NEW YORK -- Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier lights up whenever he talks about the Little League World Series, which his team from Toms River, N.J., won in 1998.
"It's fun for all ages," Frazier said. "It's just an atmosphere, young or old, you sit there and you're like, 'This is pretty cool.'"
So when the Holbrook Little League team, from Jackson, N.J., won the Mid-Atlantic region to earn a trip the Little League World Series' first round on Thursday, Frazier couldn't help but reach out and congratulate the team. Jackson is about a half-hour drive from Toms River.
Ask and you shall receive. Someone from Holbrook Little League messaged him and told him that he'll be getting a custom Holbrook Little League shirt with "Todd Father 29" printed on the back. It is expected to arrive at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday or Wednesday.
"I talked to the guy who runs Holbrook Little League last night," Frazier said on Monday. "I'll wear that proudly for the next week here at the Stadium, and we'll go from there."
Frazier said he knows Holbrook's players from working out with them during the offseason. Frazier said he's hoping to talk with them before the tournament begins Thursday.
"Just getting there is the hardest thing," Frazier said. "You can always say when you get older that you were one of those guys who played there. That's the main goal."
Frazier and Toms River returned to Williamsport, Pa., again in 1999 for a second-consecutive Little League World Series berth, though the team lost in the semifinals.
Frazier said that while he has not been back to the Little League World Series since then, the memories and friendships he made there have never left him.
"It's been a long time," Frazier said. "When I'm done playing, whether my son makes it or not, we're definitely going to make a trip down there."