LLWS showtime

[bkbjones]

Originally Posted by Dakota

Look, this is entirely second-hand info, since I haven't watched more than channel-surfing amount of the LLWS (baseball) and none of the LLWS (softball), but from what others have posted here and on the baseball board, it seems that Williamsport has continued down the path of having their umpires be comedy-relief players in thier kid-drama.

Goofy dances and the like between innings are one thing, but now (again, according to what I have read in other posts) they seem to be using Naked Gun as a training film for plate umpire mechanics.

Any comments from anyone who has watched the games? Any comments from anyone with inside knowledge of how LL expects their WS umpires to act & what plate mechanics they expect? Is baseball goofier that softball or are they pretty much the same?

As far as goofiness goes, pretty much the same. The folks here in Kirkland were expected to do the MF Chicken Dance when it came time, and a couple actually participated while I was present (three full days and part of another).

As far as mechanics goes, well, apparently mechanics work at garages but not at the LL Junior World Series.

As far as Frank Drebin goes, I got stuck watching almost all of one TV game the other day (in a waiting room pining for a doctor to get back from the golf course or a triple bypass, I forget which). Gary Thorne and his commentator brought up Leslie Nielsen and his infamous dance. Thorne said something like, "Where have we seen this before at the plate? Naked Gun?"

When the talking heads notice, it's bad.