LLWS

[lo n slo]

put me in coach

i’m ready to play, today!

[Gundog]

Not that far from where I live. Always a good time and the kids really get into it. Also taking a ride down the hill on a cardboard sled is pretty cool even if you ain't a kid.

[lo n slo]

regionals are being aired on ESPN this week. 

 

life is good

[Sam]

Fun to watch the kids.

 

My grandson wants to play baseball but  his parents want him to do soccer, where he is not that good.

 

He can really hit the whiffle ball when he visits with us.

 

Calling son and his wife tonight to tell them so he can start playing next year.

[lo n slo]

Peach Tree City, Ga. advances from the Southeast!

 

the Kanty kid looks good on the mound

[lo n slo]

just saw Michigan play today and they’re loaded!

[Stephen B]

2 hours ago, lo n slo said:

just saw Michigan play today and they’re loaded!

Yep. That pitcher made the entire Indiana team look like a novice. That kid has some talent!

[Sam]

Some teams hit the ball really well and others had outstanding pitching.

 

Should be a fun LLWS.

[lo n slo]

good games yesterday with S Korea rallying to win in extra innings vs Puerto Rico in the international bracket. Mexico, Texas, and NY all won their games too. 

[lo n slo]

Georgia (3-1) knocks out Michigan (2-2) this afternoon. Kenty throws a complete game. not eligible to pitch again in series. Hawaii (2-0) vs NY (2-0) tonight. loser to face Georgia tomorrow.

 

 

[lo n slo]

Georgia beat NY 7-3 last night and will now face Hawaii for the US Championship on Saturday. Japan survives with a 1-0 win over Puerto Rico and plays S Korea for the International Championship on Saturday as well.

[Sam]

Georgia keeps winning.

 

Really is great seeing some good baseball and sportsmanship.

 

The first base ump blew a call today that would have scored one more run for New York. Can't believe he missed that one. I could have called it correctly.

 

Overall I have really enjoyed the games and seeing kids play the game for the love of it.

[lo n slo]

Hawaii (3-0) handed Georgia (4-1) their only loss of the series via a walk-off home run in the 11th inning last Friday. 

 

meanwhile, S Korea (3-0) handed Japan (3-1) their only loss, a 10-0 defeat in 4 innings on Wednesday.

[lo n slo]

yesterday, Hawaii defeated Georgia 3-0 to win the US Championship and S Korea got by Japan 2-1 to win the International Championship, setting the stage for the LLWS Championship game played this afternoon. both teams pretty much dominated their brackets and entered the title game unbeaten.

 

....and Hawaii wins it all by shutting down the powerful S Korean squad 3-0!

 

i cant tell you just how much i enjoy this spectacle each year and will look forward to next August when the boys of summer once again take the field. thanks to ESPN (ABC) for bringing even the regional games into our living rooms for us to enjoy baseball in it’s purest form. 

[N Florida Mike]

I havent missed it in years but it somehow eluded me this year. I started when I was 8 and played baseball , then softball for around 28 years or so total.

Theres something really special about baseball.It is in its purest form in little league.

[Sam]

It is a blast watching the kids do well, laugh; cry; get emotional; get some great hits; see some outstanding defensive plays; and have some fantastic sportsmanship.

 

I did not realize that Hawaii had 17 innings of shut out ball. Outstanding performance.

 

Well, looks like the LLWS ushers in football which starts next week in full swing, once again.

 

Good tournament this year. Hope all saw at least part of one game.

[Koz]

I enjoy watching the LLWS every year. My son is in the 12U age group but we don't have Little League around this area. Instead, we have Dixie Youth Baseball but his team never made it out of the regionals. This year he skipped spring rec ball and played travel instead, but this fall he's back to rec ball and I'm coaching again.

 

During the LLWS the announcers kept harping on the fact that there weren't as many HR's being hit with the new USA Bats compared to the old USSSA bats. But I didn't hear them give a good explanation.

 

The fact is that the rebound coefficient of the USA bats is more like wood bats than the old USSSA bats. When you think about it, it was kind of ridiculous how far kids could hit those very light drop 10 and drop 12 bats. Using those light bats with high rebound rates all of those years gave kids unrealistic expectations of their hitting.

 

With the old bats, bat speed at impact was king. But with the new bats there is a point where you reach a point of diminishing returns and need more mass to hit the ball out of the park. So all of the talk about reducing the outfield fence distances is ridiculous. Teach kids to swing properly with a heavier bat. When I was a kid all we had were drop 3, 2, and 1 bats and not the super lightweight bats of today.

 

While I'm at it, Little League also needs to move those kids to 70 foot baselines. Every other 11 and 12 year old baseball organization plays with 70 foot baselines and 50 foot mound distances while Little League plays 60 foot baselines and 46 foot mound distances. Little League also plays with 225 foot outfield fences at that age while others play 225 - 250 feet.

 

Now kids need better swing mechanics and heavier bats to hit the ball out. As a coach, I've always advocated that kids swing heavier bats. This way when they reach middle school ball and have to swing the drop 3 BBCOR bats they won't struggle as much. For example, I had my son swinging a drop 8 bat at 10 and 11 years old and at 12 he was swinging a drop 5 and now a BBCOR drop 3. Come spring he'll be ready for middle school or JV ball depending upon where he's selected to play.