The Little League World Series is entering its final days in South Williamsport, Pa., and like many of you, I've heard quite enough of that odd "Walk Tall" reggae song every 10 seconds on ESPN. Four more days. Four more days.
A few other observations:
- Little League kids are getting bigger every year. Improved nutrition, weight training for kids - it was inevitable. I was half the size of these kids when I was 12. That said, is it time to move the mound and the fences back a bit? Maybe 4 feet on the mound (to 50 feet) and another 25 feet on the fence (to 250 feet)? Would ruin that spectator's hill behind the fence, I know. But there are way too many home runs, and some are just routine line drives or fly balls. Some of the bigger kids can hit 70 mph on the radar gun - that's the equivalent of a mid-90s fastball, when factoring in the mound at 46 feet away.
- A post on our message board says it's a sham that the international teams all have to play each other, while the U.S. teams play in the other bracket. But it's not a sham when you consider that the vast majority of the kids who play Little League baseball play in the United States. The format also allows for a U.S. national champion to be crowned as well as a world champion. It's a great format, if you ask me.
- I'm still a bit queasy about the exposure these kids get on TV, and the immense amount of pressure they face. They also mike the coaches to try to create compelling TV, and ESPN caught this exchange (caught on YouTube) between manager and pitcher, when a 12-year-old was pouting like a 12-year-old. (Too many of the critics of the video forget the kid is 12.) Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post also chimed in this week about the LLWS, and laments about how these kids are forced to grow up too fast. That's the price of putting this all on national TV. I shared the same view last year. It's a little too creepy.
- It's great that Little League keeps pitchers from throwing too much, but is it enough? Renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who has made millions by becoming the authority on re-attaching elbow ligaments, thinks young pitchers should be limited even more. He's done 241 Tommy John ligament transplant surgeries on teenagers in the last five years.“The operation was designed for older, professional athletes,” Andrews said, according to the New York Times. “Now it’s just the opposite.” Little League keeps players from throwing more than 85 pitches, but has no rules about pitching in a several games throughout the tournament. One pitcher last year threw 221 pitches in 10 days. That's more than the big-leaguers do, and they're grown men. Also: What are the five worst baseball injuries? About.com's Guide to First Aid breaks down the scary side of the game.
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