(just another) Little League Mom

Little League 2010

2010-01-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, here it is, January 2010, and I haven't posted in over a year... After taking the plunge from Little League "blogger" to SunCreek Little League President, I became overwhelmed by the tasks and events involved in running a successful Little League program.

By July of last year, I was glad to be through the first year, wondering why I took on this time-consuming role, and frankly, ready to take a break. There were times when I was called from our own son's baseball game to another field to resolve issues for two grown men arguing over who had the right to use a baseball field. There were times where I was cornered at my job to discuss a LL issue. And there were many times last year when I didn't sleep because of a particularly jarring confrontation with a parent.

I wished I had thicker skin...

But there were times last year that I was able to take a bag of seeds and sit for an hour watching some 10 year olds play baseball. I attended at least one game at every level of our league last year, and sat through many AAA and Majors games. I blogged and photographed our kids and celebrated a full day at Alpenrose Stadium where all the SCLL teams played and the AAA teams instead organized a "skills festival" where the kids pitched, ran, and then broke up into small groups and formed mixed teams to play baseball on the main diamond TOGETHER. I still get compliments about our Alpenrose Day.

And I am proud of our ability to get some kids playing baseball who did not have access and opportunity in the past.

So here comes the 2010 season, fast and furious...

The weeknights are spent at meetings and answering emails and updating websites. But I vow to post more often to this blog because it helps me to write and I hope it helps other youth sports parents out there...

Thanks for reading and commenting and mostly, thanks for caring about kids...

Little League On My Mind

2009-01-14T21:56:00.000-08:00

I'm back from "Winter Break 08" and ready to talk Little League! I recently attended the 2009 Oregon State Little League Conference...met some great folks and now its time to put those ideas into action.

However, I might need to change this blog's name to (just another) Little League President:

Yep, I took the plunge... I am now the (proud) President of SunCreek Little League in Portland, Oregon.

I guess I'm a mama to over 500 Little Leaguers now!

It has been a wild ride since last summer. Our country is undergoing change that will most certainly effect Little League baseball and softball.

I do know this...simpler times call for our Nation's Pastime. As American adults struggle with economic challenges, I feel stronger than ever that we can provide fun and sport for kids this spring on ballfields around the country.

Thanks for reading, feel free to comment, and let's start discussing Spring Season 09!

2008 Little League World Series: About the Kids

2008-08-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm not the only fan:

"Meet South Dakota's Bill Hendricks"

I've been watching lots of 2008 Little League World Series on ESPN and ABC...the level of ball and size of kids is way beyond the scope of the average Little League games around here, but is Williamsport not kid-heaven?

Seriously, as many have said, the place is set up for families: free admission, free parking, lots of cheap junk food, crazy mascots, dancing umpires, a perfect cardboard-sliding hill, oh, and ESPN chicks and dudes hanging out, amping up the cool factor...

A Celebration of (youth) Baseball

2008-08-16T09:07:00.001-07:00

Now that the Little League Softball World Series has wrapped-up here in Portland, my eyes are glued to the HD for the Olympics plus the LLWS, which started yesterday. By the way, congratulations to Simpsonville Little League, Simpsonville, South Carolina, the 2008 Champs!

Our local team, Murrayhill Little League, advanced through our Oregon District 4, the state championship, and then lost in the Regional championship to Mill Creek, Washington. This is the fourth year in a row that a team from our District has gone to the final Regional game.

I caught many of the Regional Championships on ESPN, but, as you know, I'm keeping my eye on the Midwest representative from South Dakota. Canyon Lake Little League of Rapid City, South Dakota, lost yesterday to Tampa, Florida. But they play again at 3:30pmET on ABC versus New England (Shelton, Connecticut). I'll be watching!

My New Favorite Little Leaguer

2008-08-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted here in awhile...I certainly haven't abandoned Little League, but have been spending time on our local league and especially at the Little League Softball World Series here in Portland. There's a lot going on there, and you can check it out here.

But, I just watched the 2008 Midwest Regional final and a team from Canyon Lake LL (Rapid City) South Dakota will be the first from its state to go to Williamsport! What a great group of kids, humble and enjoying the moment. But my new favorite: #6 Bill Hendricks. The violin-playing, top student also happens to be the closer. He had me at the first strains of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" on the violin.

Tonight, our own Oregon District 4 Murrayhill Little League will play in the Northwest Regional final tonight versus Washington and even though I'm involved in a rival local league, I'll be watching :)

All-Star Season Thoughts

2008-07-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

I love All-Star season because I don't have a pony in the race, so to speak. As long-time readers know, I never had a pony in the race, as Jack was designated an "alternate" for the tournament team when he was 12 years old.

