Comments on: A Few Quick Things About Little League

By: Hyacinth

Hyacinth — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:41:58 +0000

I played exactly one game of organized ladies softball in my life. Got a base hit, by some miracle, first time up. From then on out, I couldn’t hit a ball to save my life. Uh, not my game. But I love watching those kids in the Little League World series.

By: Tamsyn

Tamsyn — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:04:58 +0000

My current local team, the Ramstein Beasts represented Europe this year at the Little League World Series. They lost to China and Mexico, and competed against Canada yesterday. Don’t know the score from that game, but they sure were proud to represent all of Europe! They even got interviewed on the radio- big time stuff over here! I hope all the kids have a great time in Pennsylvania.

By: Kevin in GA

Kevin in GA — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:35:14 +0000

I umpired a couple years. In the first game of the season in the level just above tee ball, I called a strike on a pitch (that was actually right down the middle, miracle). The kid batting looks back at me, drops the bat and declares it couldn’t be a strike. His reasoning, he didn’t swing.

By: Sandy Wood

Sandy Wood — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:35:06 +0000

I was the worst minor/little-league player ever. Charlie Brown would have made me look bad. But my dad made me play. He tried me at second base. When that didn’t work, he put me in right field. And although I got to second once on a hit (due to an error), I don’t think I ever made a multi-base hit.

I knew the rules, I knew the game, I was just horrible at it.

By: Dustin Fritsche

Dustin Fritsche — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:14:49 +0000

I played from tee-ball all the way through American Legion, and have lots of great memories from the experience. Some highlights are the year I became a catcher (the year before, I tried it and the ball would knock me over backwards), hitting about .700 for a season with one strikeout (called, on a ball two feet too high), my first walk-off hit (it was in school ball), winning the league championship one summer, and being on a state-ranked team in high school.

I also umpired a bit, and it wasn’t too bad most of the time. There’s the occasional coach or parent that gets too into it, and that is ultimately why I quit doing it. The hardest was the girls softball league I umped for – they were about 7 or 8 or so, if I remember, and EVERY SINGLE PLAY was bang-bang! No easy outs, every play in question, etc.

I also coached some as well, and now have the great joy of coaching my son’s tee-ball team.

I love baseball.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:57:17 +0000

While playing 1st base for my 13-14 yr old team, I tripped over the bag going after a foul ball. I fell, and the ball landed and hit me in the stomach. Purely out of reflex, my arms covered the ball and my now sore and bruised stomach. It was the strangest out I ever recorded. For years afterward, every time my coach saw me he laughed and told the story.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:40:13 +0000

My brother threw a no hitter in his debut (and final) appearance as a pitcher. Walked everyone… It was a long day at third base, but I did get to meet the entire other team, sometimes more than once.

By: Jason English

Jason English — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:37:45 +0000

When I was 15, I umped a few Little League games to earn some extra cash. The first game I did was in the division that comes right after tee-ball. The managers took me aside before the game and said that if it was close, call it a strike (“Because there aren’t many real strikes and we’ll be here forever.”)

The first four pitches were comically off-line. One hit the backstop, one rolled to the plate, and the other two went behind the batter. The first three pitches to the next hitter weren’t much better. Then, on a 3-0 count, the ball floated in and was caught by the catcher. A little high, probably, but I called a strike. The manager of the batting team freaked out, Lou Piniella style, only whinier. Things didn’t get much better from there.

The four inning game took four hours. I was paid $10. That was my last game at that age level.

By: Sarah in CA

Sarah in CA — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:08:34 +0000

I played Little League when I was 11, I guess it was. I was catcher and we won our division that year. I had the trophy for many years but it has since been broken and I think tossed out.

I only played one year because I broke my wrist trying to bunt at the next year’s try outs. I still spent many hours at the ball field, though, because my three brothers continued to play for a couple more years.

By: Steven

Steven — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:15:46 +0000

I played for various leagues, as I was a military kid. My first experience was for the Navy in Newfoundland Canada, and the most vivid memory I have of it was of me in right field being fascinated by my Ninja Turtles glove.

I then played at the age of 12-14 in Maryland, a team sponsored by Comcast and had my favorite team colors (black and orange, the same as the Orioles). I picked jersey 9 after Brady Anderson, and played first base and left field (I’m a lefty). My first “world slows down and everything becomes quiet” moment happened in left while chasing down a fly ball in which I dove for and caught, followed by the world coming back into perspective and the crowd cheering like crazy. (best little league moment ever, followed by one time where I got to pitch, struck out two and caught the last).

Finally, in Delaware, at 16, played the Senior League for the CW Moose Lodge. Not many highlights here, other than the pain then numbness of my left arm after throwing too hard.