LLWS: No one in our state will ever make it

The strength of tradition.

In much of Texas, at least around the major metropolitan areas, the best 11/12YO talent is playing select rather than LL. And PONY also takes away a lot of talent from LL.

But so what? Let any kid who goes to any WS enjoy the experience & get the tshirt. They are just kids.

agree a little with both sentiments, HOWEVER... at 11-12 we do 50' mound, 75 ft bases, leads, bunts, ect - "real baseball'. Then when they move to the regulation sized field, there is a little less transition. You end up wit 13 YO that can't pitch from the stretch - they are playing for middle school teams by then.

It is called the Little League World Series because that is exactly what it is. It is THEIR tournament - they give it the name, set up the guidelines for entry, the playing rules etc.

Many other organizations have sprung up for youth baseball that have big tournaments of their own - CABA, AAU, Pony League etc. etc. etc. They name their own tournament, set their own guidelines for entry, playing rules etc. The fact they chose to call it a National Tournament and not a World Series is something only the founders can explain.

The Little League World Series is the granddad of youth baseball, with a rich tradition and a great set of marketing skills. Some of the other leagues could learn a lot from them.

As for the quality of play, well as windmill says, the kids who do well at Little League may very well find the transition to middle school and hs ball a bit more difficult. But hey, they were on TV - it's a give and take situation.

The bottom line is very simple - they are ALL good for baseball. The more youth that play the game today, the more our MLB parks will be filled with fans tomorrow.

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The Little League World Series is the granddad of youth baseball, with a rich tradition and a great set of marketing skills. Some of the other leagues could learn a lot from them.

LL was founded in 1938. More like an uncle than a granddad. Again, it doesnt exist at all in many place where baseball thrives.

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Originally posted by AParent:
The bottom line is very simple - they are ALL good for baseball. The more youth that play the game today, the more our MLB parks will be filled with fans tomorrow.

That is the key point. The TV part I could do without (cameras zeroing in on crying pitchers, announcers critiques of 12-year old pitching/hitting mechanics, etc..., etc...).

AParent has it right......if kids are playing baseball then that is a great thing. If some of you don't have LL in your area then it really shouldn't matter much to you.

In addition, playing LL rules doesn't have to put kids at a disadvantage in the future; that point has been discussed in other threads already.

One fact is true. In the LL World Series, teams actually play and earn their way there. That also happens in AABC and I'm sure some others, but there are several organizations out there who have their world series teams lined up before the season even begins.....teams are paying their way there, regardless of the fact that they haven't earned their trip by beating opponents on the field.

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Originally posted by micdsguy:
In much of the U.S. there is virtually no Little League baseball. 12 yo Kids play on bigger fields, pitch from 51-54 feet, take lead offs.

Drives me crazy how this event is promoted as the "World Series" of all kids baseball. It doesn't even come close to that.

The LLWS is marketing brilliance, though.

How do you think Alaskans feel? Actually, most kids up here don't take baseball seriously except for HS.

I know when my son played little league and his team made it to one game away from Williamsport it was an experience that's hard to describe. He and several of the other players were select players during the fall, but spring was for little league. Unlike many of the other organizations "World Series" you don't win a tournament and get a berth in the big one. This ride was began in June with All-Star selections. Then winning district, moving on to sectionals. Winning sectionals, and moving on to state. Winning state and moving on to regionals. Winning regionals and going to Williamsport (or losing in the finals in regionals in extra innings and going home -our ending, but the boys were thrilled they got to play on t.v.) Moving from one event to the next usually happened within a few days. It was a six week roller coaster ride that my son and his friends still think about (as well as the parents!) While many people think it's too basic or whatever to be "real" baseball you have to look at the whole experience to understand what it means to those teams. My son is now a jr. in high school playing Varsity and I can assure he still enjoys watching the LLWS and he still says "If only..." As a parent I have yet to go through anything in the Select organizations that can even begin to compare to that summer-long experience! Incredible memories!!!

The LLWS is a culmination of excellence in development of those players who have come up through the LL experience. It is not a reflection on the ultimate level of ability since some of the SELECT baseball programs have teams that may be superior to those at the LLWS. But Hawaii, I believe would give any good 12-13yo SELECT team a good battle. Consider their pitching, hitting and depth and it's why they beat the team from Curacao.

However, get the 12-13yo LL teams on a PONY field with the longer dimensions of 52 feet pitching distance, 75 feet base paths and over 205 fences then they don't compete so well, especially when the pitchers have to pitch out of the stretch.

I would like to see an OPEN World Series that brings all the winners from the programs such as LL, Babe Ruth, AABC, AAU, PONY, etc to a shootout tournament where the "KING" is crowned. I believe the city "officials" across this country would get behind that just to be able to carry the "title" of the "KING" of "youth" baseball for a year.

While people may think the players aren't "as good" as some of the select teams' players, that's not necessarily true. Our LL All-Star team was the All-Star team meaning the chosen players who were considered the best in the program. Most of these players were also select players during the summer/fall. I know the restrictions and rules were difficult to adjust to, but they did it. These players would and did hold their own on their select teams as well.

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I would like to see an OPEN World Series that brings all the winners from the programs such as LL, Babe Ruth, AABC, AAU, PONY, etc to a shootout tournament where the "KING" is crowned.

Like LL's going to allow that!

LLWS
fun to watch...

If memory serves me, more than half of the boys who got to PA will not be playing by the time they are 15 yrs old. (based on previous info)

I know its a blast for the kids who make it. When all is said and done its just their 15 minutes of fame.
Nothing wrong with that.

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If memory serves me, more than half of the boys who got to PA will not be playing by the time they are 15 yrs old. (based on previous info)

I can only name one kid who got there and Danny Almonte was still playing when he reached 15, a few months later.

My guess is that half or more of 12 year old players quit by 15, but I'd be surprised if half of those making Williamsport quit by then.

Anyone have stats on that?

The Cal Ripken progam played their WS the same time as the LLWS -- it was televised on Fox Sports and HI was in the championship there, too.

They also keep their "Little League" and "Big League" series' together, unlike Little League.