I get to enjoy the excitement of Little League postseason as a fan, cheering at the games and outstanding play, visiting with the kids and their parents, and soaking in the atmosphere of youth baseball and softball.

I love that each game represents two communities, usually from just outside your normal sphere of school, work, grocery store, mall, ballpark... Maybe your opponent is from "just over the hill." Or maybe they are from the farthest corner of your county. Or maybe they will feed into your rival high school. Or maybe you know them from church. Or you manage the grocery store where all their moms shop. Maybe they look and dress like you, or maybe they are hipper than you :) Maybe there is an open parking space next to an SUV painted "Go Eric, Tualatin All-Stars 08" and you say "nope, I'll walk across the parking lot in the 100 degree heat before I park next to anyone from Tualatin Little League." Not exactly Yankees vs. Red Sox territory here, but your place on this earth takes on a different meaning during All-Star Season.

Then, one night, it's done. It's over. Your team has lost and there are no more games or practices and its time to hand in your uniform. The painted car is washed clean and you go from an All-Star family to "family with brown lawn."

So you end up with the rest of your summer to enjoy family and friends, maybe take a vacation, let the kids go swimming without worrying if it is a game day, paint the living room...

And as the tension of competition subsides, you find yourself smiling at that leftover painted car in the parking lot and you hope you run into them to say "How was State?" You stop after church to ask your former rival "hey, where's Joey playing next year?" Because (here comes a cliche) LIFE GOES ON. The cushion of time eases you out of the Tournament Time Mindset and hopefully you look back with a smile and with pride how you handled the Mindset.

It's that smile that I can't hold back when I walk up to a ballfield and see a game being played. It is the glance I make as I drive by any school or park looking to see if girls or boys are playing on the ballfield, and the smile that emerges if there is a game going on. If I have time, I pull over and hang out for a little while.

So smile. Win or lose, you were part of a special group of folks around the world who are taking part in the 2008 Little League International Tournament. And if you were not on an All-Star team: smile. Neither was my son. But he is still playing the game that we love, and has perhaps even more respect for the game. Life is a series of experiences (cliche) and the experiences on a Little League field can be magical.

CA District 5 Junior League Champs!

2008-07-15T08:06:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the Eggleston boys and Fair Oaks Little League!

Oregon District 4 Majors Baseball: Game 10 Pix

2008-07-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

(just another) Sunday afternoon at Alpenrose:

Oregon District 4 Baseball: Scenes from Game 8

2008-07-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Scenes from Oregon District 4 Majors Baseball

2008-07-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

"My" two teams lost night...and that's OK -- my son's team lost 2-0 and my favorite Little League team went down to defeat to the perennial District powerhouse. The world didn't end...the sun rose this morning, we have our health and we have our friends and family...

Some people would say if you're OK with losing, you are a loser. Well, I'm OK with kids playing baseball on a beautiful summer night, surrounded by fans and former players. Here are some pix from the 2nd day of the 2008 Oregon District 4 Majors Baseball All-Star Tournament taking place at Alpenrose Dairy in Portland, Oregon.

Amen to the Little Sisters

2008-07-07T08:54:00.001-07:00

This wonderful photo of The Little Sisters of 9/10 All-Stars is courtesy of Chris Siems.

Here's a shout-out to the little sisters and brothers, and big sisters and brothers, who spend hours at ballparks while brother or sister has a game, and who rarely complain :) and keep concession stands in business.

pix from District 4 Oregon 9/10 All-Stars

2008-07-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

What Happens After Little League?

2008-07-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

One day my son said asked why I don't blog about his team anymore...so here's a shot of the boy on the mound for his Westview Sr. Federal team.

Jack, thanks for being the reason this all started.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Blog for SunCreek Little League

2008-07-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that our former league in Oregon District 4 is SunCreek Little League. To focus on their postseason play, I have set up another blog for their scores and photos:

www.SunCreekLL.blogspot.com

Please take a look over there, but check back here for Oregon District 4 and other Little League "stuff!"

Thanks for reading...

LL Tournament Break: Watching My Son's Team

2008-07-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've missed a few games in the Little League District 4 Oregon tournament in the last two nights so I could be there for my son's games :) His JBO Sr. Federal team (14 year olds) got to play on the high school varsity field last night, complete with music and sound effects and the high school coaches sitting in the stands. We won, but the young men seemed a little nervous. Since it's the high school field and not the Park & Rec, the boys had to stay after and rake and fill in holes and cover the mound and home plate. Good practice for next year (I hope!).

My goal is to get out to the District 4 Oregon 9/10 tournaments tonight. The 9/10 Honors are playing at Cook Park in Tigard, and the 9/10 All-Stars kicked off last night in Lake Oswego.

