Mobile mail station makes debut at Mansfield

BANGOR – As the tournament umpire chief for the Senior League World Series, Chris Parker wouldn’t look very kindly on any of his umpires “mailing it in” when working a game.

When it comes to helping Series-goers simplify their postage needs, however, Parker has done a lot to encourage it.

A mobile U.S. Postal Service station has been on site just outside the gates to Mansfield Stadium the first three days to help Series participants and fans mail items back home right from the venue.

“The last couple years, a lot of people will get here and say ‘Where to I have to go to mail something home?’ and they’ll be referred to me since I work for the post office,” said the 14-year postal service employee.

Parker got the idea for the “post office” truck from a postal service publication story about the Junior League World Series working in conjunction with the post office in Kalamazoo, Mich.

“They have a truck like ours and kept it there the whole week,” said Parker, supervisor of customer service, delivery supervisor and acting postmaster at the Brewer post office. “You can do almost everything at the truck that you can do at a post office.

“We have all the mailing supplies, tape, boxes, stamps, souvenir items, scales to weigh packages … everything. It’s basically an office on wheels.”

The office on wheels made its Mansfield debut for the first thee days of the Series and although business wasn’t brisk enough to require two employees to run it, it was enough to justify its return next year.

“It seemed like this worked out well,” Parker said. “It wasn’t bad. We did enough to keep one person busy. We can put two in there if it gets busy enough, but it was a trial thing and people didn’t know about it. Next year, we’ll be able to plan better for it.”

Kalamazoo’s mobile station also features a special, commemorative cancellation over postage that is unique to the event. Parker wanted to have it this year, but was unable to order the special stamp by the deadline.

“I think it would make for a unique kind of souvenir, and we can probably combine that with the collective baseball stamps the U.S. Postal Service puts out every year as well,” he said.

Latitude, longitude and luggage

Despite an exhausting 27-hour journey from Tyler, Texas, to Bangor, the U.S. Southwest championship team from Tyler is looking well rested, energetic and worry-free. Well, almost worry-free.

“My biggest worry right now, if you want to know the truth, is finding my wife’s lost luggage,” said Tyler manager Bobby Rushing after his team shut out Latin American champ Venezuela to remain unbeaten at 2-0. “She still hasn’t gotten it yet, so I told her I’d go out to Bangor International and stay out there all day after the game ended.”

The game ended with a 9-0 decision in Tyler’s favor.

“These kids are so good that all I have to do is make out the lineup,” Rushing said with a chuckle.

The biggest problem for most of Rushing’s players was a noticeable change in temperature, but they solved that very quickly.

“It was good having that first day off, resting and getting used to the temperature,” said Heath Mayo, the winning pitcher in Tuesday’s game. “Down in Texas, it’s about 108 right now.

“This is perfect baseball weather. You couldn’t ask for anything better.”