Showing posts with label world series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world series. Show all posts
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Welcome Back! The 2014 Season is Upon Us!
Hello everyone out there in Little League land, it's your favorite youth baseball blogger, John Malone. We, obviously, won't be kicking into high gear until June, but everyone is hopefully getting outside in the East and Central in the next week or so, and who knows how long you boys and girls have been going already in the South, Southwest, and West.
There's big changes currently in Little League and on the horizon for next year possibly. These rules will fundamentally change the future of Little League Baseball and Softball. It's to be determined if its for better or worse.
What's CURRENT for 2014 -- Well, the big rule is "School Eligibility." As of this year, if you attend school (public or private) inside the boundaries of a league that you don't reside in, you can choose between your home league and your school's league. If Johnny lives in Anytown, but goes to school in Cityville, he can choose to play in Anytown Little League OR Cityville Little League. It certainly opens a can of worms. There are many reasons for this rule change. Some of them are international, some of them are so kids can play with their school friends, and others are potentially because it will make some tournament teams stronger.
What's ON TAP for 2015 -- The biggest rule change that will be voted on this month for NEXT season is the brand new birthday. For years, the age cutoff was always July 31. If you turned 13 on that day or before, you were considered a 13 year old and couldn't play. In 2006, Little League changed its birthday date to coincide with USA Baseball and moved it BACKWARDS, making kids a few months older than they were. A few months meant much bigger kids because we all know that puberty is fickle at this age group. So, what's happening for 2015 potentially? The is now going FORWARD, all the way to December 31st. This means that if you turn 13 at any point in the calendar year... you are 13 for Little League. This makes everyone in the organization much younger now as opposed to older. Quote-unquote 12-year olds are done with the small field if this passes. Little League's "Williamsport" division will be mostly true 11-year olds. This will help the new 50/70 division which was ridiculously bad because it had glorified 14 years olds playing on 220-foot fields.
One of the big problems I've heard from all around the country with this new rule, however, is that one age group will be grandfathered in, but after that, it will be official. None of us are stupid. We all know that successful tournament teams start playing together as early as 8, and definitely at age 9 and 10. Well those teams that already started gearing up for Williamsport runs three years in advance are now defunct. They will be broken up. Some will say the "grandfather" rule needs to start somewhere, but most coaches/parents (granted they are in that bracket that will be cut up), think it should be set 3-5 years in advance, so nobody that's already played in tournaments together will be affected.
BLOG NOTES: Anyone that wants to write for the blog this year (preferably outside the East Region where I and others are located) please email me with your ideas and some writing samples. I'd love to have you. We had a monster year last year. Let's blow it out of the water.
We will have our radio show back once again this year, but we will start it much earlier in the tournament. I was approached by the station last year a little too late for it to get established. We had a great audience for it though and the station is excited.
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Tuesday, July 30, 2013
East Greenwich Proves Best, Wins NJ State Title
Read about East Greenwich's previous games: NJ State Tournament Preview, East Greenwich Steals Victory, and Shocking Results in New Jersey
East Greenwich was not supposed to win the New Jersey state title if you believed... well me. Coming from South Jersey, the Section 4 champion is instantly the underdog once you get to the state final four. Nobody from Section 4 has won the state championship at the Little League majors level since South Vineland in 1991. That's a streak of 21 years.
The streak is over.
Even as the unbeaten team in the state championship game against Toms River East American, it felt like East Greenwich was an underdog. From the first inning, they didn't play like it. Five first-inning hits including RBI doubles from Hunter Kelly and Jonathon Burlingame pushed East Greenwich to a 4-2 victory. Josh Crowding added an RBI single in the decisive first inning as well. Before anyone at Wallingford Little League could get a Philly Cheesesteak from the concession stand, it was 4-0 East Greenwich.
Toms River was immediately forced into survival mode and went to its most effective starting pitcher in the last couple weeks, Dougie Pombo. The right-hander allowed just four more hits to East Greenwich and struck out six batters in 5 1/3 innings of relief, but the offense couldn't make the difference.
East Greenwich's defense helped its pitching-by-committee efforts with stellar defensive plays from the word go. Burlingame orchestrated two fantastic double plays and Miller and Shawn Dougherty took away sure-fire hits while roaming the outfield.
Toms River loaded the bases in the fourth but couldn't push a run across after a single by Maximus Rivas with two men on base. Finally in the fifth, TRE made its move. Pombo led off with a line drive home run to left field which sent the players and fans from the shore into frenzied chants of "Battle Sword," the nickname for Pombo's bat.
In the sixth inning, Jonny Munson led off with a double. He eventually scored on a Rivas grounder, but a Burlingame double play on the ball took a lot of wind out of Toms River's sails. TRE still didn't go away though. Nick Silvia and Pombo both singled with two outs. Danny Clemente ripped a line drive to right field, but it was caught and East Greenwich celebrated.
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East Greenwich was not supposed to win the New Jersey state title if you believed... well me. Coming from South Jersey, the Section 4 champion is instantly the underdog once you get to the state final four. Nobody from Section 4 has won the state championship at the Little League majors level since South Vineland in 1991. That's a streak of 21 years.
The streak is over.
Even as the unbeaten team in the state championship game against Toms River East American, it felt like East Greenwich was an underdog. From the first inning, they didn't play like it. Five first-inning hits including RBI doubles from Hunter Kelly and Jonathon Burlingame pushed East Greenwich to a 4-2 victory. Josh Crowding added an RBI single in the decisive first inning as well. Before anyone at Wallingford Little League could get a Philly Cheesesteak from the concession stand, it was 4-0 East Greenwich.
Toms River was immediately forced into survival mode and went to its most effective starting pitcher in the last couple weeks, Dougie Pombo. The right-hander allowed just four more hits to East Greenwich and struck out six batters in 5 1/3 innings of relief, but the offense couldn't make the difference.
East Greenwich's defense helped its pitching-by-committee efforts with stellar defensive plays from the word go. Burlingame orchestrated two fantastic double plays and Miller and Shawn Dougherty took away sure-fire hits while roaming the outfield.
Toms River loaded the bases in the fourth but couldn't push a run across after a single by Maximus Rivas with two men on base. Finally in the fifth, TRE made its move. Pombo led off with a line drive home run to left field which sent the players and fans from the shore into frenzied chants of "Battle Sword," the nickname for Pombo's bat.
In the sixth inning, Jonny Munson led off with a double. He eventually scored on a Rivas grounder, but a Burlingame double play on the ball took a lot of wind out of Toms River's sails. TRE still didn't go away though. Nick Silvia and Pombo both singled with two outs. Danny Clemente ripped a line drive to right field, but it was caught and East Greenwich celebrated.
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Saturday, July 27, 2013
Westport Comes From Behind, Takes Game 1 Over Coginchaug
Written by John Malone, editor
It took Westport an inning to play the type of baseball it's used to playing, but once the initial miscues were out of its system, typical Westport was back.
After a bloop single, two-base error, and a big hit, Westport found itself in a 2-0 hole. Starting pitcher Chad Knight never buckled and dominated Coginchaug for 5 2/3 innings. The hard-throwing and crafty righty struck out an incredible 14 batters giving up no earned runs and allowing five hits (only two of which left the infield).
Knight used a dipping slider to get the Coginchaug hitters waving at pitches most of the day. Coupled with his great fastball, it was pretty academic that Westport wouldn't allow another run after the first inning.
It wasn't until Coginchaug's defense slipped in the fourth inning that Westport was able to take control of the game. A leadoff singly by Charlie Roof and a pair of errors cut the deficit to one run. Chris Drbal came through with an opposite field double to score two more runs to give Westport the lead for good. Max Popken lasted a two-run home run in the next at-bat to increase the lead to 5-2.
In the fifth inning, Westport loaded the bases with two infield singles and a beautiful bunt single by Ricky Offenberg before Charlie Rogers ripped one off the first baseman to score two more. A passed ball allowed the final run to come across.