Oregon District 4 Honors Tourney: Day 2

2008-06-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

Crazy evening weather in the Portland Metro area led to the postponement of today's last game in the 2008 District 4 Oregon 11/12 "Honors" Tournament at Alpenrose. After record heat Saturday, Sunday's temps were pleasant, if not a little on the muggy side.

At around 8pm, a few large raindrops began to fall. Then a drizzle, then pouring rain and thunder. Then a little more thunder. Then LIGHTNING and thunder, sending the teams into the dugouts and fans out of the stands into the covered area. Game 12 between Sunset Park LL and Sun Creek LL was suspended in the 2nd inning, and will resume on Tuesday, July 1.

Here are the results from games earlier in the tournament:

Game 6 (Saturday night): Murrayhill LL (red) 14, Hillsboro LL 3

Game 7: Tigard LL (green) 11, Wolf Creek LL 1

Game 8: Tigard LL (black) 8, Lake Oswego LL (blue) 4

Game 9: Hillsboro LL 13, Raleigh Hills LL 2

Game 10: Tillamook LL 10, SW Portland LL 7

Game 11: Murrayhill LL (teal) 5, Lake Oswego LL (white) 4

Game 12: Sunset Park LL vs. SunCreek LL -- suspended due to lightning

Tillamook LL vs. SunCreek LL: more pix

2008-06-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

The best part of Little League is meeting new kids and fans! I've always believed that Alpenrose is a magical place... Enjoy some more photos! These are courtesy of Deborah Mundorff -- thanks, Deb!

Oregon District 4: 11/12 Honors Tourney Results

2008-06-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

As triple-digit heat blanketed the Portland Metro area, many people were heading for the coast to cool off. But a lone schoolbus filled with Little Leaguers from Tillamook, Oregon, was heading from the coast inland to begin play in their first District 4 11/12 Honors Tournament. And they were cool as cucumbers as they ignored the afternoon sun and banged out a 7-0 victory over SunCreek Little League in Game 5 on Alpenrose Main diamond.

Below I have posted some pix from the game.

In earlier action at Alpenrose:

Game 1: Tigard LL (black) defeated Sunset Park LL

Game 2: Murrayhill LL (teal) defeated Lake Oswego LL (blue)

Game 3: Wolf Creek LL defeated SW Portland LL

Game 4: Tigard (green) defeated Lake Oswego (white)

Game 6: Hillsboro LL versus Murrayhill LL (red) began @ 7pm

District 4 (Oregon) Honors Tourney Pix

2008-06-28T19:40:00.001-07:00

Let the (tournament) Games Begin!

2008-06-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

The All-Star teams have been selected and practices are underway...and now it's time to get the party started!

Our own Oregon District 4 will kick off its run of tournaments this Saturday with the "Honors" teams playing at Alpenrose and Cook Park in Tigard. I love these tournaments -- kids who cannot commit to an AS team schedule, or leagues that don't have enough players for a full set of AS teams, can participate in Honors. For some District 4 kids, it is their last chance to play at Alpenrose, home of the Little League Softball World Series. It is a more relaxed tournament and is a fun way to start "the second season."

As the Honors tournaments are wrapping up, the District 4 tournaments for 9/10, 10/11, and 11/12 year-old AS will begin their quest to move on to the State Tournaments. Here is a rundown of all the District 4 Little League baseball tournaments:

9/10 Baseball Honors
June 28-July 7, 2008: Cook Park, Tigard

11/12 Baseball Honors
June 28-July 6: Alpenrose Park, Portland

9/10 Baseball
July 1-8: Waluga & Westlake Parks, Lake Oswego

10/11 Baseball
July 5-12: Waluga & Westlake Parks, Lake Oswego

Majors Baseball
July 9-16: Alpenrose Park, Portland

LL Selection Sunday + Father's Day

2008-06-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in Seaside, Oregon, a coastal town with an arcade, bumper cars, big corn dogs, lots of taffy, and several ballfields. Our son's team played in three "friendlies" with one local and two teams from out-of-town at Broadway Park, home of the Seaside Wildcats. It was a relaxed affair, with the kids picking their positions and even coaching the bases -- capped off by a huge bonfire on the beach to end a perfect Father's Day weekend.

As we drove home from the coast, I began to reflect on the date: June 15. I realized that there would be lots of emotions on this day in the world of Little League. I was thinking back a few years when Jack didn't make the LL All-Star team, but was an alternate, and selected to play in the Honors tournament instead. Talk about mixed emotions...

I was thinking about how he still practiced with the AS team everyday, and even when two players left the team over the long 2+ weeks before the first game AND he still wasn't placed on the roster (coach said they would "have a better chance of winning with only 11 players") he still went out and practiced with them and sat at every one of their games (not on the bench, of course), heartbroken, but knowing that the practice time would only make him a better player.

