Quote:
Originally posted by Richardr10
"Little League is really recreational ball"
Tell this to the kids that are trying to get into the Little League World Series. And if you ask me its the only TRUE World Series. So it being "RECREATIONAL" sadly mistaken
|
*******
Somebody is going to be the BEST recreational team. And that's what the Little League World Series determines. Put the BEST competitive team up against the BEST recreational team and I think the difference would be startling. This is especially true if the Little League team is forced to make the myriad of *additional* considerations that they have been protected from making by the very nature of their system of rules.
Hey, I'm not trying to put down the Little League. I think it's a great program! I love baseball and I think anytime kids are out there playing this great game ... it's GREAT!
Kids play T-ball because they really don't have the skills to hit a pitched ball.
Kids play Coach Pitch because the players don't have the skills to pitch, nor do they have the batting skills to hit anything particularly challenging.
I can only imagine WHY leadoffs are not allowed in Little League. Is it because of a similar notion that the pitchers, catchers, and fielders will be overtaxed? The players' baseball skills and instincts have not matured to the point where the game can not be played the way it was intended? That's fine. I accept that.
As long as there is acceptance to the notion that there ARE kids out there who CAN play baseball the way it was intended.
From my personal observations, at 11-yrs-old, it is *NOT* true that a batter walks ... steals 2nd without a play ... steals 3rd standing up ... and then scores on a passed ball.
The Little League World Series has always been rather boring for me. I still watch it ... only because I love to watch ANY kind of baseball. I find myself mostly watching the umpires, though. It's the same thing every year. A few teams happen to be blessed with a dominating pitcher who mows down the opponents because he can throw the ball 70mph. He may even have a curve. They're in the World Series largely on the coat tails of their superstar pitcher, not necessarily because they have a super team in all other respects.
Last year, when my boys were 10-yr-olds, they played in a tournament played under USSSA rules where a few hot shot Dizzy Dean League teams entered the fray. Apparently, there are not leadoffs until the ball crosses the plate, in Dizzy Dean. These kids had to make the adjustment.
Although these little guys were not half bad ball players, it was clear they were completely overwhelmed by the dramatic increase in the complexity of the game. Their pitchers were balking ... their runners were getting picked off and thrown out stealing ... they were falling prey to some of the most basic defensive schemes imagineable (i.e. Fake to third and throw to first) ... and then it all came crumbling down on them. Their pitchers, who I'm sure could normally throw strikes, were so off balance and distracted, could hardly hit the side of a barn. The opposing runners wore their team out. In short, they were a little fish in a big pond.
It was evident their coaches tried to give them a crash course in what to expect ... but it was not enough. You can draw it up on a chalkboard but you still have to EXPERIENCE it. You should have seen what lefthanded pitchers were doing to their runners at first. It was ugly. They'd never seen anything like it unless they've seen it on TV.
One common mistake I noticed they continued to make that I directly attribute to the "Little League" system is that their infielders seemed hell bent on retiring the lead runner on all ground balls. Many of their throws were late causing EVERYBODY to be safe. They were not used to runners getting such a jump on the ball making force plays much more difficult. They were not good at deciding whether it was worth the risk of retiring the lead runner on a close play or going the more sure route of retiring the batter. In their world, retiring the lead runner was fairly simple and routine, considering he basically started ON the base when the ball was hit. They were not used to runners on base getting huge running starts.
Given the opportunity, I'm sure these guys could play great baseball. But they've never had the opportunity ... and it showed. That's when they found out the harsh reality: Up 'til now, they've only been playing pseudo-baseball.