Road to the LLWS 2023 edition

[Cougars]

I also think when you are looking at ratings, the average person is going to be more likely to watch Little League Illinois vs Georgia, and ESPN knows that.

Regardless of the teams and talent levels, people know Little League, and understand the “idea” of it. Ask somebody walking down the street what they think about PGF, Beverly Bandits, Alliance, etc., and they won’t even now what you are talking about.

 

[_MIA_]

PGF championships are on an ESPN channel. 14U Premier is on right now (2 kids who just moved from a local team a month ago are playing for the Thunderbolts..2B and DP)

 

[LEsoftballdad]

PGF championships are on an ESPN channel. 14U Premier is on right now (2 kids who just moved from a local team a month ago are playing for the Thunderbolts)

Have you seen the Birmingham Thunderbolts TV commercial yet?

 

[_MIA_]

Have you seen the Birmingham Thunderbolts TV commercial yet?

The same one they run every year?

 

[Gambler Bob]

So ... is nobody watching any of this? Not much talk on here.

@RADcatcher ... if you have a chance, watch the Senior League Canada vs. Central game from a few days ago. Would love to know your thoughts on the catchers (both teams).

The Central catcher seems to have great awareness on positioning, including getting two outs at the plate in the same sequence. (Disclaimer: she is from my area, but not a team I see very often.)

The Canada catcher is amazing with how fast she usually gets the ball back to the pitcher. Love to see that! She isn't waiting for a call or moving the ball around unnecessarily.

Edit: Here are the two outs at the plate. This team is really good about being aware of the lead runner in these situations. They've cut down several.

That was a very good play. Three consecutive good throws to retire base runners. Very nice.

 

[Lobster Birch]

I’ve been watching a lot of the LL games. I don’t remember anyone claiming this was the top level of play or the top players or anything similar. The top LL teams? Sure.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I dunno ... I think there is something to be said with a true tournament format that you have to play through, round after round, and work your way up to playing teams from around the country and the world.

Not saying they draw the best players or the highest talent levels ... but that I like this format better than flying all over the country to compete against the teams that can afford it or competing in a regional tournament that calls itself a national.

... and Beardstown brings home the Senior League title!

 

[UKCATSFAN76]

My DD and I have enjoyed watching some of the games. Is it elite level 12U play? No.

Is it softball on ESPN that paints softball in a positive light for 98% of the people watching? Absolutely yes.

We also enjoyed watching the games from Colorado back on the 4th of July that were broadcasted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DonnyS]

Central (Illinois) vs. Latin America (Puerto Rico) ... that was painful to watch. Some unusual observations though:

PR's starting pitcher had a neck tattoo and a sleeve.

I am assuming the NUMEROUS illegal pitches were for moving the pivot foot after setting the toe? I am not familiar with LL's pitching rules (i.e., step back vs. start back).

I may be wrong, but ... Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. They are part of the United States. Why are they playing on the international side and representing Latin America?

My wife and I were debating ... do you give the mercy "step off" outs when playing on TV in an event like this? I said no. The answer was yes.

PR must have drank Jobu's rum. With a runner on first, the batter swings and loses her grip on the bat. The bat flies out and lands between first and second base where it gets in the way of the runner stealing! The runner gets caught in a rundown, falls down, and is tagged out.

I have to watch this game now.

 

[RADcatcher]

"Flipping around the channels" and the LLWS softball regionals have started on ESPN+ and Hulu.

Two tangents ...

Why are the umpires dressed like basketball referees? Not a fan of this new shirt.

when I saw tangents farthest from my mind was going to be a wardrobe comment LOL

Intentional walks ... coaches, use them! I'm not saying the above situation was ideal (it wasn't, too early in the game), but over the last few weeks I have seen no less than three times when a coach should have put a runner on to create the easier force out ... but they didn't, and it bit them in the butt.

To use that strategy or not is a great discussion topic!




Just now saw this post video asking my thoughts on the catcher. Like the catchers positioning at the plate on those two plays. Good athletic posture! Also really like to see defense be on the attack throwing the ball.
ZAP throw runners out !

Coaches sending runners can sometimes create cracks in the defense. Nice to see a solid defense in that series of outs