The road to Williamsport

I finally arrived in Williamsport for the World Series. Most of the day yesterday I was literally on the road to Willimasport. Driving through rural parts of New York and Pennsylvania I must have driven by a dozen Little League fields, nothing fancy, just a back stop, a couple of dugouts and a diamond. Once again it reminds me that although the World Series is a tremendous event and a thrill for all of the families fortunate enough to get here, it's really the fields that I passed that are the soul of Little League.

It's on the fields that millions of kids show up each spring simply looking for the chance to play baseball and softball. I would think that very few of these kids even know they could end up in Williamsport. They simply want to play.

Comments

[Willy Mays]

Youth sports is a bunch of egotistical psycho parents burning out kids and taking the joy of sports out of the equation.
Two years ago I saw a parent using a radar gun and charting pitches for 9 year olds. C'mon!
Also...The L-L World Series is looking more and more like women's fast pitch. Not many hits but plenty of dominant pitching.
You need to make the infield bigger.
The bases are too short, the pitchers mound is 46 feet!
You moved the fences back..now make it fair for everyone. And for crying out loud, let the kids lead off. Anybody could turn 2 on that size field.
These are 13 year olds. My son is 14, a freshman in high school playing at regulation size. It's a joke. Your 13 year olds mostly struggle in High School because the distance jumps up on them to quick.
All of a sudden that 70 mph pitch they threw in Williamsport takes longer to get to the plate and the batter gets a longer look.
See Danny Almonte!