In the sixth inning, Harry Azadian came on after Knight reached his pitch count on his first walk of the day. It took Azadian three pitches to strike out the 15th Coginchaug batter and give Westport a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 is at Southington South LL on Sunday.
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It took Westport an inning to play the type of baseball it's used to playing, but once the initial miscues were out of its system, typical Westport was back.
After a bloop single, two-base error, and a big hit, Westport found itself in a 2-0 hole. Starting pitcher Chad Knight never buckled and dominated Coginchaug for 5 2/3 innings. The hard-throwing and crafty righty struck out an incredible 14 batters giving up no earned runs and allowing five hits (only two of which left the infield).
Knight used a dipping slider to get the Coginchaug hitters waving at pitches most of the day. Coupled with his great fastball, it was pretty academic that Westport wouldn't allow another run after the first inning.
It wasn't until Coginchaug's defense slipped in the fourth inning that Westport was able to take control of the game. A leadoff singly by Charlie Roof and a pair of errors cut the deficit to one run. Chris Drbal came through with an opposite field double to score two more runs to give Westport the lead for good. Max Popken lasted a two-run home run in the next at-bat to increase the lead to 5-2.
In the fifth inning, Westport loaded the bases with two infield singles and a beautiful bunt single by Ricky Offenberg before Charlie Rogers ripped one off the first baseman to score two more. A passed ball allowed the final run to come across.
In the sixth inning, Harry Azadian came on after Knight reached his pitch count on his first walk of the day. It took Azadian three pitches to strike out the 15th Coginchaug batter and give Westport a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 is at Southington South LL on Sunday.
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Thursday, July 18, 2013
NY S4: Pearl River Completes Unparalleled Rally
Written by John Malone, editor
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Pearl River starter Jack McKee settled down and
shut the big bats of New Rochelle down in the third and fourth innings as PRLL
slowly made its way back cutting the deficit to 7-4 on an RBI single from
Flaherty and a solo home run by McKee.
New Rochelle exploded for five more runs in the fifth on home runs from Jack Bruckner and Ryan Diaz. In the sixth inning, New Rochelle hit its sixth home run of the game off the bat of Ceasar Choflet. It was the 16th home run in the last three games for the sluggers from the Queen City.
It wasn’t enough to knock out the resilient boys from Pearl River.
Pearl River now travels to Lockport, NY for the state tournament. As the Section 4 champions, Pearl River receives a first-round bye in the double elimination tournament and will face the winner of Auburn and Horseheads on Wednesday. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, South Shore American (Staten Island), and the Long Island champion (Massapequa Coast/Smithtown National winner) will round out the field.
The Pearl River All-Stars will be LIVE on the air for the first-ever edition of Little League Insider Radio broadcast on AM 1230 WFAS at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The show will be broadcast from Emmett’s Castle in Pearl River. You can listen online at wfasam.com.
Notes: New Rochelle's offense over the last week has been some of the most impressive hitting I've ever seen. I can't think of an offense as deep and as powerful in New York since possibly 2002's Harlem team. The Rodopoulus twins & company were the real deal. Losing their first game hurt them pitching-wise and they couldn't close it out. They have nothing to hang their head about.
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In 2011, Pearl River’s 10-year olds won a Section 4 championship
and advanced to the state tournament. To get there, they needed an 11-run
miracle rally in the sixth inning to beat Harrison in the “if” game.
Two years later, Pearl River needed another one.
Trailing New Rochelle Central 13-4 in the Section 4 championship "if" game, Pearl River rallied once again and stunned New Rochelle with 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth. Sean Flaherty blasted an opposite field walk-off grand slam with
two outs in the sixth to win the game.
The rally started with a walk to Sean Byman and a pair of
New Rochelle errors. Then, the hit parade began. Jonathon Farley, Antonio
Rinaldi, Brendan Tarsnane, Jack McKee, and Matt Russo had consecutive singles
to cut the lead to 13-9 with no outs. With one out, Byman walked again this
time bringing in a run. Finally, with two outs and the bases loaded Flaherty’s
big moment came.
New Rochelle jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first
inning started by a leadoff home run from Jayson Rodopoulus. Pearl River
answered with a pair of runs spearheaded by an RBI double from Farley and an
RBI groundout from Tarsnane.
New Rochelle’s bats kept the pressure on. Jayson Rodopoulus deposited another home run over the wall, his ninth of the tournament. His twin brother, Johnnie Rodopoulus added another four-bagger, his sixth of the tournament.
New Rochelle’s bats kept the pressure on. Jayson Rodopoulus deposited another home run over the wall, his ninth of the tournament. His twin brother, Johnnie Rodopoulus added another four-bagger, his sixth of the tournament.
New Rochelle exploded for five more runs in the fifth on home runs from Jack Bruckner and Ryan Diaz. In the sixth inning, New Rochelle hit its sixth home run of the game off the bat of Ceasar Choflet. It was the 16th home run in the last three games for the sluggers from the Queen City.
It wasn’t enough to knock out the resilient boys from Pearl River.
Pearl River now travels to Lockport, NY for the state tournament. As the Section 4 champions, Pearl River receives a first-round bye in the double elimination tournament and will face the winner of Auburn and Horseheads on Wednesday. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, South Shore American (Staten Island), and the Long Island champion (Massapequa Coast/Smithtown National winner) will round out the field.
The Pearl River All-Stars will be LIVE on the air for the first-ever edition of Little League Insider Radio broadcast on AM 1230 WFAS at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The show will be broadcast from Emmett’s Castle in Pearl River. You can listen online at wfasam.com.
Notes: New Rochelle's offense over the last week has been some of the most impressive hitting I've ever seen. I can't think of an offense as deep and as powerful in New York since possibly 2002's Harlem team. The Rodopoulus twins & company were the real deal. Losing their first game hurt them pitching-wise and they couldn't close it out. They have nothing to hang their head about.
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Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Nearly the Home Stretch (July 17, 2013)
Written by John Malone, editor
We're almost into that point of the international tournament where every state is in the final stages. A few states have wrapped up already like Utah and Alabama, others will kick their tournaments off this weekend, and the bigger states will wind down next week.
Connecticut
The sectionals began in Connecticut today and the bats were out. Bristol Edgewood bashed six home runs in four innings against Stamford National. Stamford ALSO bashed six home runs in the game. It was too little too late for the Nats though as Edgewood had an 11-0 lead in the third inning. Stamford responded with a five-spot, but Edgewood added 12 more runs in the fourth to put the game away. Both teams conserved pitching obviously.
Now, Edgewood faces Westport in a potential matchup of the two best teams in the state. Orange beat Seymour and awaits the winner in the winners bracket final.
Maine
Acadians won the District 1 championship in dramatic fashion this week. In a tie game in the bottom of the sixth, Drew Shea hit a leadoff single. He advanced to third on a double by Jacob Mitchell. Ellsworth, making the correct baseball move of an intentional walk failed to do so properly, and Shea scored from third to win the district title and advance to the state tournament.
Virginia
West Springfield American won its district for the third time in a row when it beat league-mates West Springfield National 11-1 in the final. They will look to defend their 11-year old state championship in Lynchburg next week. The schedule isn’t easy. WSA will face Bridgewater, the team that beat them in the 10-year old state championship game.
Fairfax National won its first district championship since 2002 with a 7-0 victory over SYA East.
Alabama
We're almost into that point of the international tournament where every state is in the final stages. A few states have wrapped up already like Utah and Alabama, others will kick their tournaments off this weekend, and the bigger states will wind down next week.
Connecticut
The sectionals began in Connecticut today and the bats were out. Bristol Edgewood bashed six home runs in four innings against Stamford National. Stamford ALSO bashed six home runs in the game. It was too little too late for the Nats though as Edgewood had an 11-0 lead in the third inning. Stamford responded with a five-spot, but Edgewood added 12 more runs in the fourth to put the game away. Both teams conserved pitching obviously.
Now, Edgewood faces Westport in a potential matchup of the two best teams in the state. Orange beat Seymour and awaits the winner in the winners bracket final.
