Wow! what a great pitching match up. As a little league coach myself I just love this stuff. It is great to see these boys play baseball just for the sheer joy of playing.
Umping little league baseball is so much fun just for watching the joy of the kids who're playing. While the umps at the LLWS are volunteers (I'm not sure if they get a travel stipend that we get for the All-Star Tournaments leading up to Williamsport, but hell to spend a few weeks at Williamsport in that atmosphere would be amazing), we get paid. It nothing, but I do it just because I love to be around the game. $15 for 2 and a half hours of having one side or the other on your case is nothing. I can make $25+ in that same amount of time doing other stuff. I did the 9/10 year olds this year, but next year, I should move up and do the 11/12 and the 13/14 year olds as well. The best managers are those who understand that we umpires are being paid peanuts to call up to and over 200 pitchers a game, since what 9 year old can hit the strike zone consistently? They let the kids play and decide the game on the field. It's frustrating when you get a coach or a parent who's ragging on you for every called strike or ball and forget that at the end of the day, its a bunch of 9 and 10, or 11 and 12 year olds playing baseball for fun. But, the good of it definitely outweighs the bad.
I'm looking forward to next years tournament which I hope to be able to go to, as I'll have my license Find someplace to pitch a tent, go spend days at the stadiums for free and get caught up in the atmosphere, it's just too good to pass up. I dreamed of playin at Williamsports just a few years ago, and I'm willing to bet money that I'll be like a 12 year old again when I go. I can't wait
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"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
You just can't beat Little Leauge baseball. The only problem I have with it is these new bats they're using. Granted, at the high school level we're using them too, but to have a kid who's about 5'6" and around 100 pounds launch a 250ft shot is just ridiculous. These little leauges got the new stealth composite bat (the green one) before it was even realeased as a -3. When I played, I think I saw a total of like 6 home runs out of the park in 2 years of regular season, playoffs, and then district tourneys. And 3 of those came at a field where the left field fence was about 180 feet. I miss the lost art of the triple and even the double. I know they moved the fences back, but it's still weird to see all these home runs, especially on all the half swings you see.
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"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
I am with you on the bats Kevin as both a coach and a parent who has to buy one. The fact is that if your gonna compete you have to have them. We play Dizzy Dean ball here and there are no restrictions on the bats. We played a team of 5/6 year olds in All Stars and every one of them had a brand new big barrell red stelth.
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I can't justify spending $380 on new bat, which is what the Easton Stealth Comps run. But, if you want to get noticed in H.S. ball, it's all about the offense, especially at first base. We put a senior at first base this year who couldn't throw because he was coming off of shoulder surgery. His defense was horrible but still made all county, all conference, and 2nd team all parochial A for the state. Oh, well. I remember the first bat I bought was an Easton Extreme, it cost me $30. I roped a double off the fence with it on my first at bat. Next bat was a $75 Easton Reflex. They just dont cut it anymore. I gotta start putting aside money for next season.
__________________
"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
It's great entertainment, yes, but I sure as hell hope none of these kids have arm trouble later in their baseball careers from snapping off all those sliders.
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Quoth David Banner: "Like a pimp"
It's not a beer belly. It's a gas tank for a sex machine.
(I'm not sure if they get a travel stipend that we get for the All-Star Tournaments leading up to Williamsport, but hell to spend a few weeks at Williamsport in that atmosphere would be amazing)
Kevin- I can't speak for Little League, but a buddy of mine umps Babe Ruth softball and received a travel stipend when he was invited to ump at their World Series in New Jersey earlier this month. I would think that LL does something similar.
It's great entertainment, yes, but I sure as hell hope none of these kids have arm trouble later in their baseball careers from snapping off all those sliders.
Depends on the technique, Nick. You're a junk pitcher, right? Ever try to throw a slider just using finger pressure and your normal delivery, with no "snapping"? Some guys can really pull it off well, and it's pretty safe for the shoulder/elbow.
The finger-pressure slider was the only breaking pitch my dad would let me throw until I turned 16. Since I'm a lefty, it functioned as a sort of cutter on righties and worked OK, and was a great complement to a circle-change that broke the opposite direction.
