, again, I commend the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall) for his introduction of this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of this resolution to congratulate the Warner Robins, Georgia, All Stars for winning the Little League World Championship in August in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The achievements on the field, Dalton Carriker smacked a 2-1 curve ball from Junsho Kiuchi of Japan over the right field wall to give the Georgia team a 3-2 walk-off victory before 31,000 fans, were, of course, remarkable.

Madam Speaker, what happened right after that was even more remarkable and speaks even higher of the players and coaches involved in this great victory. In fact, these boys taught a lesson that we here in Washington would do well to consider. When the Georgia boys saw the Japanese boys slump to the ground in defeat, they rushed to their sides, gave them hugs and physically and emotionally lifted their spirits. They knew the Japanese players were opponents, not enemies. They knew that good, worthy opponents are a blessing. Without opponents who push us, we never put forth our best effort, and our victories are empty and meaningless and trite.

The winning pitcher for Georgia, Kendall Scott, summed it up best as to why his team reacted as it did, and, little did he know, why programs such as Little League and other youth sports are so valuable to the character of America's youth: ``They don't disrespect,'' Scott said. ``They are very disciplined, and they are some of the nicest kids you'll ever meet. Just seeing them fall down and cry, you just couldn't let them do that. You gotta pick them up.''

Madam Speaker, when these young men write their ``What I did on my summer vacation'' essays this fall, they will have a dazzling story to tell. They took on the world and won. But, better yet, they taught the world a lesson, that victories can come after the game as well as during it.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.