Best Game Ever
 

Was this a worthwhile event? Should kids this age be getting this kind of hype or should the organizers put their efforts towards College baseball? Was it silly of the fans to be asking for the kids' autographs when they are only 10 years old?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nbkb...e=channel_page

Without even watching this video (which I'm not going to watch), I can say unquestionably that it is extremely silly, not to mention pathetic and asinine, to ever ask any 10 year-old child for their autograph, and I don't care if they're Shirley Temple Black.

Watch the video, Steve.

It's like an expansive Candid Camera kind of deal, where they plant endless fans and banners and all the other trappings of a big ballgame and spring it on a bunch of 12-year-olds and their families. And it's right here in Hermosa. It's pretty cool.

But I agree about the autograph thing, except the signed baseball from my CCYB/USSSA 14-year-old club team is a friggin' treasure already, and they're all only about 19 or 20 by now. The team stole it from the box during the national tournament and passed it around behind my back and they all signed it. There's five D-I players and two minor leaguers on that ball.

If the kid @ 3:14 is 10, I'm Shirley Temple. The mound is too high.

It looks like Bronco.

For those of you keeping track of Jim Gray's career....

I think you're right. Bronco has lead-offs (and all the other "real" baseball) and these guys were around 11-12 with a 13 year old at 3:14. He must have been near the cut-off point for age.

It looked like a colossal waste of time, IMO.

Oh, and for the record, I've never been as huge as that plate umpire! Could they have found any larger umpires for this?

When our local Little League team won the Western Region final, and was on it's way to Williamsport, they had a one day fundraiser for the trip. Team posters were made, and the kids set up tables at the field and autographed them.

Luckily, all the local news stations did a live broadcast from the park, and the turnout was pretty good. They raised well into the five figures, and paid for all the families to go. So, sometimes those kids autographs are even worth something.

It may seem to be a little much but everyone there really seemed to be having a good time. As a kid, I would've been thrilled to play in that game. At their age, who didn't dream of playing in a big league game on TV?

It's not the big leagues though. It isn't even professional or college baseball. It's all just roleplaying. The kids can barely hit the ball out of the infield on the fly.

I guess my answer to that is "So what?" Seems like everyone had a good time in a PONY league game.

Here I though I was the board's old curmudgeon.

An organization suprised two youth teams playing a game of ball by gving them a very small taste of what the "bigs" might be like. In all liklihood, these kids will never have that taste again.

This isn't a case of parents doting on and spoiling their kids, Even they were taken by surprise.

This isn't a case of kids demanding that kind of treatment.

This isn't a case of a coach going overboard.

This was just a fun surprise that made the kids' day....perhaps even lifetime.

No harm.

"Lighten up, Francis."

Neither could I when I was 10, but that doesn't mean I wasn't out at the field from sunup to sundown having a great time anytime I got to play baseball.

At least the kids are outside instead of playing video games and scarfing Doritos.

I did manage a Juniors team named the Lugnuts. I always liked shouting "GO NUTS!" or "WE'RE GETTING SCREWED!"

Or skateboarding down a friggin' handrail at the mall!

Okay okay. Pregame ceremonies, an announcer, music, between-innings fan on-field competitions, concession stand and even news coverage would all be fun and even a way for the league to make money. Bringing random people to the game as pretend fans, pretending to be autograph seekers, and pretending to be journalists after the game interviewing the players (they did this too check the Improve Everywhere site) is too much. All the unexpected hype took the players' attention away from the game and made the event everything that was going on around the game, not the game itself. Celebrate it for what it is- kids playing non-MLB baseball.

At that age it did not take much to take my attention away from the game. This was not a high-level "must win" game that the players needed to focus on without distractions.

The idea was for the kids to have fun, and it looks like they did.

I'll bet you don't believe in Santa Claus.

The "bringin random people to the game...etc" was part of the whole package to give the kids a petite feel of what it's like in the bigs. I can't believe you're offended that an organization worked hard to do this for kids they didn't even know. I guess it's true...no good deed goes unpunished.

Is your nickname Eyore by any chance?

I think its just a good time for all the kids enjoy it heck I'd enjoy it to. If they have the type of money to blow on putting something like that together, have at it.

Well I thought the autograph and post-game interview part were cheesy. And that's my opinion, everyone else is free to have their own.

I remember growing in a new way while I was watching an episode of I Dream of Jeannie in 1966. While I never had any hope of someday making it with a genie that looks like Barbara Eden, what was the harm in pretending that I wood ... I mean would?

See what we're saying?

She was hot!!