LLWS 2010

[Sam Mills 51]

I don't think the event per se brings out the worst in everybody. Maybe the fact there are 30 cameras around and the games are aired nationally have more to do with it.

Nope. The district, sectional and state tournaments are just as bad, and those don't have all the TV cameras around.

Actually, they do -- rather than JUST afflict us with the LLWS itself, ESPN was showing REGIONAL-round games this year. Next will come state tournaments.

It should be ****ing illegal to show a sports competition featuring players younger than high school age on any TV outlet larger than local cable.

Unless you have a direct relative or neighborhood acquaintance in action, not only is there no particular reason any adult should care, there are plenty of good reasons why they should NOT care.

Yup.

These kids should be allowed to enjoy the games. And, while it's fine for parents to do the same, the media exposure brings out the worst in some of them. Some of them were bad enough before they discover the media interest.

 

[Mark2010]

Why the bleep is this televised? Why are there AP wire stories about it? It's 11 and 12-year-olds for Pete's sake. Let kids be kids and not make the coaches into well, whatever.

This is simply an example of TV networks having too much time to fill and too much money to throw around.

 

[Mark2010]

Longtime,

I think you're extrapolating too much here. (See especially point 3)

First: the players are 12, their games are on TV, they'are already on the spot.

Second: seeking players' opinions about what contributed to a loss is legit.

Third - in the initial post, the douchiest part of the quote was the coach said he felt sick that his players couldn't handle pressure. That's not a tit-for-tat. Yes, he implied that his son would have been better, but that's not terribly incendiary. I'm saying, get a quote from the losing pitcher to balance it out. And you know what? The kid might agree with the coach's assessment.

A 12-year-old kid just cannot do public speaking in a way that conveys sensitive thoughts appropriately, and he shouldn't be asked to do so.

Maybe so, but 12-year-olds sure seem to Twitter a lot. And that's a public forum, right?

This question is for anyone: if the losing pitcher Twittered about the game, would you quote the Tweet to balance out the coach's comment?

This is why I refuse to cover this stuff. I'm a college-educated adult and I sure as hell didn't spend years learning and working my trade to parrot some "tweet" from a 12-year-old.

Good Lord, people!! Look, I'm all for kids having their fun and games. It's when we as adults (coaches, parents, media, etc.) start treating it like it's life-or-death that I question whether society has lost its collective mind.

 

[terrier]

Dig the Wild glasses! This kid Penaloza pitching for Mexico has to be his mom's souvenir of an evening with Ricky Vaughn.

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

Mexico blowing upset bid. Japan hits three-run homer with two outs in top of sixth to take lead.

 

[MileHigh]

No surprise at "powerful" Washington losing today after averaging 12 runs against vastly inferior competition at the Northwest Regional for 10 days. They would barely have made it to the semifinals in the West Regional, and would have been hard-pressed to get out of a Southern California sectional, muchless the SoCal finals.

 

[suburbia]

I don't think the event per se brings out the worst in everybody. Maybe the fact there are 30 cameras around and the games are aired nationally have more to do with it.

Nope. The district, sectional and state tournaments are just as bad, and those don't have all the TV cameras around.

But they're still playing for the chance to get on TV.

And these district, sectional and state tournaments can sometimes have TV cameras too. About 10 years ago, the New Jersey state tournament in this thing was condensed into 2 1/2 days (doubleheader Saturday, one game Sunday night, title game Monday afternoon) because the YES Network wanted to televise the championship game and they could only come on Monday afternoon. This tournament normally lasts five days.

 

[suburbia]

Why the bleep is this televised? Why are there AP wire stories about it? It's 11 and 12-year-olds for Pete's sake. Let kids be kids and not make the coaches into well, whatever.

This is simply an example of TV networks having too much time to fill and too much money to throw around.

I think it's also a matter of corporations that make and/or sell products to families with children wanting to get their brand in front of familes with children, and being willing to pay ESPN oodles of money for the priviledge.

If advertisers weren't willing to buy a sufficient amount of advertising time, ESPN wouldn't do this. It does cost money for ESPN to bring crews and equipment to all of these games, after all.

Hard to believe that, 15 years ago, the only LL games on major TV were the US final (ESPN on a Friday afternoon) and the World Championship (on ABC on a Saturday afternoon). Now every LL game from the regional semifinals on is on AT LEAST ESPN, with the last three rounds being on ABC in prime time.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I don't think TV is the primary factor in the behavior here, because the Pony League guys are even bigger dickheads than the Little League guys and their games are never on TV.

 

[Gator]

I was having dinner with my girlfriend's family, who live in another part of the region. Her brother asked if I had seen their hometown paper, where on the front page a kid was crying after losing in the regional touranment. He felt it was insensitive.

