Little League WS_ most overhyped event in world?

100% agree..

dallasblog...I agree. I can't wait for the day that "select" baseball gets TV exposure. But I'm sure by then, I'll be watching grandkids instead of kids!

I just don't get it!?! With all the good ball out there at that age.

But talk to the average adult walking around and they think Little League is the "best baseball" for kids. Not one person in my office (quite small but all men) had no idea that there was better baseball at that age. They thought they were the best of the best.

I think it is wonderful baseball to watch. Yes, I don't like all of the breaking pitches thrown by pitchers, but I think it is watching baseball in a pure form. No paid umps or coaches. All kids getting some playing time. Kids getting to play on National TV. Most HS kids and even college kids will never get that chance. I think it is an awesome experience for these kids and I enjoy watching it and hopefully will one day be able to take my children there to experience that atmosphere.

Careful db, you're walking on hallowed ground, dispite how poor the program is on the whole, oops, I didn't mean it.

Years ago I brought it up on a different site. I wanted to see tournaments like USSSA or AABC and I was lynched because they could pick and choose their teams. But I still argue that that is what we are seeing on TV, "All Stars" from a league. I also understand that many of these teams play as travel teams years in advance of being the local LL team.

Are there even any Little League programs in the Dallas area?


I have trouble believing each year 2.6 million kids are playing LL. Isn't that what they claim before each game?

Yes there are quite a few.
McKinney, Plano, White Settlement in Fort Worth just to name a few.

quote:

Originally posted by skysthelimit:
Yes there are quite a few.
McKinney, Plano, White Settlement in Fort Worth just to name a few.

Well I guess that shows what I know..

Arlington has one but it's only one step better than YMCA baseball. After about age 10 the better players either go play select or at a league put on by the Optimist Club.

the little league 2.6 probably is for all LL Inc. age groups (11-18) and the world wide aspect gets the numbers...

Plano had it's LL charter pulled a few years ago. It may have been re-issued under a different organization but it definitely has had it's share of issues in Plano in the past 5-8 years.

The LL folks do not allow LL and select under the same organization.

quote:

Originally posted by dallasblog.com:
the little league 2.6 probably is for all LL Inc. age groups (11-18) and the world wide aspect gets the numbers...

I wasnt thinking international, I would imagine that LL may be the only option for baseball in most areas outside the US.

Son's team played out of BBI at 14. End of the season we tried to qualify for 14 yr old Little League Pony Divison World Series Held in Washington Penn.
We were beaten in Regional Championship by East Cobb
Astros. So I know that some of these regions have some talent. Remember these kids are 11 ,12, 13.

I think there are some top notch players who come through the LL program such as Walker Kelly but many of these outstanding players also played on select teams....

The way LL is structured it is difficult to get a stacked team out of a city (such as Plano) with multiple LL charters. The talent becomes diluted and spread between multiple LL teams.

There is at least one select team playing in the LLWS this year. The Southwest Team is the Lubbock Roughriders. They have been together since 10. They didn't register USSSA in 2007, since they were playing LL. I do believe that 2 of the players did fill in this year for a 13AAA team though.

The team from Georgia has a few select players on it, but not the whole team.

I understand the whole idea of trying to get a team together to play on TV, but how do you go from select to LL, from real baseball to a shell of the game.

I would be curious how they (Lubbock Roughriders) bring a full team over to LL....that doesn't sound like it is in line with the way LL requires teams to form.

I don't know alot about LL. My son played Pony until he was 7, then went to select.

But if you go to LittleLeague.org then click on the link that says 2007 Little League World Series and Regional Tournaments. On the next page choose Little League Baseball.

Choose meet the teams. Choose Southwest. That will show you a picture with all the kids names.

Go to USSSA.com and look for an 11AAA team in Texas-West for 2006. The Lubbock Roughriders, even have the same head coach and all but one kid on the USSSA roster is playing in the LLWS on the Southwest Team. Don't know if it was a boundary issue or not.

My younger son was selected to the little league all star team in McKinney years ago. The only reason he played little league was he wasn't good enough to make any select teams. But he was one of the best on his team which came in second in the league (I think). We graciously declined the offer to spare our reputation...or what's left of it.

quote:

Originally posted by cheapseats:
I would be curious how they (Lubbock Roughriders) bring a full team over to LL....that doesn't sound like it is in line with the way LL requires teams to form.

I think the way around the rules is that the kids all come from the specified area and play on different LL teams during the season. I seem to remember a few years back a team from Ca. got a lot of press about how they were on LL teams but often missed to play in weekend tournaments. They used it just to prepare to go to the LLWS.

I like to watch LLWS, but I think they should make the baseball more "realistic" like AABC. You have to play within a certain region with AABC (until advancing to state, regionals, etc...when you can add kids from other areas within your region) and I think that's a great idea to keep teams more true and to keep coaches from "buying" players from other states/countries. But at least make the rules closer to Sporting News Rules. I mean, let the runners get a lead-off and make the pitcher keep the runner close. Make the players aware of every aspect of the game. And let the batter run on dropped 3rd strike. As far as the coaches and umpires being volunteers, I think that's great. Also, is it just me, or has anyone noticed the WIDE strike zone of these umps? Some of those strikes are unhittable at that distance when they are a foot outside the strikezone.

I'm not a big T.V. guy..........

But what I think is sad is that the emphasis here in comparing L.L. to other venues is the comparison in regards to performance and abilities.

These are 11-13 year old kids.

Should the emphasis be on skills, tools, ect.?

Or should the building of character, learning to work in a team environment, and repect for the game be the important thing.

Yeah, I know, it's life. Learning to win and compete with those who have high skill level is what makes or breaks you in this world.

But I guess I just don't understand the "select" coach pitch concept that today's youth are put into.

