Why Little League?

People may not like this opinion but aguyyouknow is dead on here. Doesn't mean LL is not a good venue. It's just not what it was many years ago. There is competition and other options.

 

^^If that's what you are saying, obviously I agree. More options = diluted talent

Here in Winston, LL is still the game (not pony). We've had two 11-12's make it to Williamsport the past 5 years or so.

 

I thought that is what I said. LL is still the choice in Winston. Also the only game in Kernersville but still declining. High Point LL is really in decline.

I attended some Winston area LL all-star games this year. My son teaches a couple of kids that play LL and travel ball. Both boys were star pitchers on their LL teams yet were the 6th-7th pitchers on their travel team at 12U. And I'm talking a USSSA AAA team, not even a major team.

Maybe it's just me but the quality of play of the LL that I have watched on TV seems to be lower than in the past. Dropped fly balls, passed balls, missed cut-off men. I've been very surprised. However it could just be me. Maybe I'm being over critical.

 

Yea, I read the Winston thing & was just verifying. Should have been more clear.

I told my son that the Kentucky team from 5 years ago would walk through this tournament because the American teams appear weak. Proof of that will show this weekend when the Internationals kick our butts.

Having conceded that, I'm sticking to my point: LL is still the best national kids game going. It has highs & lows, but I predict it will remain for decades to come.

TravelBall = Mom/Dad-have-enough-$$-to-pay-to-play-ball Even with sponsors, I forked over a few grand during Ty's hey day traveling & following them across the country. So it will never fully displace the local LL (or whatever youth league is prominent).

 

THE GAME

ALL baseball is great and let us not forget our roots. all our kids got their start in a little league type program and then move up to other leagues, teams, organizations depending on what their or dad's desires are. as for me I am grateful for all the different forms of baseball since that means more kids are playing the GAME...........remember where you started so that you will always know how to get (give) back!!!......play ball

 

We are in agreement that LL will remain the REC baseball league of choice for years to come. It has it's place. Lot's of talented players have started in LL.

 

aguyyouknow,

I'm with you all the way......

I still do and love to watch the Little League World Series and Little League will be what most fans think about win it comes to "Youth Baseball".

But I also agree that the Little League World Champions would get "smoked" by most Travel Ball Teams....I mean no disrespect by that but in most areas LL has become watered down and the "All Star" player today is not the same "All Star" player of years past....most teams are made up of "Who's Dad" is coaching what team which normally the kids left couldn't make a travel team.

I remember back when we were playing in 12 and 13 yr old AAU tournaments you would always have a "Rec All Star" team enter in a tournament, they typically got 10 run ruled in their games.

Again, I agree with aguyyouknow that the LL World Series is "Billed" as the Elite Championship when in reality the competition is much tougher than the casual baseball fan realizes.

I love what Little League represents but I would love to see a tournament with the LL World Series, USSSA Champions, AAU National Champs to just see how everyone stacks up....I know this will never happen but it would show how everyone stacks up to the competition.

 

little league has to draw from certain] geographic boundaries. i think theareas they draw from can't have over 20k in population.btw the carolina league champs would dominate the ncaa champs. so what?

 

wrong comparison

Many are comparing apples & oranges. As mentioned the LL & Babe Ruth , Dixie, & other "rec" leagues are bound to limited geographic / population areas. It is community-based. Travel teams can recruit from anywhere; no limits.

Someone talked about a Houston USSSA 12U Banditos team and they pulled in players from San Diego, NC, and Puerto Rico. Those type of teams should clearly dominate if they go to the trouble and expense of recruiting all over the planet!! I'd be awful disappointed if I couldn't win it all by stacking a team from unlimited boundaries, just think about it. What's it like to look around the dugout and see teammates that you have never seen before? Don't even know their names.

Also it was mentioned about the eventual LL champ will likely be an international team. That may well be true, but in recent years the U.S. national team (college / minor league players) also has not faired well in international play; the US now is not a lock in qualifying for the Olympics! Think the US national team has any former AAU / travel players?

By the way, 3 of the last 5 LLWS overall champs have been US teams including in '05 & '06.

 

the LLWS teams are all star teams for their respective LL. I played in several of those tournaments (never made it to the "show" however, and this was a tthe time when only the title game was shown by ABC).

I played LL ball my whole life, and at the end of our season, our town picked the players to represent them in the travel team tourney's.

At the time, I was never aware of AAU teams or anything of its kind, so no one was smokin' us (until wwe ran into better teams in the travel team schedule).