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2009 Little League Thread

themetfairy Feb 14 2009 03:48 PM

I figure those of us with kids in Little League can can post our tales here. This is MK's final year of Little League eligibility. D-Dad is managing him once again. There are eight Majors teams in our Little League this year, so the Little League coordinator ordered uniforms with the logos of eight Major League teams. They include the Mets, Phillies, MFYs and Red Sox. The managers put in their preferences for teams. D-Dad got the Mets (last year he let another manager who was in his final year of eligibility have the Mets; this year nobody challenged him for it), someone else chose the Phillies, and two other managers chose teams. That left four managers, all of whom wanted the MFYs. Here's where things got interesting. The Majors coordinator decided that the only fair way to settle the matter was to pull a name out of a hat. One out of the four managers would get the MFYs. It seems fair enough. But the irony is that meant that one of the other three managers would be "stuck" with the Red Sox. Two of the four managers decided to choose other teams rather than risk being the hated enemy. So it's coming down to a coin flip. From the sidelines, it's been fun watching this play out. In the meantime, Let's Go Mets! Both for Little League Majors and the Majors of the real kind :)

themetfairy May 02 2009 09:36 PM

While the New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies today, the Liberty Tax Services Mets had a better result against the PNC Bank Phillies. MK caught the first four innings of the game, and then pitched in relief in the 5th and 6th. Due to a LTS Mets 3-run top of the 6th and a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, MK was the winning pitcher. LTS Go Mets!

GYC May 02 2009 10:10 PM

I thought this was about our pitching staff. OE: I guess I should contribute something real to the thread. When I was in second grade, I turned an unassisted triple play as a second baseman. I caught a soft line drive, tagged the runner coming to second, then stepped on second, and then tagged the runner going back to second because I did not understand the rules. I also got my only hit of the season in that game. I really sucked. It was my last season until my sophomore year of high school, when I joined a rec-league. 1/16 on the season, but with 17 walks and 4 HBP. My one hit was a game-winning hit in the 7th inning. I had 4 RBIs on the season; that hit, two bases-loaded walks (f*** you, Shane Victorino / Sean Green), and one bases-loaded hit by pitch.

Rockin' Doc May 03 2009 11:45 AM

MK has far better form than Oliver Perez. Best of luck with the remainder of the season. One of my friends has a son that plays for the Mets in the local LL. By coincidence, he is a lefty catcher and pitcher as well. The Mets wear the bright orange (BP) jerseys here in order to avoid confusion with Cubs who sport blue jerseys.

Kong76 May 03 2009 12:07 PM

He really does have good form, I've said that when I've seen other pics too. Nice to be able to finish LL as a Met ... I finished on Nelson Oil lol.

themetfairy May 03 2009 12:15 PM

The last several years our Little League Mets wore the orange unis. Thankfully the uniform manager ordered the blue ones this year. And thanks - I think his form is great, but obviously I'm biased :) What was truly satisfying for me was that I was watching MK from the announcing booth (I generally call the games and work the scoreboard). He came into the game in a tight spot, which was tense. But after the Mets scored three in the top of the 6th to take a 1-run lead, MK looked incredibly happy, loose and confident on the mound. It was a treat watching him enjoy himself like that (he's usually his own worst critic, and incredibly tough on himself).

soupcan May 03 2009 12:31 PM

My oldest who is also in his last year of LL eligibility, is on the Athletic Shoe Factory Pirates. My 8 year-old daughter decided she wanted to play LL with the boys this year rather than softball with the girls. At her level (second grade) its cute, but not nearly as competitive or entertaining as the my eldest boy’s, which is the same level that MK plays. As metfairy can tell you, their level is fun to watch. The boys really know what they are doing, errors have dropped considerably and you can really see which boys might have the kind of talent to possibly keep playing through high school. In short, its a good game to watch. In second grade, the coaches/dads are still pitching and catching. For me at her games its sort of a 'been there, done that' mindset. I just kind of stand on the sidelines and support her rather than get into it like some of the other dads. For most of the dads at the second grade game though, they are watching their eldest boys play baseball. So some of them really get into it. So I go to her game last week and am acting the casual observer. This one kid comes up, and hits a ball through the infield, he runs to first, turns and heads to second. Turns second and heads to third. At this point the ball is coming back into the infield. The kid hits third and starts going home. An infielder gets the relay from the outfielder and throws to the catcher (a coach, remember...), the catcher gets the ball, the runner stops in between third and home and starts running back to third. The coach/catcher then runs the kid down and catches him before he gets back to third and tags him out! I was stunned. The third base coach, who just happened to be the runner's dad, asked the coach what he was doing, the coach goes 'he turned the corner, he gave me no choice!. Amazing, huh?