That is our AS story -- a tough one to swallow for us, but Jack has moved on, and at age 14, is on the Westview Sr. Federal team, the top in this age-group, batting fifth (he started out batting last at the beginning of the season) and working hard everyday at the sport he loves.

My reflection for the day for those families celebrating the beginning of tournament play or celebrating the end of the regular season of Little League is this: be glad for the several months that you just spent with your child(ren), encouraging, cheering on, teaching, talking life and sportsmanship. You (hopefully!) modeled for your kids volunteerism and community support. Youth sports do not take place on an island (even though it feels like that on a cold night in April when you are the only ones playing :) ) and the benefits will always outweigh hours playing video games or watching TV. You were part of something, and they can forever tell their children that they played Little League.

If you made the Tournament Team, congrats, and I'll be following the local teams and news on this blog during the summer. If you are done with baseball (for now), thank you and don't put that mitt away just yet -- enjoy a game of catch with your mom or dad just for the fun of it!

Happy (belated) Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Little League at West Union Fields: A Story

2008-06-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Let's say you're up early on a Saturday morning to take your husband to the airport. Let's say that you've had your coffee and breakfast, read the newspaper, and the weather is pleasant enough outside that you wish you had a ballgame on the schedule. But what would you do if it was an open day on the game schedule?

Even though our son's Little League playing days are over, it seems our Little League Fan days show no signs of slowing down. Jack plays for Westview Junior Baseball on the "Senior Federal" team of 13-14 year olds with a 7-1 record in league play. We had a bye on Thursday and a rare weekend with no tournament to attend.

Sooooooo, we enjoyed watching other teams and kids and cheering for old friends and new ones. We attended a doubleheader on Friday night between Mound Time, a local club team, who plays in Tualatin Hills Babe Ruth.

Our open Saturday allowed us to hang out at West Union Fields and catch SunCreek Little League games -- the pictures are posted below. It was a pleasure to watch the kids, and their parents, enjoying a mild day in the Portland area while younger siblings hung out on the grass and the playground.

While I wish we were on the bleachers at one of Jack's games, it sure beats doing housework!

Little League at West Union Fields III

2008-06-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

Little League at West Union Fields II

2008-06-01T15:13:00.001-07:00

Little League at West Union Fields I

2008-06-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

A Cool Day for Baseball!

2008-05-11T10:12:00.001-07:00

Another Saturday at West Union Fields and a day of baseball at SunCreek Little League! These are scenes from majors and AAA baseball.

Thank you to the moms for giving us these great kids!

Dear SportsMom

2008-04-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

If you are a sports mom, you are not reading this on Saturday morning. You will maybe get to reading this early Sunday morning, or maybe even Monday, but probably not at all on Saturday. You woke up this morning with a full slate of games and errands and corresponding actions regarding uniforms, equipment bags, water bottles, and snacks.

Maybe you're not even waking up in your own bed? Maybe you're in a hotel with your child's teammates for an out-of-town tournament searching through the Yellow Pages for a pharmacy to buy allergy medicine or somewhere to eat that isn't McDonalds (not that I have anything against McDonalds :)

Saturdays feel like all the sections of a woman's magazine smashed together for four different people in a twelve hour time frame: "10 Reasons to Warm Up Before Exercising," "Recipes for On-the-Go Families," "Travel Tips," "Getting Out Grass Stains," "What Not to Wear," "Handling Credit Card Debt," "Cleaning Your House in 15 Minute Intervals," and a feature article: "Real Life Drama: I Never See My Husband Anymore."

No wonder moms love the internet...we need a place to learn and share. It's that simple.

Sports Moms have lots of sites to consult if they are coaches or managers, or scorekeepers, or looking for information on concussions. But there are not a lot of sites featuring experienced moms who have a wonderful perspective on the craziness that sports bring to the average family.

I want to tell you about "Dear Sports Mom" written by Laura Mooney. I have a permanent link on the right side of this blog. Laura's family is deeply involved in team sports, from youth to college and even the professional level. Her husband runs BioForce Baseball, a popular local baseball instruction facility. As parents, coaches, and fans, they have first-hand knowledge of what's going on in the typical sports family. Bookmark her site, and enjoy her wisdom.

Full Disclosure: Though I have never met Laura in person, our son worked out at BioForce this off-season. It was a time and financial commitment that we were lucky enough to be able to invest in. The confidence and skill development helped move him onto a team this spring that he only dreamed about...but I'm gonna write more about that later :)

We're in the Oregonian!

