Sadly, when I think of the Little League World Series these days, this is the first thing that pops in my head:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_SqhqFqJs&feature=related
While my college friends and I agreed this video was one of the funniest, yet most depressing things we had ever seen (we saw it live and replayed it on the DVR about 20 times), it still meant we were tuned into the LLWS. And why not? Baseball is awesome to begin with, but watching the kids go at it serves as a great time to reminisce about our own good old playing days.
And it's back -- when the summer winds down, it's time for the best Little Leaguers around the world to fight for their right to play in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. But that's only the division that gets all the national attention. What most people forget (or aren't even aware of), is that there are several divisions of the LLWS not only for baseball, but softball as well.
Both "sports" are divided into four leagues: Little, Junior, Senior and Big. As you could imagine, they are divided by age limits. But the only division that people really hear about on ESPN is Little League in the baseball division. Right now, a lesser-known regional tournament is taking place right here in Montana.
Butte is the home to the West Regional Tournament of the Softball Senior League World Series. And in case you forgot, the Northwest/Mile High Little League of Butte advanced to the World Series last year and won two games in the world tournament.
This year, things are a little bleaker for the host team, only because the turnover has been massive. But hope is not lost, Montanans -- the Mt. Jumbo/Mt. Sentinel Little League out of Missoula just may be the favorites to get out of the region this year.
And it was Missoula that finished runner-up to Butte last year in this regional. So the next logical step for a Missoula league that brings back a lot of its players, is to get to the world tournament in Delaware on August 8. The tournament runs through next Wednesday, and it should be exciting to see if Missoula will be one of the five U.S. representatives in the LLWS.
There's so much to enjoy about Little League baseball. ESPN wouldn't dedicate a month to it if there wasn't. It lets us reflect on our youth and remember how fun it was to go outside in the summer and throw a ball around before our innocent minds were corrupted by all that comes with growing up. And of course, there's always the sense of pride for the local league or the U.S. against the world.
Look, I think it would be really cool if Montana could send a team to the LLWS for a second year in a row. Seeing a team from our humble part of the country move on to take on the best young players in the world...that's something the whole state could get behind. Today, the west region. Tomorrow...the world.
A.J. Donatoni
ajdonatoni@maxmontana.com
