Observation about the LLWS. International teams have won 3 Titles in row, and 4 of the last 5 (S. Korea this year, and teams from Tokyo in 10, 12, & 13). Congrats to them. But at the same time, it seems like the deck is stacked against the U.S., at least a little bit. Think about it. U.S. teams are made up of only players from one local Little League. Im not 100% sure how it works for Countries like S. Korea or Japan, but Im guessing those large cities dont have nearly as many Leagues as we do in the states, and therefore, are able to pull from a much larger pool of players. Think about it. Using West Boynton as an example. In any given Spring Season, the Majors Division, (11-13), from where All-Stars to represent the League will be chosen, generally consists of 6-10 teams, with 12 players/team. That gives you a pool of approximately 72 (as it was for the League this year) - 120 players to choose from. Again, Im not sure how teams are chosen in cities in foreign countries, but I would guess that in many cases, they have a much bigger talent pool to choose from. Also, it seems that they gain a competitive advantage with respect to the way teams are able to practice. During the S.Korea vs. Japan International Final, the broadcasters talked about how it is done in Japan. According to them, the Japanese entry had practiced each weekend for the last 52 weeks. May not seem like much, but here is their Saturday/Sunday schedule: 8-9am - Stretch/Warm-up 9am-12pm - Defensive Work 12-1pm - Lunch 1-3pm - Situational Work 3-6pm - BP Thats 18 hours of baseball/weekend. Try that in this country, and theyd put you away. :) Again, Im not complaining, just an observation that may be right or wrong. Also interesting to note? Going back to when the Series started in 1947, Florida teams have made it to the Final 8 times. And have never won (the International Final)...
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 14:07:24 +0000
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