I explained to him that we get countless, countless calls from parents, coaches, etc., asking for coverage of these kids. I told him that when we do go out to cover the games, we're not there to celebrate them. We're there to cover the story down the middle. If a kid crying paints the picture of what happened on the field, so be it.

I can only assume that they SE at that paper probably field a dozen calls from parents (definitely from the parents of the kid) who were bull****, but I would have done the same thing.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

What kind of scam is this Europe team running? This team from Germany is filled with kids who speak perfect English. They are playing Mexico. One of the Germany kids has a name that would fit in better with Mexico.

 

[Gator]

What kind of scam is this Europe team running? This team from Germany is filled with kids who speak perfect English. They are playing Mexico. One of the Germany kids has a name that would fit in better with Mexico.

It's an Air Force Base, isn't it? Probably a lot of different nationalities.

 

[MileHigh]

What kind of scam is this Europe team running? This team from Germany is filled with kids who speak perfect English. They are playing Mexico. One of the Germany kids has a name that would fit in better with Mexico.

It's an Air Force Base, isn't it? Probably a lot of different nationalities.

Yup, AFB. Been going on for years.

 

[farmerjerome]

Call me wrong if you will, but I'm not going to assist a guy who may or may not realize how bad Jimmy might feel when you type "Jimmy cost us the game," said Coach A-hole.
Everybody who really cares about it knows it. It will be evident in the story. No need to pour gas on the fire.

Agree. I'm not ripping apart a little kid just because a coach is an asshole and made an inflamatory comment. It's not my job to make the coach the story for being an asshole.

I will however, save the quotes if the story develops at a later date to cover my ass. But seriously, these kids aren't high schoolers or adults.

 

[Stitch]

What kind of scam is this Europe team running? This team from Germany is filled with kids who speak perfect English. They are playing Mexico. One of the Germany kids has a name that would fit in better with Mexico.

It's an Air Force Base, isn't it? Probably a lot of different nationalities.

Yup, AFB. Been going on for years.

Kind of like the Saudi Arabia team is the kids of oil workers.

 

[OnTheRiver]

As opposed to the scam that Chinese Taipei still relies on, which is the use of 19-year-olds.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Why the bleep is this televised? Why are there AP wire stories about it? It's 11 and 12-year-olds for Pete's sake. Let kids be kids and not make the coaches into well, whatever.

This is simply an example of TV networks having too much time to fill and too much money to throw around.

I think it's also a matter of corporations that make and/or sell products to families with children wanting to get their brand in front of familes with children, and being willing to pay ESPN oodles of money for the priviledge.

If advertisers weren't willing to buy a sufficient amount of advertising time, ESPN wouldn't do this. It does cost money for ESPN to bring crews and equipment to all of these games, after all.

Hard to believe that, 15 years ago, the only LL games on major TV were the US final (ESPN on a Friday afternoon) and the World Championship (on ABC on a Saturday afternoon). Now every LL game from the regional semifinals on is on AT LEAST ESPN, with the last three rounds being on ABC in prime time.

Heck, I remember when it was just the championship game on Wide World of Sports.

 

[apeman33]

What kind of scam is this Europe team running? This team from Germany is filled with kids who speak perfect English. They are playing Mexico. One of the Germany kids has a name that would fit in better with Mexico.

It's an Air Force Base, isn't it? Probably a lot of different nationalities.

Yup, AFB. Been going on for years.

Essentially, the Europe and "MEA" teams are two extra American teams. But while the U.S. teams only have to beat other U.S. teams to make the finals, the Europe and MEA teams are stuck having to play international powehouses in pool play. And those kids aren't going to be finishing ahead of Japan, Taiwan, the Carribean team or Mexico any time soon.

 

[kingcreole]

What kind of scam is this Europe team running? This team from Germany is filled with kids who speak perfect English. They are playing Mexico. One of the Germany kids has a name that would fit in better with Mexico.

It's an Air Force Base, isn't it? Probably a lot of different nationalities.

Yup, AFB. Been going on for years.

Essentially, the Europe and "MEA" teams are two extra American teams. But while the U.S. teams only have to beat other U.S. teams to make the finals, the Europe and MEA teams are stuck having to play international powehouses in pool play. And those kids aren't going to be finishing ahead of Japan, Taiwan, the Carribean team or Mexico any time soon.

Throw in Puerto Rico, and there are essentially 11 American teams at the LLWS this year.

 

[micropolitan guy]

No surprise at "powerful" Washington losing today after averaging 12 runs against vastly inferior competition at the Northwest Regional for 10 days. They would barely have made it to the semifinals in the West Regional, and would have been hard-pressed to get out of a Southern California sectional, muchless the SoCal finals.

Washington seems to have recoverd quite nicely.