themetfairy May 03 2009 01:17 PM

Agreed soup, that watching the Little League majors is a treat. I was talking about it last night to one of the other team parents - we can remember a lot of these kids back from age 7, and it's wonderful seeing how they have developed and how nicely they play the game now. As for the parent catcher - not amazing. It's sad, but for some families the parents are more concerned about winning than the kids. One of the reasons I love the fact that D-Dad manages MK is that D-Dad is not like that. His ego is not dependent upon the kids' Win/Loss record. And the kids get a lot more out of the experience that way. D-Dad has promised that any kid who wants to pitch during the regular Little League season will have an opportunity (all bets are off during the playoffs). Two weeks ago, he put in a boy, who is far from the strongest player on the team. But this kid was SO happy about pitching - it was a beautiful thing to see this kid's face on the mound.

DocTee May 03 2009 01:25 PM

My 8 year old daughter plays softball...this is her first year after two in boys-girls little league (tee ball and farms, where the machine pitches). Many of the girls on her team have played together and there's a bit of a parent clique(including the manager and two coaches). Rachel often bats near the bottom of the lineup, even though she is very close to the abilities of those higher in the order. She takes it all in stride and barely notices...I complained about the apparent favoritism, but realize that I shouldn't get worked up about it-- funny that I learn these lessons in sportsmanship from my child.

Edgy DC May 03 2009 02:22 PM

I coached Little League as a teenager and drafted the boys based on whose older sisters I wanted to curry favor with. If my wife ever dumps me I'm going back to coaching and drafting based on moms.

MFS62 May 03 2009 04:55 PM

I wonder if sending a Little League Majors player back to the Minors screws them up for life. Just wonderin'. Have any of you had to deal with that as managers or players? Later