Maine
Acadians won the District 1 championship in dramatic fashion this week. In a tie game in the bottom of the sixth, Drew Shea hit a leadoff single. He advanced to third on a double by Jacob Mitchell. Ellsworth, making the correct baseball move of an intentional walk failed to do so properly, and Shea scored from third to win the district title and advance to the state tournament.
Virginia
West Springfield American won its district for the third time in a row when it beat league-mates West Springfield National 11-1 in the final. They will look to defend their 11-year old state championship in Lynchburg next week. The schedule isn’t easy. WSA will face Bridgewater, the team that beat them in the 10-year old state championship game.
Fairfax National won its first district championship since 2002 with a 7-0 victory over SYA East.
Alabama
Jackson beat former United States champion Phenix City in
the state championship game to advance to the Southeast regional tournament in
Warner Robins, GA. Jackson won the state championship in 2009, its only title. EJ
Jackson and Dylon Thomas hit back-to-back home runs in the championship game.
Fort Worth Westside hasn’t won a section title in Texas West since 2002. That season, Westside went all the way to the United States semifinals losing one of the most memorable games of all-time, a pitcher’s duel between Aaron Alvey and Walker Kelly. The two pitchers combined for 40 strikeouts and both pitched nine innings (Yes it was a different time back then!). Anyway, like that team, this Westside squad has faced elimination early and often but continues to persevere. Read a great article about the connections and memories of the two teams HERE.
Delaware
Millsboro won the District 3 championship from the losers’ bracket with a 7-1 victory over Lewes. Javon Toppin was masterful on the mound, completely shutting down Lewes’ offense and striking out 10. Millsboro won six games in eight days after dropping the first game of the tournament.
Canal battled back to the championship game in District 2 with a victory to try and get a crack at Newark National, the two-time defending 12-year old state champions.
In District 1, Camden-Wyoming has advanced to the winners’ bracket final with a pair of strong victories including a 15-0 win over Smyrna-Clayton. In a 7-3 win over Milford in the tournament opener, Tommy Pomatto struck out 14 batters. The team hit three home runs in the win.
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As the World Turns: Little League Edition (July 16, 2013)
Written by John Malone, editor
Pennsylvania
We have a couple stops to make in the Keystone state, and it begins with…. Keystone. The team to watch in Pennsylvania proved it some more tonight with a 25-2 victory in the Section 3 championship game. This team scores runs like no other in the country right now. The state tournament should not be as easy. Warwick Twp was the team last year doing that to everyone and they faltered in states. We shall see what Keystone does.
We have a couple stops to make in the Keystone state, and it begins with…. Keystone. The team to watch in Pennsylvania proved it some more tonight with a 25-2 victory in the Section 3 championship game. This team scores runs like no other in the country right now. The state tournament should not be as easy. Warwick Twp was the team last year doing that to everyone and they faltered in states. We shall see what Keystone does.
Now, we move onto my pet peeve of all pet peeves. Pool Play.
I absolutely hate single-division pool play. In the regionals, they shouldn't
have semifinals. It should just be a championship and in every single other level of play it
should be outlawed when followed by single elimination. Read previous rants on
the subject HERE and HERE to show how long I've been saying this and why. On to
2013… DuBois outscored its opponents in Section 1 47-4 in three games.
The other three teams all went 1-2. For some reason, one of those teams deserved
to play a championship game. After an injury to the starting catcher and 13
walks, DuBois’ season ended with a 10-8 loss. It’s really a shame. Rant over
until the next victim of poor scheduling.
Texas
Sweeny beat perennial Texas East power Lamar National in districts and instantly became a team on the radar. They easily rolled through sectionals and now head to the state tournament. They beat Halletsville 12-2 on Monday night in the championship game. Here’s a team photo for those of you who like to analyze team size.
Texas
Sweeny beat perennial Texas East power Lamar National in districts and instantly became a team on the radar. They easily rolled through sectionals and now head to the state tournament. They beat Halletsville 12-2 on Monday night in the championship game. Here’s a team photo for those of you who like to analyze team size.
Georgia
Warner Robins American is back in the state tournament for the millionth time and I’m sure they’re the favorite. They lost in the regional final a season ago and return one player from that team. The coaching staff continues to be very similar year after year. It’s one of the reasons WRALL continues to be so consistent. Everyone wanting to play there is probably another one. Another famous Georgia name is in the tournament and that’s Columbus Northern, the 2006 LLWS champions.
Sherman Oaks reached another step towards a berth in the West Regional with an 8-0 victory over Burbank. Noah Taylor didn’t allow a hit through 5 2/3 innings, but couldn’t finish the game due to pitch count. SOLL broke the game open with a big five-run fourth inning fueled by three home runs.
New York
We’re down to the final 12 teams in New York with section finals wrapping up by Friday. The 6-team state tournament begins next week. Auburn won Section 1 with three wins in three days in single elimination. They’ll have nearly 10 days off. Why they needed only three days for sectionals is beyond me.
Horseheads will face New Hartford in the Section 2 final on Wednesday. Horseheads has dominated the entire tournament but trailed 1-0 on Tuesday for the first time. They responded with an 11-2 win. Burnt Hills is the favorite in Section 3, but faces the best program in its section for the title, Colonie. Pearl River is a heavy favorite in the Section 4 championship game which is also Wednesday against New Rochelle Central. In Section 5, South Shore American awaits a challenger for its final on Thursday, and in Long Island’s Section 6, Massapequa Coast dominated pool play and will take its chances in a single elimination final against Smithtown National on Friday. Coast is potentially the state tournament favorite.
Radio Show
As most of you know, we dropped some big news today. We'll be hosting a one-hour radio show about the Little League tournament throughout the country on Sundays at 1pm, starting this week. The show will be available LIVE on WFAS 1230 News/Talk AM radio in New York and LIVE online at www.wfasam.com. They have an iHeart Radio station, and we'll have the recorded shows right here on the blog, so make sure you tune in and give us a call.
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Thursday, August 9, 2012
Little League East Region: Day 6 (Plus Semifinal Previews!)
Par-Troy East (NJ) 9, West Salisbury (MD) 1
New Jersey got back into the winning ways today behind some big hits from catcher, Anthony Scannelli. PTE's clean-up hitter did just that today with six RBI including a grand slam that broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth inning. David Ton was great in relief today and Bener Uygen continues to look great on the mound.
The tournament is incredibly unpredictable so far. It seems like every team has pitchers that can shut down anyone in the bracket, but the drop off after that opens the flood gates. For instance, Maryland was in pitching duels for both of its two losses before getting blown out late due to pitching changes.
Collier Township (PA) 7, Stony Point (NY) 2
Another game that was tight throughout but pitching was the difference late. Collier led Stony Point 3-2 in the fifth inning when Pennsylvania was forced to make a pitching change. New York loaded the bases but couldn't capitalize. Collier meanwhile proved they belonged in the semifinals by feasting on New York's bullpen and capped the explosion with a grand slam from Nick Serafino.
Scarborough (ME) 3, Bedford (NH) 0
Another game that was tight throughout but pitching was the difference late. Collier led Stony Point 3-2 in the fifth inning when Pennsylvania was forced to make a pitching change. New York loaded the bases but couldn't capitalize. Collier meanwhile proved they belonged in the semifinals by feasting on New York's bullpen and capped the explosion with a grand slam from Nick Serafino.
Scarborough (ME) 3, Bedford (NH) 0
I predicted winless Maine to come out with a win here because they'd have their ace on the mound and couldn't make the semifinals. That's basically how it went, although I expected both teams to hit more. Bedford's been bitten by the injury bug the last two games and really need Alec Burns back in the lineup. New Hampshire has struggled mightily without him.
Fairfield American (CT) 9, Wellesley South (MA) 2
Connecticut's string of mercy-rule victories was stopped at two, but the three-time state champions from Fairfield American still had an easy win against Massachusetts. Biagio Paoletta continued to tear the cover off the ball and whoever Connecticut sticks on the mound continues to shut down quality opponents. If Connecticut doesn't win the region, New England will be in big trouble.
