Watched most of the Hawaii win over Idaho. Even if one team has a big lead, it's worth it to continue to watch, because the other team can always come back. I'll probably write a long 'what I think' piece on it.
Hawaii was doing a good job of swinging early / not swinging late...a problem many of the losing teams have. Most of HRs come on outside pitches, when the batter extends his arms and pokes the ball over the RF fence. At 12, the boys are too big for the LL field...the mound is a bit too close to the plate for most batters to turn on the pitches these fast pitchers throw. There is no margin for error on ground balls...infielders cannot play deep, and must make quick, strong throws to put out runners at first...even the second-baseman. Routine grounders become base hits. Whereas 60'6" and 90' are perfect dimensions for the majors, LL dimensions are a bit small for the cream of the twelve year old crop. I suppose if the field were bigger, there would be less offense, meaning fewer viewers.
W certainly noticed this in June when he switched back to the smaller 12-year old field, from the larger Pony fields he had played on for the past year...particularly the lightning-fast pace of infield play. He was able to pull the ball, as both his HRs were pulled to left-center.
Fundamentals are another thing to watch for in these games, as well as plate discipline. With these sage coaches tossing out so many fake-bunt and take signs, the boys wind up taking strikes down the middle, then swinging at bad two-strike pitches. That's one reason why Francoeur's aggressiveness is so refreshing. Seems like the less aggressive little leaguers are at the plate, the worse a hitter they are, and vice versa.
Pitching coaches signal what pitch to throw, but how many dictate location as well? These LL pitchers have advanced this far have figured out how to locate high or outside when the hitter is apt to swing. They will be in a different world next year, when the plate is farther away, the hitters older, larger, stronger, and smarter.
That said, I stress out at W's games, so I couldn't imagine coaching with a live microphone on! There are a few of W's coaches that would do a great job, and would be fun to listen to on mic.
The Idaho pitcher last night was the coach's son, but once he was down five runs, you could tell he didn't want to be out there. After every pitch, he and the catcher would turn to the dugout for instructions. (W is at the other end of the spectrum...he's in his own world out there). Idaho was overmatched by the bigger, more talented Hawaii team, but in these games, that wasn't an insurmountable lead...except the pitcher had already beaten himself. After he retired the side in the top of the 6th, he threw his hands in the air, relieved that it was over. Like I hear too often...an experience that he'll never forget.
I had checked out that scout’s web site, and noticed his extensive book tour. On the way to work yesterday I caught myself thinking about that guy, asking who was he to write a book like that. I guess any of us could write that book, though not many of us are in Billy Beane or JS’s position. Was Shanks an actual ML scout? Didn’t JS say one day he would write a book?
Mahler was another guy who wasn’t a Gibson-style pitcher. It still amazes me that Gibson had that low ERA season, and the mound was lowered almost because of him.
Occasionally hosting events is good for us, to get us to do that extra cleaning. We’ll be ready for Friday, though we’re not there yet. Our small group is hosted in only 3 of the 6 homes…the ones with the entertainment center basements, better for the 16 kids.
The long line of kids going to Sunday School made me miss the announcements Sunday, but this week’s Kidstuf ad had a photo of me holding M, one that was several years old.
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