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
It's great entertainment, yes, but I sure as hell hope none of these kids have arm trouble later in their baseball careers from snapping off all those sliders.
I thought the same thing as Georgia's pitcher continued to throw harder and harder as the game went on. His shoulder is probably hurting this morning but hey it was a once in a lifetime shot.
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There are no born winners. There are no born losers. Everyone is born a chooser. Choose your path wisely.
jruck: I'm assuming that because we get it for the tournaments that decide who goes states, then on to regionals, which decides who goes to Williamsport, the umps at Williamsport get a travel stipend.
RL and Nick: Those pitchers are something. I remember a few years back when hitting 70mph was insane. In LL, I saw 70mph I think once in my life from a man child in a district tourney. If they can throw that hard, just whip it. Get that going and a good changeup with a deceptive delivery and they're good to go for little league at least. I noticed a lot of kids tipping their pitches though. Up until this past year, I never really had a good strong arm, so I relied on junk pitches. I had a nasty loopy curveball, and then cutters with different ways I held my fastball and pressure on the fingers. Add a good circle change and I wasn't half bad. I barely pitched because I was such a stud at first but when I did, I was pretty dang good. Pitched one game during my 12 year old season in the majors and it was a no hitter. Pitched 3 games last summer, one of them a 1 hitter and in the others I gave up a total of like 3 hits. Junk pitches are the best.
OK, I think I'm done reminishing about the days of old, but I'm gonna keep my old time rock n roll if thats alright.
__________________
"Rust on a nail builds tetanus. Rust on a barbell builds character, strength, and attitude." -EC
"Don't spend your life wishing. Spend it doing." -FishrCutB8
"You're a mutant, like a snake with two heads or a cat shy one nipple. Be thankful that your mutation is helpful." - LD
Depends on the technique, Nick. You're a junk pitcher, right? Ever try to throw a slider just using finger pressure and your normal delivery, with no "snapping"? Some guys can really pull it off well, and it's pretty safe for the shoulder/elbow.
The finger-pressure slider was the only breaking pitch my dad would let me throw until I turned 16. Since I'm a lefty, it functioned as a sort of cutter on righties and worked OK, and was a great complement to a circle-change that broke the opposite direction.
Oh yeah, I've figured out a ton of ways to make the ball move. That's the only good thing about not throwing hard, you have an excuse to mess around with stuff like that.
I do think some were just changing finger placement, but the good ones were messing with the angle of their fingers at release. That behind the plate camera was a great way to tell if they were pointing their wrists at 3 or 9 o'clock, or somewhere in between, and the good ones were definitely tilting their wrists in. You could even see the extra torque put on their elbows in the replays.
__________________
Quoth David Banner: "Like a pimp"
It's not a beer belly. It's a gas tank for a sex machine.
Oh yeah, I've figured out a ton of ways to make the ball move. That's the only good thing about not throwing hard, you have an excuse to mess around with stuff like that.
I do think some were just changing finger placement, but the good ones were messing with the angle of their fingers at release. That behind the plate camera was a great way to tell if they were pointing their wrists at 3 or 9 o'clock, or somewhere in between, and the good ones were definitely tilting their wrists in. You could even see the extra torque put on their elbows in the replays.
Ouch, not good. That's sad. All the best pitchers in my 11-12 year-old leagues had blown arms by the time they were 15 years old. Most of these guys threw in the 70s when they were 12, and still threw in the 70s when they were 18.
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
Ouch, not good. That's sad. All the best pitchers in my 11-12 year-old leagues had blown arms by the time they were 15 years old. Most of these guys threw in the 70s when they were 12, and still threw in the 70s when they were 18.
Which could be a reason why I don't think that you see many LLWS alums in the major leagues.
__________________
Quoth David Banner: "Like a pimp"
It's not a beer belly. It's a gas tank for a sex machine.
Georgia boys bring home the championship!
Find someplace to pitch a tent, go spend days at the stadiums for free and get caught up in the atmosphere, it's just too good to pass up. I dreamed of playin at Williamsports just a few years ago, and I'm willing to bet money that I'll be like a 12 year old again when I go. I can't wait
I gotta start putting aside money for next season.
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