Little League World Series

[jimmy40]

Cali vs Conn for the US Championship, winner gets Japan tomorrow. Cali winning 6-1 in the third.The umpire behind the plate right now is a 35 year old man from Germany, he cannot throw a baseball all the way to the pitcher, this is embarrassing to watch. The 3rd base ump is a woman and she was laughing at him. He should just give the ball to the catcher to throw back.

 

[jimmy40]

California vs Japan tomorrow. California has a 6'4" 165 pound pitcher on the mound.

 

[Idgit]

If you've been following, the Belmont team that lost last round was a bunch of kids from our neighborhood.

 

[jimmy40]

If you've been following, the Belmont team that lost last round was a bunch of kids from our neighborhood.

Washington?

 

[Idgit]

Washington?

Belmont/Redwood Shores CA.

http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_23838383/little-league-belmont-redwood-shores-magical-run-ends

 

[Rogah]

I just can't ever imagine caring about the outcome of a sporting event involving pre-teens, unless I happened to be related to one of them.

ESPN goes way overboard with their non-stop, all Little League, all the time over the past week. People with gifted athletic ability pretty much get spoiled right out of the cradle. Then we all sit back and wonder why so many pro athletes are such self-entitled jerks.

 

[jimmy40]

I just can't ever imagine caring about the outcome of a sporting event involving pre-teens, unless I happened to be related to one of them.

ESPN goes way overboard with their non-stop, all Little League, all the time over the past week. People with gifted athletic ability pretty much get spoiled right out of the cradle. Then we all sit back and wonder why so many pro athletes are such self-entitled jerks.

So you don't care about the outcome until after they become self-entitled jerks.

 

[Rogah]

So you don't care about the outcome until after they become self-entitled jerks.

Yes, like every single other member of this forum, I care about the outcome of professional sports. I just don't care about what a bunch of pre-teens who live 1,000 miles away from me do.

 

[WV Cowboy]

ESPN goes way overboard with their non-stop, all Little League, all the time over the past week. People with gifted athletic ability pretty much get spoiled right out of the cradle. Then we all sit back and wonder why so many pro athletes are such self-entitled jerks.

Well I can tell you it's not because of Little League, .. you are waaay out in Left Field. (pun intended)

You could not be any more wrong on this one.

Little League is as pure a sport as it gets anymore.

All of these kids are just normal, average 12 yr olds playing a game they love, representing their hometown, with their Dads as the coaches.

It doesn't get any more innocent and all American than that.

 

[Rogah]

Well I can tell you it's not because of Little League, .. you are waaay out in Left Field. (pun intended)

You could not be any more wrong on this one.

Little League is as pure a sport as it gets anymore.

All of these kids are just normal, average 12 yr olds playing a game they love, representing their hometown, with their Dads as the coaches.

It doesn't get any more innocent and all American than that.

20 years ago, I would ago with you. When I was a kid, the only game that was televised was the final game. But now there are 3 weeks worth of games televised on ESPN and local sports stations and all the sponsors and money involved, not to mention about hours worth of SportsCenter highlights every evening. I'm not so sure I consider that to be purely "innocent and all American."

I just don't think it is healthy (or wise) for so many adults to spend so much time fawning over a bunch of pre-teens, getting special treatment because of their athletic ability. I honestly wish the TV networks would just go home and let the game return to being what you described above instead of what it has become.

 

[WV Cowboy]

20 years ago, I would ago with you. When I was a kid, the only game that was televised was the final game. But now there are 3 weeks worth of games televised on ESPN and local sports stations and all the sponsors and money involved, not to mention about hours worth of SportsCenter highlights every evening. I'm not so sure I consider that to be purely "innocent and all American."

I just don't think it is healthy (or wise) for so many adults to spend so much time fawning over a bunch of pre-teens, getting special treatment because of their athletic ability. I honestly wish the TV networks would just go home and let the game return to being what you described above instead of what it has become.

Little League is still the same as I described above. The things you mention have not changed the kids or the game.
Little League baseball has not changed, the kids have not changed(except some are getting bigger), the games have not changed.

I am not sure what you are worrying about.

Like I said, "All of these kids are just normal, average 12 yr olds playing a game they love, representing their hometown, with their Dads as the coaches."

That has not changed since the Little League World Series started.

Little League baseball is still innocent and all American.
There is never any admission charged to watch a Little League game.
Just because we watch them on TV does not change the whole Little League experience.

Your original statement, "Then we all sit back and wonder why so many pro athletes are such self-entitled jerks." ... and pointing to Little League as one of the reasons is ridiculous.

Your fear that Little League has damaged our kids, or our society in some way is unfounded, and has no merit.

In a world of so many negatives, Little League is one of the positives, .. you should try to appreciate that and enjoy it.

 

[Rogah]

Little League is still the same as I described above. The things you mention have not changed the kids or the game.
Little League baseball has not changed, the kids have not changed(except some are getting bigger), the games have not changed.

My friend, if you don't think Little League has changed in the past quarter century, then there's really no point in continuing this discussion since your opinion are not even remotely grounded in reality.

One could reasonably argue that all the attention is not really a bad thing and having adults fawn over 12 year olds is OK, and those would be a valid opinions, but to say Little League hasn't changed and the kids haven't changed? Puh-leeze.

 

[WV Cowboy]

My friend, if you don't think Little League has changed in the past quarter century, then there's really no point in continuing this discussion since your opinion are not even remotely grounded in reality.

One could reasonably argue that all the attention is not really a bad thing and having adults fawn over 12 year olds is OK, and those would be a valid opinions, but to say Little League hasn't changed and the kids haven't changed? Puh-leeze.