East Rankings Through Wednesday
1. Connecticut (4-0)
2. Delaware (3-1)
3. New Jersey (3-1)
4. Pennsylvania (2-2)
5. Massachusetts (2-2)
6. New Hampshire (2-2)
7. Maryland (2-2)
8. Maine (1-3)
9. New York (1-3)
10. Vermont (2-2)
11. Rhode Island (1-3)
12. Washington D.C. (1-3)
Random Thoughts: Finally the semifinals are here. Take a look at those records above. Is this the most parity of all time? It might be. The top three teams in the East are definitely better than the rest, but anyone can beat anyone. It's really strange. I think anyone can win the Mid-Atlantic but Delaware would be the best representative with New Jersey a close second. Pennsylvania and Maryland both have ability to pitch themselves to the title, but wouldn't be a great fit for Williamsport.
On the New England side, it's Connecticut or bust. Fairfield was the best team in 2010 and won the region. They were one of the two best teams in 2011 but got upset. Now, they're the best team by far. They have the pitching and hitting to handle anyone they face.
On the New England side, it's Connecticut or bust. Fairfield was the best team in 2010 and won the region. They were one of the two best teams in 2011 but got upset. Now, they're the best team by far. They have the pitching and hitting to handle anyone they face.
Homerun Meter: 27
Strikeout Meter: 280
Prediction Record: 3-1 (Overall 16-8)
Predictions & Previews
#3 Bedford, NH (2-2) vs. #2 Wellesley South, MA (2-2)
New Hampshire comes into this game with a two-game losing streak and sometimes that's tough to swallow even when you weren't "trying" to win those games. Both teams should be starting their top pitchers in this one, Grant Lavigne for New Hampshire and Billy Seidl for Massachusetts. The two pitchers also happen to be their team's best hitters. Seidl has been hitting the ball hard all week long even when he makes an out. Lavigne has found himself in pitcher's counts and has been defensive at the plate. He needs to breakout for New Hampshire to have a chance. The status of slugger Alec Burns is also unknown for New Hampshire. That's certainly been a hole in the lineup the past two games.
With the parity in the region this year, this is a tough game to call. Just a few days ago it looked like New Hampshire clearly the better team in this match up, but Wellesley has looked pretty solid as of late. With Seidl on the mound, I'm going with Massachusetts in a slight upset.
Wellesley South 5, Bedford 3.
Predictions & Previews
#3 Bedford, NH (2-2) vs. #2 Wellesley South, MA (2-2)
New Hampshire comes into this game with a two-game losing streak and sometimes that's tough to swallow even when you weren't "trying" to win those games. Both teams should be starting their top pitchers in this one, Grant Lavigne for New Hampshire and Billy Seidl for Massachusetts. The two pitchers also happen to be their team's best hitters. Seidl has been hitting the ball hard all week long even when he makes an out. Lavigne has found himself in pitcher's counts and has been defensive at the plate. He needs to breakout for New Hampshire to have a chance. The status of slugger Alec Burns is also unknown for New Hampshire. That's certainly been a hole in the lineup the past two games.
With the parity in the region this year, this is a tough game to call. Just a few days ago it looked like New Hampshire clearly the better team in this match up, but Wellesley has looked pretty solid as of late. With Seidl on the mound, I'm going with Massachusetts in a slight upset.
Wellesley South 5, Bedford 3.
#4 South Burlington, VT (2-2) vs. #1 Fairfield American, CT (4-0)
This is one of those potential trap games for Connecticut. Back in 2001, Yalesville CT steamrolled through the region and met up with a number four seed from Vermont... the team? South Burlington. Vermont had backed into the semis that year and lost handily to Connecticut. South Burlington pulled off one of the biggest upsets I've ever seen. This year, Fairfield beat South Burlington 17-1. Vermont's biggest problem for this game is pitching. Sam Premsagar is serviceable and the probably starter, but not having Tate or Sheridan available certainly hurts South Burlington.
Connecticut has the ability to start any of their top three starters in Ryan Meury, Will Lucas, or Matt Kubel. With Matty Clarkin ineligible for the remainder of the tournament, Connecticut will look to keep at least two of these pitchers eligible for the final. I honestly can't project who Fairfield will start because any of the three makes sense. Kubel, the number three pitcher, was very good against Vermont the last time he faced them and could get the start again. Lucas came in the game late and struck out the side in one inning. Meury hasn't seen work since the opening night. There's a chance all three could see action. No matter who starts though, I think the end result is inevitable. Another mercy-rule shortened victory.
Fairfield American 12, South Burlington 1
Connecticut has the ability to start any of their top three starters in Ryan Meury, Will Lucas, or Matt Kubel. With Matty Clarkin ineligible for the remainder of the tournament, Connecticut will look to keep at least two of these pitchers eligible for the final. I honestly can't project who Fairfield will start because any of the three makes sense. Kubel, the number three pitcher, was very good against Vermont the last time he faced them and could get the start again. Lucas came in the game late and struck out the side in one inning. Meury hasn't seen work since the opening night. There's a chance all three could see action. No matter who starts though, I think the end result is inevitable. Another mercy-rule shortened victory.
Fairfield American 12, South Burlington 1
Sunday, August 5, 2012
2012 Little League East Region: Day 2
West Salisbury (MD) 5, Newark National (DE) 4
Maryland opened its tournament behind one of the more heroic individual performances. Grayson Winterbottom drove a fastball the opposite way for a 3-run homerun in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game 3-3 with Delaware. Newark National did the best thing you could do in a situation like that though. They answered back with a run. Winterbottom wasn't finished though. With a runner on, Delaware brought their ace in to face the dominant slugger in the bottom of the fifth inning, but it was no use. Winterbottom crushed a line drive well into the trees in left field for the lead. Finally, with one out in the sixth, Winterbottom came in for the two-out save against Delaware's best hitters. He easily handled them and picked up a victory for Maryland in their first game. Delaware fell to 1-1 in pool play. It was Newark National's first loss in pool play in the last two regional tournaments.
Maryland and Delaware are interesting teams. Both have very good pitching depth, and both have some huge hitters. Besides Winterbottom on Maryland, nobody else between these two teams is hitting. Nobody on Delaware has more than two hits total in two games.
Maryland and Delaware are interesting teams. Both have very good pitching depth, and both have some huge hitters. Besides Winterbottom on Maryland, nobody else between these two teams is hitting. Nobody on Delaware has more than two hits total in two games.
Wellesley South (MA) 5, Scarborough (ME) 4 (F/7)
Maine jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead by the top of the third inning, but committed one of the cardinal sins of regional tournaments. It was a two-part failure. They got too cute with their pitching in a game they were winning and they forgot they were from Maine. When a state like Maine is beating one of the "big four" of the New England region, they need to remember it doesn't happen often. By playing for future games, Maine may have cost themselves a trip to the semifinals. Maine misses Vermont. The chance for a win somewhere else is slimmer than they probably realize. I guess you live and you learn. Maybe they'll pull one out somewhere.
Anyway, Massachusetts (which seems to produce small teams a lot) never gave up and got three big runs back in the third inning. Darrald Webb had an RBI-single and Bo Picking knocked in two more with a double to get the Wellesley South boys back in it. Massachusetts, which curiously didn't start their number one, brought him (Billy Seidl) in to pitch the final 4 2/3 innings. He didn't allow a run and struck out seven. Wellesley tied the game in the fifth with an RBI-single from Michael Bomes and scratched the game-winning run across in the seventh with a walk and a single and a tough error to end it.
Par-Troy East (NJ) 4, Collier Township (PA) 3
In the third game of the day, the script continued to stay the same. The home team got down early and came back to win it late by a single run. Pennsylvania scored three runs in the top of the first inning on three hits including a double by Zach Rohaley and an RBI double by Greyden Piechnick. Collier seemed to be feasting on Bener Uygen's pitching from New Jersey. PTE, known for its explosive power, flexed its muscles with the first swing of the bat from Emil Matti. The athletic SS/P hit the brand-new Breen Field scoreboard with a line drive well over 250' away. He leads the region with two homeruns so far. A walk and a single by Uygen gave New Jersey even more life. Anthony Scanelli hit a single through the middle, but a great throw from Caysen O'Keefe in CF cut a run down at the plate easily. A base-running blunder at 1B turned a single with nobody out into a double play. The inning ended with just the homerun.