Let em' be kids..............the good ones will shine as they get older.

Oh, one more thing..........

In life........sometimes we are forced to work with those who are less talented, motivated, skilled, and what not...........

If kids are always playing with the best, how they gonna learn to socialize with the inferior that this world has so many of?

quote:

Originally posted by dallasblog.com:
Is it me ? I can't even watch the LLWS with all the baloney ... players are good but I can go out to Chiesl or Flower Mound and watch tourney finals of 12-years and see this most sundays

12s throwing 50 percent breaking balls, tight bases, short mound, short fences, oversized (in a lot of cases) overweight kids... the TV commentating doing the best they can... but man.. and don't even get going on the stage parents in the stands...

Overhyped? I don't think this is any different than everything else on TV which is always overhyped.

Overhyped? You mean like all the zillion of other World Series in select ball?

I enjoy watching it as much as I enjoy watching the kids play at all tournaments and "World Series." Baseballs a lot of fun I don't care where it's played.

Now to the extent some of the parents and fans get caught up with the events is not my thing but to each his own.

Why fix what aint broke. This format at this age has work for many many years.
Hasnt seem to have hurt the pitcher from FT Worth (name) from a few years ago.

Pro,s and con,s can be argued no matter the Age or affilliation of league

I don't really begrudge these kids or parents from this experience...the boys seem really excited.

I don't enjoy watching it as much as local select because LL is really station to station baseball except for the occasional HR. The shallow fences and lack of stealing/lead-offs keep it from being interesting from that perspective.

But I like the kids' enjoyment of the game and the TV coverage.

quote:

Originally posted by tychco:
I don't really begrudge these kids or parents from this experience...the boys seem really excited.

I don't enjoy watching it as much as local select because LL is really station to station baseball except for the occasional HR. The shallow fences and lack of stealing/lead-offs keep it from being interesting from that perspective.

But I like the kids' enjoyment of the game and the TV coverage.

I agree and I enjoy watching kids play ball not matter where thy are playing. But they do need to move the mound(50) and base(70) back, along with the fence. For kids of today, they are way to short.

What are the distances now and didnt they move the fences back 25 feet this year

I enjoy the heck out of it. Over the past few years I have seen some really good play from the boys. The pitching is always good.

I think some of us "adults" have a problem with all the recognition that Little League gets over the "select" leagues and teams that our sons play on. My answer to that is "who cares?". Relax - if the whole world thinks that Little League is the best youth baseball outlet why does it matter to us?

Jealousy is never a good thing. Let these kids play this great game and let's not say anything negative about the great accomplishment that these kids are striving for.

I can't wait to watch Lubbock bring home the championship to Texas.

quote:

Originally posted by threeboysdad:
But they do need to move the mound(50) and base(70) back, along with the fence. For kids of today, they are way to short.

I agree some changes would be nice. Make the field larger of change to a whiffle ball.

When my son was 12, he was on a team that won a World Series and he was selected to the All Tournament Team. All the boys were local and it was a special event in his life. We got one picture in the local weekly paper and 1 paragraph in the Houston Chronicle, only because we sent the information to them. It would have been so great to get the attention that these LL teams are receiving. And I am happy for them and their "Moment in the Sun".

Our local LL will never be able to send a team to Williamsport because a requirement to make the All Star team is that your parent has to be a board member or coach. If you know what I mean.

I don't begrudge any of the kids or their accomplishments. The pitching is good, but from 46' a majority of the kids that age that play select and DON'T pitch, would be good pitchers because all they have to worry about is throwing the ball. I think it's great that these kids are having a good time. Heck, they grow up so fast, it's nice to see them enjoy something (whether it be LL or select baseball). Don't get me wrong, we definitely watch the LLWS in our house. I just think it would be much more fun to watch if it was more like a real game (ie..a decent pitching/base distance, runners taht could lead-off and fences that are more of a challenge at that age).

P.S. Go Lubbock!

quote:

Originally posted by Change Up:
What are the distances now and didnt they move the fences back 25 feet this year

Yes they moved the fence to 225 all the way around. Mound is 46 and bases are 60.

quote:

Originally posted by Jewels4Baseball:
I like to watch LLWS, but I think they should make the baseball more "realistic" like AABC....

I mean, let the runners get a lead-off and make the pitcher keep the runner close. Make the players aware of every aspect of the game. And let the batter run on dropped 3rd strike.

No!

It becomes a freaking circus.

Ruls are fine. The field is just too small for the big twelve year-olds though.

I like the ideas, but unlike some catchers, these kids seem to struggle with the dropped third strikes and balls bouncing away. Somehow we managed when we were 12.

IMHO, the catcher's have trouble because this is not something that they have to work on. It is almost like they are allowed to become lazy behind the plate. They can sit on their hunches with runners on instead of up and ready. Most of the pitches they are calling WP are actually PB.

There is a difference between blocking a ball in the middle of the plate and sliding to the side to get in front of a ball. Most of these catchers don't know the finer points of catching.

And when a catcher does... from Curacao (sp?), he's hailed as the best... nothing away from the kid, just an example.

quote:

Most of these catchers don't know the finer points of catching.

Show me any 12 year old that does.

Heck, show me a HS kid that does.

Texas just lost to Georgria 4-2 in the US final.

The Georgia pitcher put on a clinic - his change of speed was very good and he hit all his spots. I've seen alot of baseball and I have never seen too many better 12 year old pitching performances than that - and throw in there that he did it in front of 10,000 people and an ESPN national audience and it makes it even more special.

Congratulations to the Texas team - they did our state proud.

I never played Little League and I have never had a kid play in their program - but they can count me as a fan.

The Lubbock team had been a juggernaut with their bats. However, good pitching and defense wins championships.