<p>Thought I’d start a thread for those who might be watching. We had the pleasure of going to the championship game a few years ago - we had just dropped D2 off at college and were passing Williamsport on our way back to Chicago, so we took a detour… sat on the hill and everything.</p>
<p>I don’t know why I’m so enamored with this event, but H and I started watching last night, and thought it was by far, more interesting than watching MLB (of course, we have the White Sox and Cubs, so that speaks for itself!).</p>
<p>As a parent, I can’t imagine the stress these 12-13 year old boys must be feeling, and I wonder how this experience really effects them. I think it’s fascinating to see the difference in sizes these boys are. </p>
<p>As a spectator, I love watching it. Gotta say though, this years umps are HORRIBLE! I’ve never seen such a liberal strike zone!</p>
<p>We watch it every year. Both our boys played little league baseball (and basketball and soccer and football). DH just mentioned this a.m. how fun it was going to all their sporting events (played football through h.s.). I guess that’s why the Little League World Series appeals to us.</p>
<p>A team from my home town won their world series opener yesterday. I loved watching my son play when he was young. Baseball at that level seems so pure and free from crazy adult drama.</p>
<p>lilmom, Congratulations to your home town’s team! That’s exciting and good luck to them!
I do think though that Little League can have its’ fair share of “crazy adult drama.” My husband was President of our local Little League for a couple of years and one of my kids’ all star teams went to the state tournament. One of his teammates is currently a Minor League player. But there was some crazy behavior by some coaches, parents and players that I did observe over the course of many years that both of my kids were in Little League. Not much thankfully but it was there.</p>
<p>couldn’t disagree more…I’ve coached 10 years from ages 5-15…LL age was when the parents were the absolute worst. Everyone thought their little Johnny was all it. After LL it calmed down and kids just played without parent intervention.</p>
<p>The year my oldest was born, my hometown won the Little League world series, ( snapping the 31 game winnng streak by Taiwan, & 5 consecutive titles) which was quite exciting.
I had grown up watching summer baseball games at the downtown park. Wonderful way to spend a summer evening.
My brother also played little league there during his day, my kids didnt play although we loved baseball. I do remember parents talking about how crazy little league parents were though.</p>
<p>We walk by a park that hosts games on the way to the grocery store, H always wants to sit down and watch. :)</p>
<p>Our girls played LL softball for 2-3 years each, so we’ve had some experience. </p>
<p>I am just fascinated by how talented these kids are; not only physically, but mentally. They know this game inside and out - you can tell by how they make the plays. I just get sucked into the vortex of watching it ever since we attended several years ago.</p>
<p>geeps,
I’m not supporting bad parental behavior, but both the softball and LL in my town are 100% run on parent volunteering, from coaches to concessions. No parents, no nothing.</p>
<p>teriwtt,
Did you know that the IL rep was from Chicago and lost to Michigan in the Regional Final? I watched them one evening and was really surprised to find they lost, because they were so good. You are right that the kids know the game.</p>
<p>Two years ago, the junior boys team from our area won the championship and yesterday the junior girls softball team won! Very, very cool and fun watching those games and seeing my friends in the stands and my kids friends on the field. Mine were swimmers but for one brief stint with little league and I’m so thankful I had minimal exposure to some of THOSE parents. ( and there were a few!)</p>
<p>Yes gloworm, I did know. We watched that game, too, and were surprised they lost, given their record. The only thing we could figure was the teams they beat to make it to that round must have been really bad.</p>
<p>Having been very involved in several club sports before the kids got to high school (swimming, lacrosse, soccer and baseball), I would say I saw the worst behavior from parents and coaches in baseball. As early as 3rd grade we found coaches on my son’s team and opposing team cheatingbyignoring our league rule of everyone batting in order and/or swapping kids from infield to outfield during the game. After that year we left the sport and never looked back. That year, one of the fathers/coach was a former NFL player and now local sportcaster and he was the worst of already deciding whether or not a boy was worth spending time with.</p>
<p>A local team made it all the way to the finals last year- it was really exciting and the boys got a lot of recognition when they got home. They seemed like nice kids with good coaches. This year another local team is in the World Series- lost the first game but won the second. Here’s hoping!</p>
<p>MOWC - they obviously have a reputable program in your area if they’re sending two teams back to back. That’s some serious competition.</p>
<p>Many, many years ago, my ex-sister-in-law’s sister’s husband was coaching one of the teams from Texas that made it to the finals. The sister looked just like my ex-sister-in-law, so when they’d show the moms in the stands, I could pick her out immediately. </p>
<p>I’ve notice this year (and maybe they’ve had it in previous years) that the uniforms have on their sleeves, “I Don’t Cheat”. Sounds like they’re trying to teach some valuable lessons, but you do have to wonder how many shenanigans go on behind the scenes. Again, for me, I’m just disheartened by the horrible strike zone they seem to be allowing this year. I say, if a kid can’t find the strike zone, put someone in who can. </p>
<p>And whoever mentioned how easier it gets when they get older, I’d disagree. My hair stylist (who I’ve been seeing for almost 20 years) has a 15-year old son who is playing travel, as well as high school baseball. As a rising sophomore, several D1 colleges have already expressed an interest in him. Anyway, she says the politics at this level are just as hurtful as they were when the kids were younger.</p>
<p>I love, love, love the LLWS. We don’t have cable so I can only catch the games on ABC, but I watched yesterday and will today as well.</p>
<p>My boys played PONY rather than LL. We found that parents were the worst when their kids were little – 8 or 9 – and got better as the kids got older, when the talent level had pretty much evened out. I remember crying after the last game of ds1’s rec baseball career; I had spent so many great days and nights at the fields, and I was going to miss it. I was so embarrassed because that last game happened to be the night his team lost the championship and I was afraid people thought we were crying because we lost the game when really it was because of the end of an era for our family.</p>
<p>The team from CT (playing now) is from about five miles from where H grew up. </p>
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<p>One year that D2 played, one of the Chicago Bears was one of the coaches. I have no idea what happened to him, since we are loyal Packers fans. He actually seemed fairly laid back as a coach, and was a nice guy. D2 liked him better than the other coach.</p>