Talking Little League Baseball
With the 2018 Little League Baseball season finale upon us in a week or so, I wanted to give my thoughts on the big "little leaguers" of the world...
Point 1 - Little League at its Best!
Little League - Isn't this what baseball is supposed to be like? Kids having fun, competing, trying their best? I have coached and watched more baseball than I care to admit, but nothing gets me more fired up than Little League Baseball. The hope of every player is that, someday, they will make it to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. And even for those that don't make it to Williamsport, hope springs eternal... if you have any doubt, check out the Big Al hitting dingers viral video on You-Tube.
Kids are competing! At this level, more than likely, kids have been playing for a few years and think they know everything there is to know about baseball... which is somewhat true... at their age...
Point 2 - Little Leage is not the last stop!
Look at all of the major leaguers in existence today,, how many of them have won the little league World Series, let alone have been in it? Not many!!! In fact, the number you can count on one hand... there is Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers... played in the 2007 Little League World Series. His team lost to the eventual World Series Little League Final team Georgia but went 3-3 in the process... There's Todd Frazier, currently of the New York Mets, who stood along side Derek Jeter representing his little league team... Gary Sheffield, who, in 1980, feared hitting against Chinese-Taipei for the Little League World Series Championship, and lost... Jason Veritek, who until his run with the 2004 Boston Red Sox, hadn't won a championship in his life... or current Mets player, Michael Conforto, who went 5-15 in the 2015 World Series.... bottom line, just because you play little league, does not gaurantee a spot in the big leagues...
Point 3 - Having fun!
If any of you have tuned in to ESPN's coverage of the Little League World Series, hopefully you have seen the "Hi, I'm Big Al and I hit dingers" phenomenon that has gone viral, or kids sliding in the mud on cardboard, or not, down the slope of the outfield fence, or kids throwing perfect or compele games en route to their destiny.... whatever it is, Little League Baseball, which has long been forgotten by the major networks, has a cult following and hopefully will not be overlooked in years to come!
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