2014 Little League World Series

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Kinda' shocked we haven't had a thread on this yet, but the team from Philadelphia (Taney) has developed into a national story with 13-year-old female pitcher Mo'Ne Davis. Their come-from-behind win Sunday night drew a 1.5 TV rating nationally and a 6.5 in Philadelphia. Now, Sports Illisutrated has put Mo'Ne on the cover.

http://www.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/mone-davis-sports-illustrated-cover-081914?cmpid=msn%3Afoxsports%3Aansfox11&gt1=msnans

 

[LongTimeListener]

It has been awesome.

Also, this speech by the Rhode Island coach after his team was eliminated has been making the rounds.

http://kicks105.com/little-league-coach-speech/

 

[cranberry]

The 4-foot-8 kid from Mexico who hit a home run was pretty awesome, too.

 

[qtlaw]

The 4-foot-8 kid from Mexico who hit a home run was pretty awesome, too.

Loved seeing that.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Kinda' shocked we haven't had a thread on this yet, but the team from Philadelphia (Taney) has developed into a national story with 13-year-old female pitcher Mo'Ne Davis. Their come-from-behind win Sunday night drew a 1.5 TV rating nationally and a 6.5 in Philadelphia. Now, Sports Illisutrated has put Mo'Ne on the cover.

http://www.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/mone-davis-sports-illustrated-cover-081914?cmpid=msn%3Afoxsports%3Aansfox11&gt1=msnans

Do you think she's really 13?

The same with the 6-4, 230-pound 13-year-old from Puerto Rico.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2726166/Little-League-big-kid-This-13-year-old-Puerto-Rico-baseball-player-6-foot-4-weighs-230-pounds-large-Red-Sox-hitter-Big-Papi.html

The cynic in me says no.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Kinda' shocked we haven't had a thread on this yet, but the team from Philadelphia (Taney) has developed into a national story with 13-year-old female pitcher Mo'Ne Davis. Their come-from-behind win Sunday night drew a 1.5 TV rating nationally and a 6.5 in Philadelphia. Now, Sports Illisutrated has put Mo'Ne on the cover.

http://www.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/mone-davis-sports-illustrated-cover-081914?cmpid=msn%3Afoxsports%3Aansfox11&gt1=msnans

Do you think she's really 13?

The same with the 6-4, 230-pound 13-year-old from Puerto Rico.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2726166/Little-League-big-kid-This-13-year-old-Puerto-Rico-baseball-player-6-foot-4-weighs-230-pounds-large-Red-Sox-hitter-Big-Papi.html

The cynic in me says no.

13 years removed from Danny Almonte? Yes. No way they don't have an NSA-like check of at least the kids in the US. You can't do anything about the bull**** some of the other countries do.

 

[Rhody31]

Kinda' shocked we haven't had a thread on this yet, but the team from Philadelphia (Taney) has developed into a national story with 13-year-old female pitcher Mo'Ne Davis. Their come-from-behind win Sunday night drew a 1.5 TV rating nationally and a 6.5 in Philadelphia. Now, Sports Illisutrated has put Mo'Ne on the cover.

http://www.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/mone-davis-sports-illustrated-cover-081914?cmpid=msn%3Afoxsports%3Aansfox11&gt1=msnans

Do you think she's really 13?

The same with the 6-4, 230-pound 13-year-old from Puerto Rico.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2726166/Little-League-big-kid-This-13-year-old-Puerto-Rico-baseball-player-6-foot-4-weighs-230-pounds-large-Red-Sox-hitter-Big-Papi.html

The cynic in me says no.

What benefit would an older girl have to play baseball?
And the kid from Puerto Rico? He moves like a 13-year old who grew too fast. He's awkward as hell, like my buddy who was 6-foot-3 in the sixth grade. When he finally figures out what his body is capable of? Good god he's going to punish baseballs.

 

[LongTimeListener]

If you've been around any athletic league involving 13-year-olds, you've seen kids who look like grown men already. The 6-4, 230-pounder is big, but no bigger than either pitcher from the California-Michigan game of 2013.

As for Mo'Ne ... she's 5-4 and 105 pounds. What's remarkable about that?

 

[cjericho]

If you've been around any athletic league involving 13-year-olds, you've seen kids who look like grown men already. The 6-4, 230-pounder is big, but no bigger than either pitcher from the California-Michigan game of 2013.

As for Mo'Ne ... she's 5-4 and 105 pounds. What's remarkable about that?

Throwing 70 mph for a 13-year-old girl is pretty remarkable.

 

[MileHigh]

I've covered Little League at the regional level for a decade-plus, before ESPN *REALLY* f'd it all up to what it has become. It's great. But the fact there's a Little Leaguer on the cover of SI this week is wrong. Ridicuously wrong.

 

[qtlaw]

If you've been around any athletic league involving 13-year-olds, you've seen kids who look like grown men already. The 6-4, 230-pounder is big, but no bigger than either pitcher from the California-Michigan game of 2013.

