LLWS

yes

yes I think I saw in a newspaper that the player & coach were suspended for the next game.
maybe LL should really crack down more on the bad behavior; I thought of all the youth sports organizations, the real LITTLE LEAGUE would want to present a squeaky / cleaner image.

did ya'll notice that LL moved their outfield fence back this year from 200' (205?) to 225'? reason for this?? are kids getting stronger with more HR potential even at this age 12 & under?

lastly, any readers here ever attended or played or coached in the LLWS?
any experiences you wish to share?

 

we certainly did not play in anything close to the LLWS but we did enter a few LL post season tournaments with a 10-12 year old team twice. these tournaments were held in the town of Spencer here in NC. here in Mooresville our rec dept. is affiliated with PONY so there were some things we had to "get used to" when playing in a LL tournament. let me begin....first was the distance from the mound to home plate. LL is much closer than PONY. second was the bat barrel size. we used the 2.75 in. barrell and LL used the 2.25 in. bat. third was the base running rule, no leads, no holding runners on, that sorta thing. we didnt think it was that much of a difference but it was. picking up pitches from some kid standing right on top of you seemed to pose huge problems for our hitters. and when we did make contact, we fouled alot and popped up alot due to the smaller barrell bats.our base running prowess and pitching mentality were thrown off track due to the difference in base running rules.

 

We have some new posters from the Morganton team that played in the LLWS. I hope they will share their experiences.

With the metal bats they should move the fences back...and the mound too!

 

why

how did it evolve that LITTLE LEAGUE got so popular & in the spotlight, ESPN national TV, etc, as compared to all the other youth baseball associations?

also they say that in LL, the umps don't get paid; say it's all volunteered. is that true?

 

longevity i guess. ive seen some PONY abd Babe Ruth games on TV but they dont seem to be as good as the Little League, its like the NFL of youth baseball. we had a team from here make the LLWS back in the 40's or 50's. every now and then the local paper will give the accounts of their journey on the train, the lodgings, the games, the lives of the men who once made their marks as local youth heros.

 

Yes East....all of the umpires are volunteers...they pay their way up to willamsport and pay for their hotels....the concessions there do give them complementary hot dogs and such after the game...and i assume they get water and such during the game

 

Musberger misses it again

Well, it had to be an E8 or an E6, clearly a double and the batter runner should have been out at 3rd if he didn't get back to 2nd...

Musberger sees the replay and still doesn't get it... Thanks to Hershiser for saying the right thing...

 

Oregon beats Illinois in a great game

on to the US Championship

 

Here's a cute pic of the 6'8" boy standing beside a runt...

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/060822/483/e526c25d70984699a79e23eb62539a6d

 

I love watching the LLWS. I cant seem to catch many games on ESPN. Are they showing as many games as they did last year?

Without getting into a debate about which league is better; each league plays under different rules during tournament play. Under PONY, the pitching distance is farther, the bases are longer, lead-off, no mandatory substitutions (everyone plays) etc. It is just a totally different game. I have worked with both leagues over the years, and I can appreciate both philosophies.
Note: I cannot believe the number of breaking balls these kids are throwing!