What seemed like a potential slugfest (and what I predicted would happen) turned into a pitcher's duel. Uygen got stronger and threw harder. He only allowed two singles after the tough first inning in 3 2/3 innings. Rohaley, the Penn. starter didn't allow another hit after Scanelli's single, but that ugly thing called over-thinking came back around. Pennsylvania decided to go to their #2 pitcher for pitch count reasons. He gave up the second run with a double by Kyle Phillips. He was lifted for pitch count reasons to go to the #3 pitcher and the top of the order in the bottom of the fifth. It felt like a bad idea right away. Matti ripped a single, Dan Ruggiero found a hole for a single and Uygen brought it full circle with an RBI-single to tie the game. David Ton sealed the deal with a hit scoring Uygen and New Jersey went on to win.
Fairfield American (CT) 17, South Burlington (VT) 1 (F/4)
Anyway, Massachusetts (which seems to produce small teams a lot) never gave up and got three big runs back in the third inning. Darrald Webb had an RBI-single and Bo Picking knocked in two more with a double to get the Wellesley South boys back in it. Massachusetts, which curiously didn't start their number one, brought him (Billy Seidl) in to pitch the final 4 2/3 innings. He didn't allow a run and struck out seven. Wellesley tied the game in the fifth with an RBI-single from Michael Bomes and scratched the game-winning run across in the seventh with a walk and a single and a tough error to end it.
Par-Troy East (NJ) 4, Collier Township (PA) 3
In the third game of the day, the script continued to stay the same. The home team got down early and came back to win it late by a single run. Pennsylvania scored three runs in the top of the first inning on three hits including a double by Zach Rohaley and an RBI double by Greyden Piechnick. Collier seemed to be feasting on Bener Uygen's pitching from New Jersey. PTE, known for its explosive power, flexed its muscles with the first swing of the bat from Emil Matti. The athletic SS/P hit the brand-new Breen Field scoreboard with a line drive well over 250' away. He leads the region with two homeruns so far. A walk and a single by Uygen gave New Jersey even more life. Anthony Scanelli hit a single through the middle, but a great throw from Caysen O'Keefe in CF cut a run down at the plate easily. A base-running blunder at 1B turned a single with nobody out into a double play. The inning ended with just the homerun.
What seemed like a potential slugfest (and what I predicted would happen) turned into a pitcher's duel. Uygen got stronger and threw harder. He only allowed two singles after the tough first inning in 3 2/3 innings. Rohaley, the Penn. starter didn't allow another hit after Scanelli's single, but that ugly thing called over-thinking came back around. Pennsylvania decided to go to their #2 pitcher for pitch count reasons. He gave up the second run with a double by Kyle Phillips. He was lifted for pitch count reasons to go to the #3 pitcher and the top of the order in the bottom of the fifth. It felt like a bad idea right away. Matti ripped a single, Dan Ruggiero found a hole for a single and Uygen brought it full circle with an RBI-single to tie the game. David Ton sealed the deal with a hit scoring Uygen and New Jersey went on to win.
Fairfield American (CT) 17, South Burlington (VT) 1 (F/4)
Connecticut jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a first-inning homerun (off the scoreboard again) by Will Lucas and never really looked back. Vermont continued to get base runners with the softest hits and plays ever in the second and third innings and even broke through for a run to make it 3-1 heading into the fourth inning. Vermont's lack of depth, and Connecticut's abundance of it would not be denied however. Fairfield sent 19 batters to the plate and scored 14 runs in the fourth to win easily. Lucas finished 3-for-3 with five RBI and two doubles. Matt Kubel hit a 3-run homerun, Michael Ghiorzi added two hits including a double, and Biagio Paoletta was 2-for-3 with three RBI in the victory.
I tweeted during the game that Connecticut needed to prove itself more on offense. I still believe that. I've seen them more than anyone in the regional except for Stony Point (NY) and their offense is extremely streaky. Anyone on the team is capable of hitting one out or driving in runs with singles, but they go cold a lot. I think they'll win a weak regional, but to continue to be successful, the offense needs more consistency. The fourth inning was a good start though.
East Region Team Rankings through Day 2
1. Connecticut (2-0)
I tweeted during the game that Connecticut needed to prove itself more on offense. I still believe that. I've seen them more than anyone in the regional except for Stony Point (NY) and their offense is extremely streaky. Anyone on the team is capable of hitting one out or driving in runs with singles, but they go cold a lot. I think they'll win a weak regional, but to continue to be successful, the offense needs more consistency. The fourth inning was a good start though.
East Region Team Rankings through Day 2
1. Connecticut (2-0)
2. New Jersey (2-0)
3. New York (0-1)
4. Pennsylvania (0-1)
5. Rhode Island (0-1)
6. Maryland (1-0)
7. New Hampshire (1-0)
8. Delaware (1-1)
9. Massachusetts (1-0)
10. Maine (0-1)
11. Vermont (0-2)
12. Washington D.C. (0-1)
Random Thoughts: I'm usually a proponent of "winning the tournament is more important than winning the game." In pool play though, with bunched up games and single-elimination semifinals lurking, you HAVE to win your first game if its winnable. Two wins almost always gets you in the crossover, and a victory early means those pitchers can come back sooner, usually in game four if necessary or hopefully just the semifinal. By trying to keep your pitchers eligible for games two and three of pool play AND losing, you're putting yourself in a big hole. Sure, you have the ability to win those middle games now, but they became even more important and you're one, two, or three days closer to the semifinal now. You're potentially going to burn your starters in those middle games when you could have burned them in game one instead. To me, it's a no-brainer. Win game 1 with your guy if you can. It's a huge advantage.
Homerun Meter: 8
Homerun Meter: 8
Strikeout Meter: 105
Prediction Record: 3-1 (6-2 overall)
Sunday's Predictions: Rhode Island over Maine 5-2, Maryland over DC 7-2, Mass over Vermont 10-4, and New York over Delaware 5-1.
Sunday's Predictions: Rhode Island over Maine 5-2, Maryland over DC 7-2, Mass over Vermont 10-4, and New York over Delaware 5-1.
If you'd like game updates as they happen (and you don't have the LL site to be checking on), follow me on Twitter: @LittleLeaguePro
If you have questions, comments, thoughts, etc... please add a comment below or just ask on twitter. Also, if you have blog ideas for each day of the tournament, please let me know. I'll be getting into some other regions as the weekend goes on and we know more about the teams.
If you have questions, comments, thoughts, etc... please add a comment below or just ask on twitter. Also, if you have blog ideas for each day of the tournament, please let me know. I'll be getting into some other regions as the weekend goes on and we know more about the teams.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
2012 Little League East Region: Day 1
Newark National (DE) 7, Northwest Washington (DC) 1
Both these teams played in the regional last year and have a lot of starting experience and it was a well-played game for the most part. Delaware started one of their lower end pitchers (Andrew Emory), but he threw well and looked pretty good. Delaware is a big team. DC's starter (Owen Isaacs) was the best D.C. pitcher in a few years and was a very viable number one with a mid-60's fastball. The game was scoreless through two innings, but it seemed like a matter of time before Delaware broke through. They did with a big five-run inning in the third and that was the difference. Their top hitter was only 1-for-4 today, but they had a couple big hits in that inning. Delaware didn't hit as much as I expected them to but they used all four of their top pitchers and they have a deep staff. Two of them threw very hard, and the other two were above average. D.C. will go 0-4 and maybe will take some on the chin, but they're not horrific, and Sydney Love-Baker is fun to watch. She's a legitimate player.
