Little Big Leaguers

As the always entertaining spectacle of youth sports concludes tomorrow, this wonderful event held in Pennsylvania teaches us a lesson of having fun in life and warms each in every one of our hearts by seeing the heart and love of the game, shared by the boys of summer, that we all once had. However, the game has changed significantly. Now the tournament is made up mostly 13 year olds in a 12u tournament but I understand that they make the cutoff but in my town, when you're 13, you are most likely playing on the major league sized 60/90 field. The young men in my town's league haven't touched a Little League World Series regulation 46/60 field since they were in 4th grade. In this day and age, I feel youth sports have overdeveloped. Whatever happened to pickup games at the local park? Instead of playing football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring; a majority of kids are playing a single sport year round. By adding new training methods and all that jazz, these kids are becoming gargantuan mammoths in a band box field. As these kids are getting bigger and better, the pitching has ultimately excelled. Now instead of good pitchers having a 4 seam fastball and maybe a 2 seam or changeup, these pitchers are not only throwing fastballs, they're throwing gas mixed in with a curveball, slider, cutter, and a bunch of other junkballs. But as I always anticipate watching this wonderful sporting event, and I can honestly say that I enjoy this much more than the real World Series, it reminds me that the game is changing because society is. This is that once in a lifetime opportunity for these youngsters, being showcased on national television and having millions of people watch you all while having baseball greats such as John Kruk, Bobby Valentine, and Orel Herscheiser announce and analyze you. It's amazing the heart these kids put in day in and day out whether it be on the big field or little field, in a sandlot or at a complex, in Uganda, Venezuela, or New York; baseball is played with a ever burning interminable passion in the hearts of Little Leaguers around the globe.

By the way, I'm picking California to win it all. I saw them in the regional finals and said, "Wow, they're good." With Nick Pratto and Braydon Salzman pitching and Haygen Danner at the dish they are in great shape to beat Montana in their rematch and challenge either Mexico or the reigning champions, Japan in the championship. Go Huntington Beach!