As for Mo'Ne ... she's 5-4 and 105 pounds. What's remarkable about that?

Throwing 70 mph for a 13-year-old girl is pretty remarkable.

Yes and I believe she should be lauded for her abilities. I'm okay with just accepting her legitimacy until given evidence to the contrary rather than doubting her off the bat.

Although I do not have a daughter, only sons, I love seeing her excel.

 

[cjericho]

If you've been around any athletic league involving 13-year-olds, you've seen kids who look like grown men already. The 6-4, 230-pounder is big, but no bigger than either pitcher from the California-Michigan game of 2013.

As for Mo'Ne ... she's 5-4 and 105 pounds. What's remarkable about that?

Throwing 70 mph for a 13-year-old girl is pretty remarkable.

Yes and I believe she should be lauded for her abilities. I'm okay with just accepting her legitimacy until given evidence to the contrary rather than doubting her off the bat.

Although I do not have a daughter, only sons, I love seeing her excel.

Wasn't saying it to doubt her age. Just saying that she is not remarkable size-wise, but her ability is. But there are kids who develop physically quicker and also kids who peak early. Few buddies made the state finals in Little League way back and their best pitcher was 5'11 and threw about 70 mph. In hs, he was 6'2 but barely touched upper 70s and was their No. 3 pitcher. Will be interesting to see if Mo'Ne continues improving and if she sticks with baseball or switches to softball.

 

[qtlaw]

I wasn't saying you were the doubter, it was someone else above you who was the cynic.

 

[LongTimeListener]

If you've been around any athletic league involving 13-year-olds, you've seen kids who look like grown men already. The 6-4, 230-pounder is big, but no bigger than either pitcher from the California-Michigan game of 2013.

As for Mo'Ne ... she's 5-4 and 105 pounds. What's remarkable about that?

Throwing 70 mph for a 13-year-old girl is pretty remarkable.

I'm not sure if there would be a big difference between a boy and girl in arm strength, but the 70 mph itself is not remarkable in any way these days.

 

[cjericho]

I wasn't saying you were the doubter, it was someone else above you who was the cynic.

Ahh. Haven't seen her yet, just a couple highlights. There are always doubters. My buddy saw one of her games and said, 'think she is a boy, or a hermaphrodite.'

 

[cjericho]

If you've been around any athletic league involving 13-year-olds, you've seen kids who look like grown men already. The 6-4, 230-pounder is big, but no bigger than either pitcher from the California-Michigan game of 2013.

As for Mo'Ne ... she's 5-4 and 105 pounds. What's remarkable about that?

Throwing 70 mph for a 13-year-old girl is pretty remarkable.

I'm not sure if there would be a big difference between a boy and girl in arm strength, but the 70 mph itself is not remarkable in any way these days.

haven't watched every game, but over the last few years don't remember anyone better than 70-73.

 

[SnarkShark]

I just can't bring myself to watch it. The kids may not actually be exploited, but it just makes me feel like they are.

Makes me very uncomfortable when they show the kids bawling their eyes out after losing and makes me uncomfortable when a kid throws a fit after performing badly. The whole thing just makes my stomach turn.

 

[LongTimeListener]

If you've been around any athletic league involving 13-year-olds, you've seen kids who look like grown men already. The 6-4, 230-pounder is big, but no bigger than either pitcher from the California-Michigan game of 2013.

As for Mo'Ne ... she's 5-4 and 105 pounds. What's remarkable about that?

Throwing 70 mph for a 13-year-old girl is pretty remarkable.

I'm not sure if there would be a big difference between a boy and girl in arm strength, but the 70 mph itself is not remarkable in any way these days.

haven't watched every game, but over the last few years don't remember anyone better than 70-73.

Last year the Michigan kid was at 75 and the California kid was not far behind. But they were both well over 6 feet too.

Most of who throw that hard aren't in LL anymore, though, they are off in travel ball or playing Ripken or Pony, whose rules and playing style are just like travel ball. The LL field is too small and the rules (pitch counts, baserunning, district size limits) are too restrictive, so a lot of the better players skip it altogether.

 

[HanSenSE]

I just can't bring myself to watch it. The kids may not actually be exploited, but it just makes me feel like they are.

Makes me very uncomfortable when they show the kids bawling their eyes out after losing and makes me uncomfortable when a kid throws a fit after performing badly. The whole thing just makes my stomach turn.

I've always done my best to ignore it and other similar events. This year, though, I couldn't, since there was a county team in the Cal Ripken World Series. Didn't get to go, but we hired a photo stringer and relied on the PR folks there for stories (also had some cell nos. tucked away). Had one sequence where the locals appeared to do an Alphonse-Gaston act and had no clue how to run it. Yeah, it's the national semifinals ... but they're also 12! Used just one shot, and did not make it main.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I read that she said she wants to play basketball at UConn and that Geno Auriemma called her.

Is that a violation of NCAA rules? I thought a coach couldn't call a kid until she was a senior in high school.