Bedford (NH) 13, South Burlington (VT) 5
I was excited for this game because of the fanfare that New Hampshire's Grant Lavigne brought to the table. To be honest, the pressure of this "Barry Bonds of LL" moniker is way too much for a kid to live up to. I take some blame for that one. He finished 0-for-2 on the day with two walks, but you can see he's a hitter. His two outs matched the amount of outs he's had in the entire tournament so far. Lavigne threw hard on the mound but doesn't have much off-speed and Vermont hit him for four runs in the second inning. Three of the runs were earned, but none of the hits were hit hard. It was a combination of tough luck and the new field dimensions (which I'll get into afterwards). Bedford picked up three runs in the third behind some big hits from Alec Burns and Connor Zendzian (3-for-4, 2 RBI). They added the table with ten runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings to take control of the game. Joey Barrett finished 2-for-2 with three RBI and two walks. The bench came away with three hits on the day. Vermont's Nate Gaboriault is the trivia answer for "Who hit the first homerun at Breen Field with the 225-foot fences?"
Par-Troy East (NJ) 4, Stony Point (NY) 2
The first of the day's two heavyweight fights was a doozy. New Jersey's Emil Matti found his control (which escaped him in the NJ state finals) as he blazed through five easy innings on the mound before a tough sixth. New Jersey got the scoring going in the first inning when Stephen Greeley hung a two-strike curveball to Anthony Scanelli who deposited it 280' away into the trees for a 2-0 lead. Greeley allowed six hits in four innings and had a dominant fastball but left two off speed pitches up on the day. Matti hit the other one over the left centerfield wall. NJ tacked a fourth run on in the third inning when Scanelli hit an RBI-double. NY threatened heavily in the sixth with a bunt single (and a throwing error), a hard single, and a ripped double. Matti's night was done (not by the coaches' choice though, they made a blunder by taking four trips to the mound). David Ton came on against NY's 4-6 hitters with two on and no outs and only allowed an infield single and an RBI-groundout. This looked like the matchup of the two best teams with two mistake pitches being the difference. New York also had their #1 pitcher ineligible for the game. The rematch will be a good one.
Fairfield American (CT) 1, Coventry (RI) 0
I told anyone that would listen for weeks that Ryan Meury was the most fun Little League pitcher to watch. The reasons? His size (he's 5'0'' at best), and his nasty curveball. Meury can ratchet the fastball up near 65 mph when he brings it, but his pitch is the curveball. He throws a true lefty curveball that breaks out and down. He throws it in the dirt, he throws it for a strike, he throws it inside, and he'll backdoor you with it. He's been striking out more than two batters per inning the whole tournament and has only given up two runs to date. For someone who can make a mistake with an average fastball, it's impressive and baffling.
Against Rhode Island, he proved once again that he's for real. Meury threw a complete game two-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts. He also scored the game-winning run on a passed ball in the fifth inning after he hit a single and Biaggi Paoletta roped a double. Coventry starter Manny Bjorklund threw the hardest on the day (72-73?) and was dominant against a team who's hit ace pitching before. His pitch count was his worst enemy and he reached it in the game-turning fifth inning. He struck out eight batters in 4 1/3, gave up zero runs, and just one hit. He walked four. His relief, Jarrad Grossguth, also threw hard, but 68 mph doesn't look so bad after seeing 72 all day. This ALSO looked like a championship preview. We'll see how Maine and Massachusetts look tomorrow.
East Region Team Rankings on Day 1
1) Connecticut
2) New Jersey
3) New York
4) Rhode Island
5)New Hampshire
6) Delaware
7) Vermont
8) Washington, D.C.
OFF: Massachusetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland
Random Thoughts: The new fences are awesome. 225 is the perfect distance. All the cheap homeruns are taken away, and it opens up the outfield. While 3-4 balls today were homeruns somewhere else, the biggest effect is easily on the outfielders. They have so much more room to cover (obviously) and it showed. You can't hide someone out there. The gaps are huge, and balls drop in front of the outfielders a lot. It will be interesting all week long.
Homerun Meter: 3
Strikeout Meter: 50
Tomorrow's Predictions: Maryland over Delaware 4-1, Maine over Massachusetts 6-3, New Jersey over Pennsylvania 9-5, and Connecticut over Vermont 11-1.
If you'd like game updates as they happen (and you don't have the LL site to be checking on), follow me on Twitter: @LittleLeaguePro
If you have questions, comments, thoughts, etc... please add a comment below or just ask on twitter. Also, if you have blog ideas for each day of the tournament, please let me know. I'll be getting into some other regions as the weekend goes on and we know more about the teams.
Both these teams played in the regional last year and have a lot of starting experience and it was a well-played game for the most part. Delaware started one of their lower end pitchers (Andrew Emory), but he threw well and looked pretty good. Delaware is a big team. DC's starter (Owen Isaacs) was the best D.C. pitcher in a few years and was a very viable number one with a mid-60's fastball. The game was scoreless through two innings, but it seemed like a matter of time before Delaware broke through. They did with a big five-run inning in the third and that was the difference. Their top hitter was only 1-for-4 today, but they had a couple big hits in that inning. Delaware didn't hit as much as I expected them to but they used all four of their top pitchers and they have a deep staff. Two of them threw very hard, and the other two were above average. D.C. will go 0-4 and maybe will take some on the chin, but they're not horrific, and Sydney Love-Baker is fun to watch. She's a legitimate player.
Bedford (NH) 13, South Burlington (VT) 5
I was excited for this game because of the fanfare that New Hampshire's Grant Lavigne brought to the table. To be honest, the pressure of this "Barry Bonds of LL" moniker is way too much for a kid to live up to. I take some blame for that one. He finished 0-for-2 on the day with two walks, but you can see he's a hitter. His two outs matched the amount of outs he's had in the entire tournament so far. Lavigne threw hard on the mound but doesn't have much off-speed and Vermont hit him for four runs in the second inning. Three of the runs were earned, but none of the hits were hit hard. It was a combination of tough luck and the new field dimensions (which I'll get into afterwards). Bedford picked up three runs in the third behind some big hits from Alec Burns and Connor Zendzian (3-for-4, 2 RBI). They added the table with ten runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings to take control of the game. Joey Barrett finished 2-for-2 with three RBI and two walks. The bench came away with three hits on the day. Vermont's Nate Gaboriault is the trivia answer for "Who hit the first homerun at Breen Field with the 225-foot fences?"
Par-Troy East (NJ) 4, Stony Point (NY) 2
The first of the day's two heavyweight fights was a doozy. New Jersey's Emil Matti found his control (which escaped him in the NJ state finals) as he blazed through five easy innings on the mound before a tough sixth. New Jersey got the scoring going in the first inning when Stephen Greeley hung a two-strike curveball to Anthony Scanelli who deposited it 280' away into the trees for a 2-0 lead. Greeley allowed six hits in four innings and had a dominant fastball but left two off speed pitches up on the day. Matti hit the other one over the left centerfield wall. NJ tacked a fourth run on in the third inning when Scanelli hit an RBI-double. NY threatened heavily in the sixth with a bunt single (and a throwing error), a hard single, and a ripped double. Matti's night was done (not by the coaches' choice though, they made a blunder by taking four trips to the mound). David Ton came on against NY's 4-6 hitters with two on and no outs and only allowed an infield single and an RBI-groundout. This looked like the matchup of the two best teams with two mistake pitches being the difference. New York also had their #1 pitcher ineligible for the game. The rematch will be a good one.
Fairfield American (CT) 1, Coventry (RI) 0
I told anyone that would listen for weeks that Ryan Meury was the most fun Little League pitcher to watch. The reasons? His size (he's 5'0'' at best), and his nasty curveball. Meury can ratchet the fastball up near 65 mph when he brings it, but his pitch is the curveball. He throws a true lefty curveball that breaks out and down. He throws it in the dirt, he throws it for a strike, he throws it inside, and he'll backdoor you with it. He's been striking out more than two batters per inning the whole tournament and has only given up two runs to date. For someone who can make a mistake with an average fastball, it's impressive and baffling.