2008-04-22T21:12:00.001-07:00

We're a special club, I guess, the boys and girls of summer, who tough it out in the spring :)

"Oregon Baseball Fans Left Out in the Cold"
4/22/08, The Oregonian newspaper

LL Game Becomes the Big Show

2008-04-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

What happens when an improv group turns a routine Little League game in California into a Big League affair, much to the surprise of the teams, coaches and parents?

Click HERE and find out!

An afternoon game in Hermosa Beach between the Lugnuts and the Mudcats suddenly features dozens of adoring fans, mascots, peanut vendors, a JumboTron and even NBC Sports' Jim Gray with the "play-by-play."

Love it!

Rain out? Snow out?

2008-04-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Did you know that May 2 marks the hundredth anniversary of our nation's "other anthem?"

On May 2, 1908, the U.S. Copyright Office received a copy of the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Here is a link to a great way to spend an hour on a rainy day and you can't go outside to play some ball:

America's Pastime: Historic Baseball Resources from the Library of Congress

You're welcome :)

A Baseball Weekend

2008-04-14T08:59:00.001-07:00

There are few things I love more than standing in the middle of Sunset Park with games going being played on all four diamonds...

Do you have one of those parks in your community? The snack shack is in the middle and four LL-sized diamonds are jetting out like dirt-infield rays of sunshine. We finally had a break in the rain this weekend so there was glorious, glorious baseball and softball GAMES going on!

We traveled from Central Oregon after a 4-game tournament for our son's 14-year-old Junior Baseball Organization (JBO) team straight to the machine-pitch Little League Majors tournament at SP. Two teams from our former LL were playing in this tournament, which features majors teams from throughout the District.

With the Oregon weather typically wet and cool in April, the beginning of LL season is always hit-and-miss, with a last-minute emails whether the game or practice is ON or canceled, or "please get there early to help rake the base areas and we'll try to get the game in."

Here are some shots from the Giants game last night. The championship game is tonight, and wait, what is that coming through the window? Sun? We just might have a string of four days of dry weather and glorious, glorious baseball?

Voices of Miller and Morgan

2008-03-30T19:52:00.001-07:00

Ahhh, it has begun! With ESPN's broadcast of the MLB season opener tonight, and the familiar and comforting voices of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan coming from our TV, I know the sweetest time is upon us.

Never mind that we have had some hail and snow all week, Spring Break no less. Our son attended a two-day baseball camp held at the high school, with most of it indoors. This is baseball in Oregon. And next week begins our local Little League season!

ESPN broadcasted tonight from the new Washington Nationals' ballpark, and it looked spiffy, especially with our new HDTV we splurged on over Christmas :)

Speaking of new ballparks, I wanted to pass on info about the 2008 Diamonds in the Rough contest. The Diamonds in the Rough youth baseball program wants to make sure their baseball fields are in all-star shape too! Former MLB great Tino Martinez, along with Briggs & Stratton, is asking kids ages 7-14 to share how playing baseball or softball has helped them overcome challenges on and off the baseball field.

While I am painfully late in posting about this contest, I still wanted to pass on the website because I just think this is a great promotion. The lack of serviceable ballfields for youngsters is a major problem in many areas. We have also seen a significant increase in the use and cost of fields in the Portland area, and wonder if you are experiencing this where you play?

Good luck to all the teams next week, in new ballparks or treasured, worn-in fields. I honestly believe the memories made in that dirt will last a lifetime!

Little League 2008 -- Let's Get the Party Started!

2008-03-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

We are knee-deep in baseball, and mud and even some snow in the metro Portland area today. And yet baseball and softball practices are taking place all around us!

Hello, and welcome to the 2008 version of the Little League Mom. Sadly, my son's LL days are behind us, but not for several of my favorite kids from the neighborhood and from his former teams. So, I plan on plugging away with this blog until I no longer find my car drifting to a ballfield to watch a game of baseball or softball... And I can't see that happening for a while :)

Just a quick recap: I am not affiliated with Little League International. I am happy to report on games I watch, as well as teams and tournaments I hear or read about. I have fun and cheer for both teams. I appreciate your feedback!

Our LL story is a simple one -- the blog was set up to let our out-of-town friends and relatives know about our son's games, and it evolved from there. Readers discovered our struggles during regular season and All-Starts. I shared our local 9-10 All-Stars' run to the State Championship a couple of years ago -- those kids are all 12 years old now. Will they make a run to Williamsport this summer?

I grew up playing Little League Softball at Alpenrose where the LL Softball World Series currently takes place. It is an amazing facility devoted to the pastimes of local children. And yes, it is a working Dairy, but no, the cows are no longer there. But ESPN is there every summer, and girls from all over the world fly in for this simple reason: to play Little League softball.

Hope you are getting some practices and games in where ever you are! Thanks for reading and stay tuned -- the Little League season starts next week around here. Oh yeah, the big boys start next week, too!