seawolf17 May 03 2009 05:28 PM

="Edgy DC":1691okx3]If my wife ever dumps me I'm going back to coaching and drafting based on moms.[/quote:1691okx3] Nothing wrong with that; that's how I admit students. I struck out to end a Little League championship game once. (I wasn't much of a hitter.) I umpired for a few years in high school/college, and I was much better at that. I remember one kid, Ricky Riccobono, who threw approximately 230 miles an hour in Little League. None of us wanted to work the plate when he was pitching, because he was scary as hell. Got drafted by the Red Sox out of high school, then I think he blew out his arm in the minor leagues and never made it. Edgy DC May 03 2009 05:32 PM Rockville Centre's own: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... ccob001ric themetfairy May 03 2009 05:36 PM ="MFS62":2mgpy5or]I wonder if sending a Little League Majors player back to the Minors screws them up for life. Just wonderin'. Have any of you had to deal with that as managers or players? Later[/quote:2mgpy5or] I have never heard of such a thing being done. Edgy DC May 03 2009 05:39 PM I'm not entirely certain, but I'm pretty sure that I coached Billy Koch one year. MFS62 May 03 2009 06:05 PM ="themetfairy":s611qs5v] ="MFS62":s611qs5v]I wonder if sending a Little League Majors player back to the Minors screws them up for life. Just wonderin'. Have any of you had to deal with that as managers or players? Later[/quote:s611qs5v] I have never heard of such a thing being done.[/quote:s611qs5v] I'm not surprised. I remember it was being done to kids in New York City in the late 50's/ early 60's. Have no idea if its still being done, or where. Later seawolf17 May 03 2009 06:12 PM ="Edgy DC":37gy4rpl]Rockville Centre's own: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... ccob001ric[/quote:37gy4rpl] Well, not exactly. RC-born, maybe, but Commack-raised. That's him, though. Frayed Knot May 03 2009 06:28 PM I remember having a "tryout" in my first year in L.L.; a maybe 5 minute set of drills given to me by some older kids to determine which of the lower leagues best fit my entry level "skill". Not sure how accurate that kind of thing is but it did keep me out of the lowest rungs where much of my age-group got sent. After that you just kind of progressed up to the higher rungs as you aged just like school promotions (I can't imagine there were ever any demotions). And there was never any "draft" either. Basically if you were in the 'Orange' group in one league then you were an 'Orange' in a higher league the following year, and the players on a Red team graduated to a higher red, so what level you were in automatically determined which team. Nor were there any fights over team names since they didn't name them after MLB squads (I assume they have to pay a fee for the use of those?). In our L.L., they'd name each team in one entire level birds (Falcons, Ravens, Owls, etc.) while the next was all animals, and another was all Indian tribes, and I forget what the others were. Both the non-draft and the neutral names probably saved a lot of hand-wringing for both kids & adults. Of course LL didn't start as young back then. IIRC it was limited to 9, 10, 11, & 12 year olds (or 8 - 11 if your birthday was later in the year) but I'm sure there were no levels for 5 to 7 y/o. By 13 you moved up to 'Babe Ruth' level and the bigger field. DocTee May 03 2009 06:48 PM My little league teams were all cats: Jaguars, Panthers, Lions, Tigers, Bobcats...the Lions were the powerhouse. When we moved to majors, the four teams were Mets, Braves, Pirates and Giants... the uniforms were gray, with a colored logo-less hat and stirrups to differentiate the teams--Pirates were yellow, Mets blue, Giants orange and my braves, purple. Then to Babe Ruth (Green Machine). We played in Central Park and beneath the Queensboro Bridge on some clay tennis courts that left my sneakers and clothes perpetually ruddy. themetfairy May 03 2009 06:57 PM There's definitely a fee to use the MLB names. And we also pay a fee to use minor league names (two years ago MK was a B-Met). Our township has eight majors teams, and the draft is a big deal. Every coach automatically gets his own kid, but how that kid is ranked is often a point of contention; some guys don't want their kids to play for certain coaches; and all sorts of other squabbles take place each year. Frayed Knot May 03 2009 08:45 PM Lots of youth sports would be better with less parental involvement. soupcan May 03 2009 09:12 PM ="themetfairy":zpq9b6ee]Our township has eight majors teams, and the draft is a big deal. Every coach automatically gets his own kid, but how that kid is ranked is often a point of contention; some guys don't want their kids to play for certain coaches; and all sorts of other squabbles take place each year.[/quote:zpq9b6ee] Sounds the same as my town. We have 10 Majors teams, broken up into a 'National' and 'American' league. There are 6 teams named after MLB teams (Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs Astros, Mets. Pirates) and 4 teams with names that I have no idea where they came from (Maruders, Jaguars, Commandos, Raiders). If a 'Majors' team is short a player for a particular game they can call a kid up from the 'Minors' (one level and one age group below) or even from 'AAA' (two levels and two age groups below). However whatever kid is called up must also be playing on a team in the same 'League' (National or American) as the team that calls him up. My son's team ran into a problem last year and thats when I found out about that rule which I think is kind of stupid. Met Hunter May 03 2009 09:25 PM ="Edgy DC":zyeceuae]I'm not entirely certain, but I'm pretty sure that I coached Billy Koch one year.