Cell phones a MUST for many at Little League World Series

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Jean Miller uses her Apple iPhone for a special reason during the Little League Baseball World Series.

"I take pictures and I send them to my husband in Iraq," she said. "He doesn't get ESPN there."

Miller's son, Jordan Ulep, is an outfielder for the West Region team from Waipahu, Hawaii, and she said her husband is upset he couldn't be here to share the special moment with him.

"He's bummed that he couldn't be a part of this," she said. "But he has this way of keeping in touch."

Miller is part of the growing trend of cell phone users at the Series.

Along with the 20,000 to 30,000 people who attend the Series each day, come their cell phones and the dozens of calls and texts they make during each game.

Miller estimates that she sends about 10 pictures per game to her husband, though she sends more during games when something "interesting" occurs.

"I take pictures of the beginning of the games and when he comes up to bat," she said.

She also sends and receives calls from friends and family in Hawaii who are watching television coverage of the Series.

"They'll call and say 'I saw you on TV!' " she said. "It's really fun, getting that call."

Other Series fans agreed.

Mill Creek, Wash. resident R.J. Monfiletto receives 10 to 15 cell phone calls a day from people wondering how the Northwest Region team is faring in its games.

"I have people calling me, wanting to know how the team is doing," he said. "They call and say 'How's it going?' or 'I'm at work - what's the score?' "

Monfiletto also likes that his cell phone helps keep his children in touch, though he said he doesn't know how to text too well himself.

"They text me and I call them back," he said. "I helps keep them in touch (when walking around)."

Monfiletto also likes to take pictures with his cell phone and send them to his friends and family in Washington.

"I do it to show what the area is like and what's going on," he said. "I send them a picture to show the crowds and stuff."

This intensive cell phone culture has made its mark on the world's largest youth sports program.

"I don't know that it's changed the way (Little League International) operates, but it has changed the way information is shared," said Chris Downs, media relations manager for Little League International. "It's kept people in closer communication."

Downs said he makes and receives dozens of cell phone calls daily, most of them short, to-the-point exchanges of information.

"When you're making calls here, it's usually to meet someone or coordinate something," he said.

Bari Walsh of Middletown, N.Y., agreed.

"(Cell phones) are our tracking device," she said. "We're here with eight kids and we made sure that everyone had their cell phones and everyone charges it every night."

Walsh said she thought about bringing walkie-talkies, the classic group communicator, to the Series, but decided the group's cell phones would work better to keep in touch.

"With a cell phone, you're directly calling them, where on a walkie-talkie you're talking to anybody (on the frequency)," she said. "I left the walkie-talkies home on purpose."

Walsh said she sends and receives about 12 texts per game, most of them updating friends and family members back home about the group's status, and what they're doing.

However, while Walsh condones texting during games, she is not a fan of people talking on cell phones during events.

She said the group sat in front of a lady talking loudly on her cell phone during the national anthem at an earlier game.

"I glared at her, the lady in front of me turned around," she said. "It's disrespectful."

Robert Maxcy, 15, a friend of Walsh's sons, said he uses his phone to text during games to keep people updated on scores and take pictures to remember the events.

"(Pictures) keep a record of it," he said.