Westbrook manager Rick Knight has been coaching Little Leaguers for 25 years. His summer league Eagles won the Westbrook city championship in 2004, giving him the opportunity to coach the post-season all-star squad this summer.

Rick, now retired after a career with Verizon, has coached 14 all-star teams. Five of those teams (three times with 12-year-olds and twice with 10-year-olds) have won state championships.

“But I’ve never had a team as talented as this one,” Knight said. “And I probably never will.”

We asked Coach Knight 10 questions after his squad became one of only 16 teams (eight from the United States) to play in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., this month.

Q: What is your most memorable on-the-field moment from the World Series?

A: Obviously it was the final play in our final game with Zack (Gardiner) making a diving catch.

Q: What is your most memorable off-the-field moment from the World Series?

A: I think that would be the telephone call we got from the Red Sox players the night before our first game. All the kids were on the line on a conference call and there were eight players and Manager Terry Francona on the other end. Curt Shilling and Big Papi (David Ortiz) were the most popular among our kids. And Jason Varitek, who played in the Little League World Series, stayed on the phone the longest.

Q: Which team you saw or played against in the World Series impressed you the most and why?

A: That would be the team we played from the west (Vista, California). They were the strongest competitors and one of the top two teams in the country. They are a great hitting team.

Q: How did fan support affect your team, both home town fans and from other areas?

A: It was incredible. Two things. First our kids received numerous e-mails, both to the team in general and to individuals, from all over the country. It was like the army. When it was mail call, they all gathered around. And we had a lot of support from back home in Maine. We received e-mails from the Cape and Falmouth teams and those were very nice. As far as the fans who took the bus down, I think them being there was a big help. Just seeing all the people from Westbrook, beyond just the parents, was a great thing.

Q: What is your overall impression of the way the Little League World Series in South Williamsport is run?

A: I think its great. Fabulous. They don’t miss a thing. They have wonderful administrators who take care of everything. The food is excellent. The dugouts were marvelous. They just treat you really great down here. They have official “uncles” who took care of us. And the medical staff was great. I know because I must have made eight or 10 trips to the medical center, dealing with kids with upset stomachs, homesickness, poison ivy and sore arms. And you couldn’t ask for a more festive atmosphere. This is a Mecca for baseball fans, but it’s not just for baseball fans.

Q: What is your fondest memory from the tournaments leading up to the World Series?

A: It had to be the regional championship game we won over Rhode Island. There were a couple hundred people who hung around and wanted to pat us on the back. That included Rhode Island fans and team members and players and fans from the Connecticut team. They were really happy for us.

Q: What skill is the most important for 11-12-year old Little Leaguers to learn?

A: If you want to become a pitcher, you need a good mindset and the ability to lock everything out. I was lucky enough to have two or three kids who have that ability on this team. The other thing is to develop your hitting. If you can hit, you can go places. A kid like Zach Collett from our team is the perfect example. He has that marvelous gift, a very good swing.

Q: What quality is most important for a Little League manager?

A: I think the most important quality in a manger is an ability to relieve the pressure on the kids in the game. If you let that pressure get to you as a manager and it shows, the kids pick it up. Stay positive. If a guy on the other team gets a hit, it’s okay. This was a loose team to begin with so they didn’t need a lot of encouragement from me.

Q: As manager, what – if anything – would you do differently in your World Series experience?

A: I don’t know that I would have done much differently. I tried to keep my playing time equal. That’s always difficult. However, if all my pitchers’ arms had been healthy, I would have done a lot of things differently.

Q: What is the single most damaging pitfall Little Leaguers should avoid?

A: What they should do, at this level, is make sure they don’t get too involved in the game. The world doesn’t end if you lose a Little League baseball game.