Blog Posts From Little League Fan Blog Tagged With little-league-baseball

Well Done GA and Japan

PHL_Baseball — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 03:34:00 GMT

Very well done to GA and Japan for making it that far and a tough game.

I found the whole LL WS and State/Regional lead up games very interesting to follow.

As an Aussie, I had no particular team I was cheering for but it was an enthralling tournament to follow over the last month or so. Although Australia has played International Junior Baseball for many decades, 2008 will be the first time that our country will have Little League teams and a qualifier for the LL ASIA-PACIFIC Region.

Bring on the Aussies in 2008 I say !

Instantly Increase Your Bat Speed

Trish18 — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:42:00 GMT

(Another great sports tip from guest blogger Jon Doyle of www.baseballtrainingsecrets.com)

If you’ve watched any of the Little League World Series you’ve certainly noticed how hard the pitchers throw: 65, 70 even 73 miles per hour shows up on the gun. One of the big issues a hitter faces as he starts playing on regional and national levels is the ability to hit the high-speed fastball.

Typically you will see players swing a weighted bat on deck in order to “gear up” for the cheese. If this is part of your routine I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this will not increase your bat speed and, in most cases, will actually decrease it—obviously not what you want.

This is because when you swing a heavy bat 15 percent or greater than your game bat you not only change your mechanics (which leads to inconsistent batting mechanics) you also teach your body to swing slow. Sure the bat will feel lighter in your hands, but you will swing slower. Now it is OK to loosen up the shoulders and wrist by moving a heavy bat around your body, just don’t replicate your swing.

I know by now you’re saying, “Jon, if a heavy bat will hinder me, what should I do?”

It’s quite simple really, swing a lighter bat! Swing a bat 10-15 percent lighter than your normal game bat on deck 5 to 8 times. Try to be as quick as possible when you do it. This will increase your game bat speed because now your body will know what it feels like to swing faster.

This is a very simple tip, yet extremely powerful and effective.

(Jon Doyle is a former NCAA All-American baseball player who now works as a strength and conditioning specialist. For more tips check out www.baseballtrainingsecrets.com)

Venezuela vs. Curacao: Intense Extra Innings

Trish18 — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:31:00 GMT

I turned this international semi-final game during a pivotal moment: top of the fifth, bases loaded and the game all tied up at one a piece. Vincent Anthonia, Curacao's starting pitcher who homered earlier in the game to give his team their only run, struck out the last batter he would face to get the second out as he exhausted his allowable pitch count. Curacao's relief pitcher struck out the third out and sent the tied game into the bottom of the fifth.

The pitching duel continued as Venezuela struck out the side. I could not believe the speeds those 11-13 year-olds were hitting--consistently throwing the Major League equivalent of a 95 to 96 miles per hour.

The bottom of the sixth is when the game got really interesting. Curacao started to put on the offensive pressure. With runners on first and second, Curacao put a sharply hit grounder in play towards first base. It appeared to bounce off the first basemen into no-man's land in the outfield that would prove to plate the winning run... until the umpire called a dead ball because it actually hit the runner. Instead of celebrating a victory the inning was over and the game was headed to extra innings.

Venezuela quickly gained a lead by way of a solo home run. As Curacao came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh~~I'll be honest~~it didn't look good. They quickly found themselves to be one out away from defeat. And then the rally began. With a full count and never giving up, Curacao's batter roped a single into center field to keep their hopes alive.

That kid was so fired up when he got to first base; the rest of him team followed suit and I cheered from my couch. The next batter, with an impressive display of discipline, walked. Down by one and playing for a run, the scene was now set for the dramatic, game-winning, walk-off home run that took place. Deion Rosalia rocked an outside pitch beautifully to the opposite field. And just like that, David defeated Goliath.

Venezuela's offense was highly touted the entire tournament and during the game the commentators kept mentioning that Curacao would have to string a couple hits together because they didn't have much pop in their bat. But what I found the most interesting was the disparity in population the two teams had to comprise a team with. The Venezuelan city where the entire team hails from enjoys a population of 2.5 million. The island of Curacao, a mere 200,000.

Congratulations to Curacao on an impressive come-from-behind upset and good luck to them on their way to the international final!

(Photos provided by Getty Images/Jim McIsaac)

Calling All Little League Fans

ActiveAdmin — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:06:00 GMT

Little League Fans,

We invite you to be a guest blogger (here on this very blog). *Email Us* if your interested and we'll get you set up to start posting your views and tales about the Little League World Series.