Hats Off to the Underdogs

2007-08-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

Did you see the Little League World Series Championship game today? All of it?

It was a great game and a team from Georgia again takes the title, as the Southeast (Warner Robins American LL) defeated Japan (Tokyo Kitasuna LL) 3-2 in eight innings.

What a treat for us, as our local Oregon District 4 winner, Lake Oswego LL advances through the Northwestern Regional, goes 2-1 in Pool Play, and makes it to the United States Semifinal before losing to Southwest (Lubbock Western LL, Texas).

Then, this weekend of games, as Georgia upsets Southwest (who seem destined for the title with their romp through Pool Play and strong pitching) in the US Championship and Japan comes back in the bottom of the 7th inning to defeat Curaçao in the International Championship!

Following today's world championship game and dramatic walk-off homerun by Dalton Carriker, the amazing Georgians set aside their victory celebration to approach the mound and comfort the sobbing Japanese team. My eyes started welling up!

Congrats to all the teams who made it to the Little League World Series, and to those teams who didn't quite make it, and to those who youngsters watching on TV who decide to join, or continue on, a baseball or softball team. You are all the lucky ones!

"We're Going to Williamsport!"

2007-08-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

In a blog entry on July 29 I asked, "is Lake Oswego Little League the next Murrayhill?"

The answer is YES.

Tonight, live on ESPN2, Lake Oswego LL (our "local" team) defeated Kent LL (Washington) in the Northwest Regional final to advance to Williamsport for the LL World Series. For the second year in a row, a team from Oregon AND District 4 will travel to the mecca of Little League and represent our area in the world's best baseball tournament.

The local Oregonian newspaper had a story on the front-page of the sports section about the experience of the Murrayhill LL All-Stars (Beaverton, Oregon) and where the kids are this summer.

Congrats to Lake O! What a sports year for that community...and this chapter is really just beginning!

Wall-to-Wall Little League

2007-08-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

I took a little break from Little League last night and headed to The Bite of Oregon at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland. We listened to music and enjoyed great "bites" of the best our state has to offer: beef, seafood, microbrews and wine -- delicious.

But I am getting my fill this morning: I have the LL Baseball Midwest Regional on ESPN, and have the LL Softball World Series live boxscore open on my laptop, and the webcast of the same game over the speakers. I'll be heading up to Alpenrose soon, but I am taking it all in while I can. Pity those people that have weddings, family barbeques, etc. today :)

Our local District 4/Oregon State Champion Lake Oswego LL defeated Idaho yesterday 16-8 in the Northwest Regional and advances to the final Sunday night on ESPN2 versus Washington at 7pm. Go LO!

So Much Little League, So Little Time!

2007-08-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have been up at Alpenrose Stadium this week for the Little League Softball World Series and enjoying watching and talking with the girls and their fans from all over the world. Portland is truly lucky to host this event, though it takes a lot more than luck to put it together.

In the meantime, the local Jr. LL Baseball team from Murrayhill LL lost a nail-biter yesterday morning in the championship game of the Western Regional. Hawaii (Pearl City LL) defeated Oregon in ten innings, 2-1. The local CBS affiliate, KOIN, featured the game in their evening newscast, as well as weaving in the action in the Softball World Series. Hawaii heads to Taylor, Michigan, for the Junior Little League Baseball World Series.

In the Western Regional for Little League Baseball (11/12 year olds), our local District and State winner Lake Oswego LL has finished Pool Play down in San Bernardino and will play Idaho today at 5pm in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, you will find scores and stories from the Little League Softball World Series at my sister site: www.LLSoftball.blogspot.com Even baseball fans will find something interesting, as most of us are also Little League fans :)

Regional Round-Up

2007-08-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Little League Baseball (11/12 year olds) has a strong worldwide following, and consequently there are lots of websites covering regionals around the world.

LittleLeague.org features a quick link on the front page directly to the regional action for each of their divisions of baseball and softball. "Little League" traditionally refers to the popular 11/12 year old division. Junior League is for 13/14 year olds, Senior League is for 15/16 year olds, and Big League is for 17/18 year olds. Please remember that the age cut-off date for LL is May 1st, therefore, some of the kids will have had a birthday since All-Stars began and will actually be a year older.

UnPage.com is THE single source for coverage starting from Districts through Regionals. I have used this site many times, even though it only covers LL baseball. With links to League, District, State and Regional websites, it is valuable resource when hunting down scores from all levels of play, especially 9/10 and 10/11 All-Stars (which end at the State level). These teams often have kids we will see at the LL level, so many people want to keep track of their district and state winners.