Against Rhode Island, he proved once again that he's for real. Meury threw a complete game two-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts. He also scored the game-winning run on a passed ball in the fifth inning after he hit a single and Biaggi Paoletta roped a double. Coventry starter Manny Bjorklund threw the hardest on the day (72-73?) and was dominant against a team who's hit ace pitching before. His pitch count was his worst enemy and he reached it in the game-turning fifth inning. He struck out eight batters in 4 1/3, gave up zero runs, and just one hit. He walked four. His relief, Jarrad Grossguth, also threw hard, but 68 mph doesn't look so bad after seeing 72 all day. This ALSO looked like a championship preview. We'll see how Maine and Massachusetts look tomorrow.
East Region Team Rankings on Day 1
1) Connecticut
2) New Jersey
3) New York
4) Rhode Island
5)New Hampshire
6) Delaware
7) Vermont
8) Washington, D.C.
OFF: Massachusetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland
Random Thoughts: The new fences are awesome. 225 is the perfect distance. All the cheap homeruns are taken away, and it opens up the outfield. While 3-4 balls today were homeruns somewhere else, the biggest effect is easily on the outfielders. They have so much more room to cover (obviously) and it showed. You can't hide someone out there. The gaps are huge, and balls drop in front of the outfielders a lot. It will be interesting all week long.
Homerun Meter: 3
Strikeout Meter: 50
Tomorrow's Predictions: Maryland over Delaware 4-1, Maine over Massachusetts 6-3, New Jersey over Pennsylvania 9-5, and Connecticut over Vermont 11-1.
If you'd like game updates as they happen (and you don't have the LL site to be checking on), follow me on Twitter: @LittleLeaguePro
If you have questions, comments, thoughts, etc... please add a comment below or just ask on twitter. Also, if you have blog ideas for each day of the tournament, please let me know. I'll be getting into some other regions as the weekend goes on and we know more about the teams.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Which Version of the Little League East Regional Tournament Was Best?
Little League expanded the World Series participants from 8 to 16 total back in
2001 giving twice as many teams the Williamsport experience. 2001 happens to be
the first year I traveled to Bristol, Connecticut for the Mid-Atlantic and New
England region tournaments. Together, it’s still known as the East Region
tournament despite two teams advancing.
In the past 11 years, there have been some amazing baseball games, teams, and talent. The best year, in my opinion, was 2006. Portsmouth, New Hampshire won the New England region and Mid-Island LL from Staten Island won the Mid-Atlantic region that year, but the story lies in the talent of almost every team that made it to Bristol. After a couple days of the tournament, most people can get a feel for who the best team or best couple teams are. Good years have three teams worthy of the championship, and great years have four. In 2006, the New England region had FIVE teams that would’ve been a great representative for the LLWS. The Mid-Atlantic was no slouch either with a couple great teams and a one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen.
I’m known for always sitting on my blanket in the third base bleachers and also keeping a notebook with the scorecard for every single game in Bristol. Referring to my 2006 notebook, here’s the picture I can paint for you about that great year.
The first game of the tournament was a Mid-Atlantic pool play game between Capitol City Little League and South Caroline, Maryland. Coming into the tournament, Maryland’s Brandon Nelson had a reputation of being a power pitcher. This was an understatement. Using a radar gun at the field, Nelson was clocked as high as 78 MPH and consistently threw 73-75 MPH. He tossed a complete game shutout giving up one hit, striking out 17, and walking just one batter. It was remarkable. South Caroline won 4-0.
Peabody Western, Massachusetts blew out Yarmouth, Maine 15-0 in the next game. They smacked six homeruns including three in a row at one point. Their top pitcher, Sean Glabicky, also topped 70 MPH. He struck out eight in just three innings. In Game 3, New York was down 9-4 to Naamans, Delaware in the fifth inning before storming back to win 10-9 behind a grand slam from 11-year old Chris Goetz. The day didn’t slow down at all in the night cap. Glastonbury American, Connecticut beat Lincoln, RI 4-3 in seven innings behind a walkoff homerun from Steve Michalek. Michalek also struck out 14 in six innings.
In the past 11 years, there have been some amazing baseball games, teams, and talent. The best year, in my opinion, was 2006. Portsmouth, New Hampshire won the New England region and Mid-Island LL from Staten Island won the Mid-Atlantic region that year, but the story lies in the talent of almost every team that made it to Bristol. After a couple days of the tournament, most people can get a feel for who the best team or best couple teams are. Good years have three teams worthy of the championship, and great years have four. In 2006, the New England region had FIVE teams that would’ve been a great representative for the LLWS. The Mid-Atlantic was no slouch either with a couple great teams and a one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen.
I’m known for always sitting on my blanket in the third base bleachers and also keeping a notebook with the scorecard for every single game in Bristol. Referring to my 2006 notebook, here’s the picture I can paint for you about that great year.
The first game of the tournament was a Mid-Atlantic pool play game between Capitol City Little League and South Caroline, Maryland. Coming into the tournament, Maryland’s Brandon Nelson had a reputation of being a power pitcher. This was an understatement. Using a radar gun at the field, Nelson was clocked as high as 78 MPH and consistently threw 73-75 MPH. He tossed a complete game shutout giving up one hit, striking out 17, and walking just one batter. It was remarkable. South Caroline won 4-0.
Peabody Western, Massachusetts blew out Yarmouth, Maine 15-0 in the next game. They smacked six homeruns including three in a row at one point. Their top pitcher, Sean Glabicky, also topped 70 MPH. He struck out eight in just three innings. In Game 3, New York was down 9-4 to Naamans, Delaware in the fifth inning before storming back to win 10-9 behind a grand slam from 11-year old Chris Goetz. The day didn’t slow down at all in the night cap. Glastonbury American, Connecticut beat Lincoln, RI 4-3 in seven innings behind a walkoff homerun from Steve Michalek. Michalek also struck out 14 in six innings.
After one of the craziest days of games ever, it didn’t stop
on day two. Portsmouth, NH and Colchester, VT had their first of two battles
and Jordan Bean put his hat in the ring for best pitcher in the region. Bean
threw a complete game 1-hiter with all outs via strikeout, 18 of them in total.
Vermont’s Josh Place did a valiant job matching Bean zero for zero after giving
up a first inning run.
On day three, Massachusetts and Rhode Island battled, and RI (now 0-2) was in yet another extra-inning game. This time they came out on the right end of it when Ryan O’Dell blasted a tenth-inning homerun to walkoff with a 3-1 victory. If ten innings and four runs were too much pitching for you, New York played another barnburner, this time beating Maryland 20-10 with 20 hits. Vermont continued its pitching prowess with a shutout of Connecticut and blasted three homeruns in the first inning to prove they were the best Vermont team in history, quite possibly.
Maryland got back in the win column with Nelson on the mound as hit fired off 14 more strikeouts, but gave up his first run. He had 31 strikeouts in 12 innings at that point. Colchester continued to pitch well, but lost another tough one, this time to Massachusetts. Glabicky struck out ten in a complete game 1-hitter and Matt Tehan and Ryan Church hit back-to-back homeruns in the fourth to do all the scoring.
On day three, Massachusetts and Rhode Island battled, and RI (now 0-2) was in yet another extra-inning game. This time they came out on the right end of it when Ryan O’Dell blasted a tenth-inning homerun to walkoff with a 3-1 victory. If ten innings and four runs were too much pitching for you, New York played another barnburner, this time beating Maryland 20-10 with 20 hits. Vermont continued its pitching prowess with a shutout of Connecticut and blasted three homeruns in the first inning to prove they were the best Vermont team in history, quite possibly.
Maryland got back in the win column with Nelson on the mound as hit fired off 14 more strikeouts, but gave up his first run. He had 31 strikeouts in 12 innings at that point. Colchester continued to pitch well, but lost another tough one, this time to Massachusetts. Glabicky struck out ten in a complete game 1-hitter and Matt Tehan and Ryan Church hit back-to-back homeruns in the fourth to do all the scoring.