So tell me some significant changes, other than obvious safety rules. Some changes to the game or with the Little League players.
Not changes with nicer or better equipment.

Still 9 batters
still 9 defensive positions
still 3 strikes is an out
still 3 outs to each half inning
still 4 balls is a walk
3 - 2 is still a full count
still sacrifice flys and bunts
bunts still cause crazy things to happen in a LL game.
still 6 innings
kids still cry when they strikeout or make an error
kids still make excuses so it's not their fault.
kids still pout when they don't do well
kids still celebrate when they do well or win
kids still goof off and act silly
kids still take the losses way better than the parents

No 3 pt shot has been added like in basketball, no passing game changes that have minimized the running game like football.

Tell me how the game itself or the players have significantly changed.

 

[Rogah]

So tell me some significant changes, other than obvious safety rules. Some changes to the game or with the Little League players.
Not changes with nicer or better equipment.

Tell me how the game itself or the players have significantly changed.

I think I've already stated those changes, but apparently I have to spell it out in excrutiating detail:

When I was in Little League, there wasn't 4 weeks of non-stop TV coverage for the regional finals and then the national finals and LL World Series. Adults weren't fawning over athletically talented children like they do today. The local pizza shop was the sponsor, not Nike and UnderArmor. Nobody was making money off of Little Laegue, but today it is a multi-million dollar industry with a $60 million ESPN TV contract. It wasn't covered on SportsCenter for hours every night. A Little League team might march in the July 4 parade, but they didn't throw parades exclusively for whatever group of pre-teens happened to play in the regionals. They weren't discussing Little League on sports radio, PTI, ATH and ESPN.

I think a little bit of attention and congratulations are fun and healthy. I think the levels it has reached in the present day have gone too far and are unhealthy. I believe too much Youth Sports Television is unhealthy, and we already have too much. Why this opinion upsets you so much, I do not know.

When I was in LL and some kid cried over an error or a loss, he wasn't doing it on national television.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Rogah's right. What a sad state of affairs this world has fallen into. We need more parents who discourage their children from participating in physical activity.

 

[jimmy40]

I think I've already stated those changes, but apparently I have to spell it out in excrutiating detail:

When I was in Little League, there wasn't 4 weeks of non-stop TV coverage for the regional finals and then the national finals and LL World Series. Adults weren't fawning over athletically talented children like they do today. The local pizza shop was the sponsor, not Nike and UnderArmor. Nobody was making money off of Little Laegue, but today it is a multi-million dollar industry with a $60 million ESPN TV contract. It wasn't covered on SportsCenter for hours every night. A Little League team might march in the July 4 parade, but they didn't throw parades exclusively for whatever group of pre-teens happened to play in the regionals. They weren't discussing Little League on sports radio, PTI, ATH and ESPN.

I think a little bit of attention and congratulations are fun and healthy. I think the levels it has reached in the present day have gone too far and are unhealthy. I believe too much Youth Sports Television is unhealthy, and we already have too much. Why this opinion upsets you so much, I do not know.

When I was in LL and some kid cried over an error or a loss, he wasn't doing it on national television.

Yes, like every single other member of this forum, I care about the outcome of professional sports. I just don't care about what a bunch of pre-teens who live 1,000 miles away from me do.

Have you ever coached little league? If you think the local pizza shop isn't still counted on for sponsorships your clueless. Oh and damn those kids for playing on tv.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Why this opinion upsets you so much, I do not know.

Your opinion doesn't upset me at all, .. I have just been trying to explain to you what you have missed. I don't agree with your opinion.
I'm trying to figure out where you are coming from, but I can not.

You have chosen to focus on what you perceive to be the black speck of sand, .. but you have missed the entire white sandy beach.

I still stand on my posts where I said the game has not changed, and the kids have not changed. Everything you have mentioned has been outside of the kids and the game itself.

I have been coaching youth baseball for 24 seasons. (15 in Little League -- 9-12 yrs old, and 9 in our Babe Ruth league -- 13-15 yrs old)
Out of those 24, I have coached an All Star team at the end of the season after probably 15 of those years.

That's a lot of baseball, a lot of games, a lot of kids, a lot of dugouts, a lot of travel, and a lot of time enjoying the whole youth baseball experience.

The games are still a blast, and have not changed.

The kids are still awesome, and I continue to establish and maintain wonderful relationships with many many kids each summer.

If the sum of your Little League involvement is only those 2 weeks in August when the kids are in Williamsport, .. then you probably might as well drop out of this thread.

It would be nice if you could step back from your cynical stance, and see just how wonderful, innocent and All American the kids and the games still are.

In this day and age, Little League does it right, .. and the LLWS is a worldwide showcase of what is good with our youth.
The hospitality that the kids from around the world are shown, and the sportsmanship by all the teams is amazing.
I am proud of Little League, and the LLWS.

 

[Rogah]

Have you ever coached little league? If you think the local pizza shop isn't still counted on for sponsorships your clueless. Oh and damn those kids for playing on tv.

You're absolutely right. There's no national sponsor, no TV and no money involved whatsoever. It's nothing but the pure, unadulturated love of the game by all involved.

Just like Division 1 NCAA football.

 

[RastaRocket]

I just can't ever imagine caring about the outcome of a sporting event involving pre-teens, unless I happened to be related to one of them.

ESPN goes way overboard with their non-stop, all Little League, all the time over the past week. People with gifted athletic ability pretty much get spoiled right out of the cradle. Then we all sit back and wonder why so many pro athletes are such self-entitled jerks.

I just don't think children should be on TV playing sports. It's pretty awful if you ask me.