Because Regional tournaments bring lots of attention and fans to a town, they are often covered prominently by the local paper. For example, the San Bernardino County Sun has a special section yearly covering the Western Regional. I love the very current updates and podcasts with video coverage of the games. This is so nice for parents and fans who can't make it to the Tournament.

These should get you started if you are looking for info on the team you played on as a kid or your cousin's team from Florida :)

August is the new September

2007-08-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

August feels like September. School supplies have been out for a month, football and soccer and cheerleading practice have started, and there are good shows on TV. Really, this is no time to go on vacation. Your family time at baseball and softball games last month probably was your vacation :)

This month, ESPN will televise a total of 49 Little League Baseball and Softball games. Here is a complete schedule. There clearly is an audience, and in spite of football preseason and MLB pennant races, ESPN will pull in good numbers for the LL coverage.

The structure and nostalgia of the Little League All-Star tournament are perfect for television. TV is great with personalities and geography and the tournament provides wonderful stories about kids and towns, the very fiber of our national foundation. Throw in that it is a true WORLD Series, with Olympics-type stories about kids from outside the U.S. and their love of sport bringing their culture and language to small towns across the country, and you see why this is compelling programming.

Locally, our (Oregon) District 4 and State Champ Lake Oswego LL is in San Bernardino to compete for the Northwest Regional berth to the Little League World Series in Williamsport. Last year's Northwest Champ, Murrayhill LL, is currently playing in the Junior LL BB Western Regional for a chance to travel to Taylor, Michigan, for the Jr. World Series and another opportunity to play on ESPN.

Good luck to all the teams travelling to and from tournaments. And THANK YOU to the hundreds of volunteers who make these events happen. While I'm lucky enough to live near two tournaments and take advantage of their hard work and organization, it is the working mom and dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles, who will be home watching games on ESPN and cheering on kids and thankful they are in good hands.

Local Crews Hosting LL Regionals

2007-07-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Portland area is humming with Little League activity, as Regional tournaments for baseball and softball take place, while the Little League Softball World Series begins preparing to host teams from all over the world in about a week:

1) The Junior Baseball Western Regional is underway in Beaverton, hosted by (Oregon) District 4. Junior BB features 13/14 year olds who play on the 90 foot diamond. After a kick-off barbeque last night, action started this morning with NorCal vs. Arizona at THPRD. The Oregon representative is Murrayhill Little League and features many of the boys from the 2006 Northwest Region champion who played in Williamsport. Keep up with scores here.

2) The Little League Softball Western Regionals are taking place across the River from Portland in Vancouver, Washington. Teams of 11/12 year old girls are vying for a berth to the Softball World Series.

3) (Oregon) District 4 is also the host for the LLSoftball World Series at Alpenrose Stadium in southwest Portland. Beaverton Area LL has already qualified as the host team by winning the District championship Sunday night. The tournament begins August 9.

I'd be happy to post about other regionals taking place around the country -- send me your stories! :)

Congrats to Lake Oswego LL (part 2)!

2007-07-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

Is Lake Oswego LL the next Murrayhill?

Lake Oswego was crowned Oregon State Champs yesterday after defeating Pendleton LL 7-0 at the tournament hosted by Lakeside LL in Portland. LO continues the tradition of the District 4 champion taking home the state banner as has happened since 2003.

Lake Oswego LL will travel to San Bernardino to compete in the Northwest Regional, August 4-12.

Baseball is Full of Stories

2007-07-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

On our recent road trip south on I-5 from Portland to San Francisco, we stopped at a McDonald's in Cottage Grove. We had rallied early morning and drove awhile before breakfast to get some miles under us. We have stopped at this McDonald's many times before, but it was remodeled! and so deluxe! with comfy chairs and Dippin' Dots! and they put the cream and sweetner in your coffee for you! :) But the best part was the conversation...

A group of retired guys was having their "Friday coffee meeting" in a booth right by the door, just like hundreds of retired guys at restaurants all over the country. Their topics ranged from Dolly Parton ("you know, she is so wonderful and no divorces or drugs...") to baseball. Our ears perked up.

My husband couldn't help himself as we were leaving, "Were you guys talking about the Dodgers? We're Giants fans, so we hate the Dodgers." Good thing this wasn't a gang of Jets or Sharks, or we might have been choreographed to early deaths... The trimmest, tannest man stands up, "yeah, Willie Mays was the best." And the awkward pause turns into a lengthy, friendly discussion. Turns out this nice, knowledgeable fellow is the local high school baseball coach and avid baseball collector. "Hey, you should come by the house and see the old mitts I have." We actually thought about it for a minute. "We'd love to, but we have to hit the road." We exchanged cards -- he doesn't have an email addy, so I doubt he's reading this. Someday soon, we'll call on our way through and check out his collection. What a perfect way to start our break from baseball :)

I was thinking about our new friend this morning when I read this article in the Metro section of the Oregonian newspaper: "Portland's Own Cinderfella Story" He would love to coach these boys, I thought. And what about the guys who does volunteer to take on the "leftovers." No, this isn't a Little League story, but is a baseball story and who else can relate the "leftovers" winning the state tournament? Perfectly appropriate for this time of the summer, as State Tournaments are finishing up and the elite of the elite begin moving on to Regional tournaments...

