I’ve become a pretty avid fan of the Little League World Series. Yes, I managed Little League teams that my sons were on. In fact, I was lucky enough to have both boys on the same team, the Cardinals, which was also my favorite major league team. I also like it because I like big tournaments, like NCAA basketball, in which every team that enters it has a chance to win. Besides that, the LLWS comes at a time when there’s a real lull in the sports world, so it fills a void.
But make no mistake: I watch the Little League World Series because it is a fast paced fun and exciting event. Those kids play hard and they play fast. No standing around on the mound forever between pitches. No throwing to first base 10 times to harass some mediocre base runner. No standing around between pitches adjusting every part of your anatomy and taking yet another practice swing. These kids are full of action and you never know what’s next.
Yes, they make errors and mistakes (some of which I see in major league games as well!), but they also make great plays and heads up decisions. A girl (one of only 14 in history playing in the LLWS) made a mental mistake when she failed to cover first base on a bunt and the winning run scored. But the next day she got the game winning hit! A little second baseman got hit by the ball in the face on a bad hop at second base, but later made a sliding stop and spinning throw to first to end the game a winner. A substitute got his first hit in the series in a late inning in the championship game to key the winning rally.
And of course I’m always interested in the managers. Most of them wear microphones so you can listen in on some of the things they say to their kids. Some are pretty hard core and can be negative, but many of them are really good at calming and motivating the kids at the same time. Some are rather low class, win at any costs, but others are mature classy adults who you admire for being able to act that way under quite a bit of pressure. Mike Shull, the manager of the San Antonio team that lost badly in the U.S.A. final to the eventual champion Chula Vista (CA) powerhouse, picked up the ball after the huge opposing pitcher had plunked one of his batters, and actually joked with the pitcher as he tossed the ball back to him. Now there’s a guy who knows how to lose with class, and I bet his kids were able to accept that defeat a lot easier.
I believe the real championship game was the American semi-final in which Chula Vista beat the Georgia team (which won it two years ago) by a score of 11-10 when they scored the winning run in the last inning. So yeah, regardless of what you think about the level of play, the bottom line is they have some great games in this tournament that any sports fan can enjoy.