Two's company for Portland family hosting girls

Note to readers: This is the last in a series of three profiles of families hosting Sterling players during the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Ore. PORTLAND, Ore. - Lights out didn't always come easy for Sterling 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars Mackenzie Staples and Krista Loos. In fact, the lights never went out one night while the teammates stayed with their host family, Brian and Janet Lamson, during the Little League Softball World Series. "We watched a really scary movie one night," Janet said. "I felt bad, because I went in their room the next morning and the lights were on." The Lamsons, and their three daughters, Mackenzie, 16; Amy, 14; and Molly, 13, are one of many families that volunteered to open up their home during the week-and-a-half tournament in Portland. This marked the second time the Lamsons have hosted players. Brian, a insurance salesman for Country Companies, doesn't see the fun stopping anytime soon. "I think we'll do it for many years to come," he said. "Our daughters, they just love it," added Janet, who works with her husband, "all these girls from other towns that they have something in common with." The Lamsons have been involved with Portland youth baseball and softball in various roles for many years. This past week they've been wearing Central green and black as they sat among the crowd at Alpenrose Field. Last Monday, after the Sterling girls arrived in Portland, the Lamsons took in all 11 girls for the night. "I remember seeing the parents and coaches and players at the airport," Brian said, "them not knowing anyone here. They were checking us out. They are a little nervous because you're basically handing off your kids to stay with strangers." Little League does background checks on all families that volunteer to host players. Still, letting go is one of the hardest parts. After a day or two, though, players and their hosts typically grow closer with each other. "I think our house is cleaner after they leave then when they got here," Janet joked. "It's cool meeting people from another place," Mackenzie Lamson said. "They have some inside jokes that we hadn't heard before." The girls also put up with the Lamsons' two chocolate labs during their stay. But the night they saw that scary movie, "Saw," was one to remember. "It was just scary," Mackenzie Staples said. "We had to leave the closet light on."