[/quote:zyeceuae] I bought my living room furniture from Billy's dad a few years back. I think it was Levitz in Carle Place. Very large man. Edgy DC May 03 2009 09:34 PM Mar(a)uders: The kids' dads are football fans and think the more violent the name, the better. Jaguars: The kids' dads drive expensive cars. Raiders: The kids' dads are mobbed up. Commandos: The kids' dads don't wear underwear. soupcan May 04 2009 07:50 AM The Marauders always makes me think of Bugs Bunny. Follow this line of reasoning: -'Marauders' makes me think of a'The Manassa Mauler' which was Jack Dempsey's nickname. -To me though, 'Manassa Mauler' sounds more like a wrestler than a boxer. -When I imagine a wrestler who would look like a mauler from a place called Manassa, I get an image in my head of 'The Crusher' from an old Bugs Bunny cartoon... So whenever I see the Marauders playing a LL game I always say under my breath 'Theeeeeee Crush-ah!' DocTee May 04 2009 08:40 AM Did Valadius just hack into Soup's account? Vic Sage May 04 2009 08:46 AM my 8-year old son plays on the Wolves. He seems to be having fun, despite a dearth of talent, inherited from his old man. My 11-year old girl hasn't been able to play so far this season, due to a broken thumb, but she's almost ready, and chomping at the bit. She has slightly more talent, but more importantly, a passion for the game. My son's passions are known only to him. He started playing soccer this season, and seems to have more aptitude for that. We'll see. And "parental involvement" is a double-edged sword. Its important to be there and supportive, but "intrusive and overbearing" is always just a hair's breath away. Mr. Zero May 04 2009 09:08 AM Some of this year's sponsors: Cupcake Corral Creative Organizing Kids Docs Extreme Personal Training Moods in Hair Advanced Dental Yankees Royal Cadillac Hummers HahnSolo May 04 2009 09:25 AM Does Tee ball count? The littlest Solo embarks on his first year of tee ball. I am one of the coaches for the 5-year old Mets. Sadly, despite being the Mets, we got black shirts, socks, and caps. We've had about a dozen "how old is that kid?" questions for my little guy. He is about a full head taller than some of the kids and is one of the few who can hit it to the outfield. Fman99 May 04 2009 09:28 AM ="HahnSolo":nlw7nh48]Does Tee ball count? The littlest Solo embarks on his first year of tee ball. I am one of the coaches for the 5-year old Mets. Sadly, despite being the Mets, we got black shirts, socks, and caps. We've had about a dozen "how old is that kid?" questions for my little guy. He is about a full head taller than some of the kids and is one of the few who can hit it to the outfield.[/quote:nlw7nh48] Fboy had the choice of playing as a four year old this year. I thought he'd have done fine, he kills the ball (from both sides of the plate) in the backyard. But come sign-up day he told me he didn't want to play in a league, just in the yard with me and Fwife instead. Now two of his classmates in day care are playing and I think maybe he is a bit regretful. Oh well, he will have another chance next year. I suspect that another year to gain in maturity will help him anyway. He gets REAL angry when he doesn't win. themetfairy May 04 2009 10:22 AM T-Ball certainly counts. It all starts with T-Ball :) soupcan May 04 2009 10:29 AM ="themetfairy":2wljm4ma]T-Ball certainly counts. It all starts with T-Ball :)[/quote:2wljm4ma] Agreed - T-Ball counts. We've been there, we know! metfairy - is MK going to continue with Babe Ruth next year? themetfairy May 04 2009 11:33 AM soup - we're not sure. There's a lot on Activity Island right now, including Boy Scouts and his trombone studies (he has definite plans to be a part of the marching band in high school). He's a good ballplayer, but not the most talented. His biggest asset is that he knows the game so well, but he's often frustrated by the gap between his ability and what he wants to do. If he wants to go into Babe Ruth, we'll let him. But we're not pushing it. If he doesn't play, I see him umpiring - that would keep him involved in the game, and also give him a way to earn some money once he turns 14. What about your Pirate? Is he continuing on? John Cougar Lunchbucket May 04 2009 11:54 AM Baseball or trombone, gotta practice if ya wanna to be among the greats. Just ask me, I turned out to be neither. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QxUj2fKFX7A&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QxUj2fKFX7A&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> soupcan May 04 2009 11:58 AM He wants to keep playing. He's not a big kid though, and next year they would go to major league size fields. I think that might be an issue for him unless he has a growth spurt this summer. He already umpires and he really enjoys it. I'm surprised at how decisive he is as an ump. Its like I'm watching a completely different kid. He takes no crap from anybody and is loud, clear and quick when making calls. The money don't hurt either. $30 for calling balls and strikes and $20 for the base ump. Pretty good scratch for a 12 year-old. themetfairy May 04 2009 01:04 PM Our township makes you wait until 14 to ump. But I think the kid would be great at it. He does practice the trombone, and takes private lessons. He also made a regional band this past winter. Benjamin Grimm May 04 2009 01:40 PM I'm managing a softball team of seven- and eight-year-old girls. Last year, in t-ball, I was an assistant coach, but the manager was a shlub who didn't know what he was doing, so I made all the decisions. We've played two games so far, and unofficially won them both. (We're not supposed to keep score, but I've been doing so secretly.) The girls seem to be having fun, the parents have been nice, and I'm having a good time too. My daughter wants to be the first female major leaguer, but her teammate Amanda has extraordinary (for her age, anyway) talent and outstanding (again, for her age) instincts. If any of my group of girls is going to crack the gender line, it will be Amanda. John Cougar Lunchbucket May 04 2009 01:48 PM Ultimate7-And-8-Year-OldGirlsSoftballDatabase.com seawolf17 May 04 2009 02:12 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":554gygwb]Ultimate7-And-8-Year-OldGirlsSoftballDatabase.com[/quote:554gygwb] I just sponsored Amanda's page. HahnSolo May 04 2009 02:24 PM CapriSun Player(s) of the Game. themetfairy Jun 06 2009 07:24 PM Tonight was the final game of my son's Little League career. Before the night there was a slim possibility that the team could still advance to the next round of the playoffs. That would have required them to win tonight by a margin of four runs or more, and then to get some help from the other teams playing tomorrow night's game. But all contingencies are moot. The Liberty Tax Services Mets won tonight by a score of 3-1. MK caught all six innings and had an RBI in the game. So it's over. But at least they went out on a good note. Let's Go Mets!