Lincoln, Rhode Island finished pool play 1-3 and out of
contention despite going to extra innings three times. The third and final time
was against New Hampshire. It was 1-1 through six and yet another pitcher’s
duel. Bean gave up an unearned run in the sixth and struck out 14 batters. He
had 32 strikeouts in 12 innings. O’Dell struck out 10 batters in six innings
before Portsmouth unloaded in the seventh inning off Rhode Island’s relievers.
Back in the Mid-Atlantic, Livingston American, New Jersey
was proving to be the best team in the region and bolstered that claim with
ANOTHER extra inning game. New Jersey beat New York 8-6 in seven innings giving
them an unblemished record heading into the semifinals. The loss by New York
forced them to have to face Nelson in the semifinals.
New Jersey felt all but assured the regional championship
with the semifinals matchups. Nelson and Maryland should take care of New York,
the second best team in the region, and then they could easily handle Maryland’s
weak back end pitching. Not so fast. Nelson led off the semifinals with a long
homerun, and didn’t allow a hit for five innings. Down 1-0 in the sixth against the most
dominant pitcher in the region, New York squeezed two hits off Nelson to score
the game-tying run. Nelson finished with 14 strikeouts in six innings, but was
done for the day due to the six inning pitch rule. 11-year old Chris Goetz did
his part for New York by not allowing another hit after the Nelson homerun
(intentionally walking Nelson twice in the process). He struck out 12. In the
bottom of the seventh though, Matt Davis belted a walk-off homerun to shock
Maryland and enter the Mid-Atlantic championship game.
The game that followed is responsible for many rule changes in Little League, specifically, the fact that a mandatory play violation doesn’t result in a forfeit anymore.
Vermont, which hadn’t hit well for most of the tournament, blasted three homeruns against New Hampshire and took a 9-7 lead into the sixth and final inning. The Vermont manager realized that he hadn’t put in a sub, so he did the only thing he could do to try and make sure his team had a chance to play in the championship. He instructed his players to walk everyone on New Hampshire. This would allow New Hampshire to tie the game and give Vermont a chance to get their player in the game.
New Hampshire recognized the problem obviously and their manager instructed his players to swing at the balls which were purposely being thrown the backstop. Players on the field were crying, nobody knew what to do. It was a mess. Little League got involved. Told the managers they were making a mockery of the game and Vermont forfeited a game they were winning in the sixth inning. New Hampshire went on to the World Series behind 13 more strikeouts from Jordan Bean and another shutout. He had 45 strikeouts in 18 innings during the tournament. He finished the entire tournament run leading to Williamsport with 91 strikeouts in 40 innings. In Williamsport he added 26 more strikeouts in 12 innings for a grand total of 125 strikeouts in 52 innings.
The game that followed is responsible for many rule changes in Little League, specifically, the fact that a mandatory play violation doesn’t result in a forfeit anymore.
Vermont, which hadn’t hit well for most of the tournament, blasted three homeruns against New Hampshire and took a 9-7 lead into the sixth and final inning. The Vermont manager realized that he hadn’t put in a sub, so he did the only thing he could do to try and make sure his team had a chance to play in the championship. He instructed his players to walk everyone on New Hampshire. This would allow New Hampshire to tie the game and give Vermont a chance to get their player in the game.
New Hampshire recognized the problem obviously and their manager instructed his players to swing at the balls which were purposely being thrown the backstop. Players on the field were crying, nobody knew what to do. It was a mess. Little League got involved. Told the managers they were making a mockery of the game and Vermont forfeited a game they were winning in the sixth inning. New Hampshire went on to the World Series behind 13 more strikeouts from Jordan Bean and another shutout. He had 45 strikeouts in 18 innings during the tournament. He finished the entire tournament run leading to Williamsport with 91 strikeouts in 40 innings. In Williamsport he added 26 more strikeouts in 12 innings for a grand total of 125 strikeouts in 52 innings.
Back in the Mid-Atlantic, New Jersey and New York played
another game for the ages this time in the regional championship. New Jersey
took a 1-0 lead when 11-year old Nick Ebert blasted a solo homerun in the
fourth inning, but New York got the run back in the fifth on an error. In the
bottom of the sixth with the score still tied 1-1, Frank Smith drove a walk-off
homerun and sent Mid-Island Little League to the World Series. It was the second
walk-off homerun in a row for New York.
I’m not sure the drama of the games, the quality of the
pitching, or the overall talent on the field can ever be topped in Bristol
again, but no matter what I’ll never forget those ten days in 2006.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Nebraska: Kearney Little League
Nebraska: Kearney Little League
Thirty-Year History: 2011, 2010, 2008, 2000.
Number of Majors Team: Eight
Roster: N/A
Preview: Kearney has become the power program in the state of Nebraska in recent years winning four of the last five state championships now after a 15-0 thrashing of Blair in the Nebraska state championship. According to Nebraska Central News, Blake Quintana and Jared Wegner each homered for Kearney in the title game. Wegner tossed a complete-game four-inning shutout. Kearney made it all the way to the Midwest Regional championship game a season ago dropping a 4-2 decision to Harney (Rapid City), South Dakota. While the College World Series is fully supported in Nebraska each year in Omaha, no team from the Cornhusker State has ever reached Williamsport for the Little League World Series.
Number of Majors Team: Eight
Roster: N/A
Preview: Kearney has become the power program in the state of Nebraska in recent years winning four of the last five state championships now after a 15-0 thrashing of Blair in the Nebraska state championship. According to Nebraska Central News, Blake Quintana and Jared Wegner each homered for Kearney in the title game. Wegner tossed a complete-game four-inning shutout. Kearney made it all the way to the Midwest Regional championship game a season ago dropping a 4-2 decision to Harney (Rapid City), South Dakota. While the College World Series is fully supported in Nebraska each year in Omaha, no team from the Cornhusker State has ever reached Williamsport for the Little League World Series.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Welcome to the 2012 Road to Williamsport!
Hello, Little League fans.
This is the first of many blog posts you'll see from me, your resident Little League "expert," this summer. I've been following and covering the Little League tournament since 1998 from the district level in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey right up to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA.
I've attended every year of the Eastern Regional in Bristol since 2001 and that includes nearly every pool play game and every semifinal and final. It's my favorite week of the year. To me, it's bigger than the World Series itself.
The Reason?
Teams are still wearing their home uniforms, its the first time a lot of teams in the East are on the road. There's the pomp and circumstance of the World Series, but none of the "we're just happy to be here" that you get in Williamsport.
This blog will focus on Bristol for that week more than the other regions, but we'll have plenty of information about them as well.
Be sure to check back every day and night for multiple blog entries and tell anyone you know that this is the place to be for Little League coverage.
It's currently July 20th and I'm making my first irrational prediction!
Your pre-state tournament picks to WIN the New England and Mid-Atlantic regionals are....drum roll, please........
New England: Fairfield American, CT
Mid-Atlantic: Warwick Township, PA
More on these teams later! Check back soon!
This is the first of many blog posts you'll see from me, your resident Little League "expert," this summer. I've been following and covering the Little League tournament since 1998 from the district level in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey right up to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA.
I've attended every year of the Eastern Regional in Bristol since 2001 and that includes nearly every pool play game and every semifinal and final. It's my favorite week of the year. To me, it's bigger than the World Series itself.
The Reason?
Teams are still wearing their home uniforms, its the first time a lot of teams in the East are on the road. There's the pomp and circumstance of the World Series, but none of the "we're just happy to be here" that you get in Williamsport.
This blog will focus on Bristol for that week more than the other regions, but we'll have plenty of information about them as well.
Be sure to check back every day and night for multiple blog entries and tell anyone you know that this is the place to be for Little League coverage.
It's currently July 20th and I'm making my first irrational prediction!
Your pre-state tournament picks to WIN the New England and Mid-Atlantic regionals are....drum roll, please........
New England: Fairfield American, CT
Mid-Atlantic: Warwick Township, PA
More on these teams later! Check back soon!
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