2010 LLWS, Day 2

Day two was a hot one at the Little League World Series in Williamsport.  Even though it is free to get into the games, you had to have been drawn in the lottery to sit in the stands on the day of the Championship games.  Obviously we weren't that lucky and ended up in the 90 degree heat on the hill with the unwashed masses. We found a great spot right behind the left field fence, where we layed down our blanket and proceeded to bake. I have really nice Rocky the Raccoon stripes on both sides of my face from my sunglasses, but that's just all part of the fun I guess.

Adrienne amongst the masses on the hill in left field.

The first game was the Consolation round between Chinese-Taipei and Texas. The absolute trouncing Texas received the previous day from the Hawaiian team really seemed to get to them, and were once again 10-run mercy ruled by the Chinese-Taipei team.  Adrienne and I both noticed that many of the teams from overseas show a great discipline that undoubtedly gives them an added advantage on the playing field.


During the first game we had a great conversation with someone who had come to the USA from Taiwan and had the opportunity to ask why the team is considered to be from "Chinese-Taipei", but are really from Taiwan.  I won't embarrass myself trying to repeat all the details here, but needless to say there are lots of politics involved.


While standing in line for a hot dog at the concession stand I got to meet Stanford Hurley from the European team. Anyone who watched the semi-final rounds early in the week knows who this kid is. There is video floating around the interwebs of him showing Nomar Garciaparra around the team quarters, and another where he calls out Garciaparra - challenging him to a friendly game of ping-pong.  While most of the kids seem nervous in front of the ESPN/ABC cameras, Hurley had one zinger after another for the camera crews. If Hurley doesn't have a future in professional baseball, I'd watch out for him onscreen.

The Slushie Factory

Did I mention how hot it was?  After numerous cold treats were consumed by the two of us (lemonade, water, dippin' dots, italian ice) we just couldn't take it anymore. By the second or third inning of the Championship game between Japan and Hawaii, Adrienne and I had completely given up on our seats in left field and retreated to higher ground where we could find a reprieve from the scorching sun. I was really thankful for the self-serve slushie factory where you could concoct your own glass of tasty frozen deliciousness. I opted for cherry on the bottom, lemonade on the top.  But where the hell was grape and orange?  How can you have a slushie factory and not have grape or orange? Both orange cream and pina colada were present, but sometimes the old standbys really are more desirable.  


Anyway... Japan ended up winning the Little League World Series.  It was a great game and Hawaii fought hard, but in the end just weren't able to make a dent the amazing pitching and defense of the Japanese team. Despite the heat, we had a great time and are already planning next year's trip... well... mostly what we need to pack for next year: Umbrellas (for the sun OR the rain), lawn chairs with the back legs sawed down for hillside seating and a lot more ice in our cooler!

Little League World Series, 2010

Adrienne and I started our journey on what I hope will be our annual trip to the the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania this morning. This is our second trip and we had beautiful driving weather. We managed to avoid running over any semi-truck tires and also successfully navigated the parking lot without backing into an SUV full of elderly -- unlike last year. Obviously, the trip is already better.

View of the complex from the parking lot

While waiting in line I got to talk to Luke Ramirez, one of the stars of the Chula Vista team from last year about how much fun it was to watch them play at such a high level. I'm always incredibly impressed when someone that young is so extraordinarily talented in a way I have never been.

The first game today was the International Championship between Japan and Asia Pacific. The team from Japan was down 2-1 after the first two innings for the entire game until the 6th (and final in Little League play), when they scored the tying run to send the game into extra innings.  In the seventh Japan was able to score a run to win the ballgame.

Texas players' conference on the mound

Kahoea Akau advances to third

Following the Japan/Asia Pacific game, we were able to move down closer to the field for the West (Hawaii) vs. Southwest (Texas) game. While I'm pretty sure Texas had been the favorite to win due to their home run ball and strong pitching in the regionals and throughout the preliminary rounds of the World Series,  Hawaii forced the 10-run mercy rule in five innings, advancing to the final World Championship game vs. Japan tomorrow.  This is the third year in a row the West team has advanced to the World Championship game, and the second time in 3 years a team from Hawaii has repped for the West. The player Adrienne and I were most impressed by was the 4' 11", 86 lb. Kahoea Akau from the Hawaii team.  Hopefully I will have more to say and more pics to post tomorrow.  

My New Blog

Hello, everybody!

I thought it would be a nice idea to start a blog in order to share thoughts and photos from my upcoming Scandinavia trip (and any other occasions) with friends and family.  Stop back for more updates!