Back Home & Bloggin'

2007-07-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

After a nice trip to northern California for my 20th college reunion, we are back in Portland and ready to ride out the last of the the state LL tournaments and gearing up for Regionals. I was so excited to see that the website for Oregon State Little League has been updated! This site features brackets for all the Oregon tourneys. Here is a link to their website.

You can also follow the Oregon State Majors Baseball tournament on my favorite site.

Congratulations, Lake Oswego LL!

2007-07-20T00:02:00.001-07:00

(Oregon) District 4 will send a new champion to the 11/12 State Tournament on Saturday: Lake Oswego LL! Congrats in their win over Tigard LL, who upset defending Northwest Regional Champion, Murrayhill LL on Tuesday night.

Lake Oswego LL will open State at 10am July 21 versus District 2. Here is a link to their site and bracket.

The Beaverton Valley Times has a great recap and photos of the 2007 D4 Tournament in today's edition.

D4 Championship Game: Rained Out

2007-07-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

I received word that the (Oregon) District 4 Championship game featuring Tigard LL versus Lake Oswego LL will be played Thursday, July 19, 7pm, Alpenrose main. Tonight's game was rescheduled due to rain.

A Close One and an Upset

2007-07-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

What a night of baseball at Alpenrose!

In the first semifinal game of the evening, Lake Oswego LL survived a late rally by SunCreek LL and won 8-6.

And folks, in the second game, Tigard LL defeated Murrayhill LL 7-6! Tigard will play LO for the (Oregon) District 4 Championship!

And this just in: SunCreek LL wins the District 4 Sportsmanship Award!

Who from District 4 will join Bend North (District 5) and South Suburban (District 6) Little Leagues in the 2007 Oregon State Tournament? Head up to Alpenrose at 7pm Wednesday to watch Lake Oswego and Tigard battle to represent District 4 at state July 21-28, hosted by Lakeside LL in District 1.

Pix from D4 Game 17

2007-07-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

(Oregon) District 4: Pool Play Concludes

2007-07-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

In the last two weeks, we have shuttled to a dozen baseball games, my son's games and his buddies and local kids' playing in JBO and Little League, not to mention a few softball games as well.

Why? Because it's fun.

Last night we got to sit and watch (for free!) a majors tournament game that had kids in both dugouts that play hard, play fair and play well. We saw three homeruns over the fence, a fire-ball thrower, unbelievable defense, and aggressive baserunning. SunCreek LL beat their friends and rivals Hillsboro LL 11-3.

Here is an update on scores from the (Oregon) District 4 Majors BB tournament:

Game 9: Raleigh Hills LL 5, Tigard 12
Game 10: Lake Oswego LL 13, Cedar Mill LL 0
Game 11: Beaverton Area LL 7, Tigard LL 8
Game 12: Cedar Mill LL 9, Raleigh Hills LL 13
Game 13: Lake Oswego LL 4, Raleigh Hills 1
Game 14: SunCreek LL 11, Hillsboro LL 3
Game 15: Wolf Creek LL 1, Murrayhill LL 5
Game 16: Cedar Mill LL vs. Beaverton Area LL

End of Pool Play; Advancing to District 4 Semifinals tonight on Alpenrose Main:

Game 17: Lake Oswego LL (#1 Pool B) vs. SunCreek LL (#2 Pool A), 5pm

Game 18: Tigard LL (#2 Pool B) vs. Murrayhill LL (#1 Pool A), 7:30pm

Game 14 featured just about everything a good Little League game can... SunCreek LL sent Shane to the mound and tight defense behind him (Ben and Jesse making great plays) kept Hillsboro scoreless. SC led off with Tyler who walked, Ben doubled to left center, and Zach doubled to bring home the first two runs. End of 1st inning, SC 2, Hillsboro 0.

Ben and Jesse again fielded hard hits and Shane needed only 8 pitches to end the top of the 2nd inning. In the bottom, Dakota recorded three strikeouts. But Hillsboro got on the board in the top of the third when Kyle walked and Hollin smacked the first over-the-fencer of the night, score 2-2.

Blake led off the SC half by lining a shot to the fence, stealing third and home, and providing the only run, SC 3, Hillsboro 2.

Jake made a great catch of Rich's shot to the centerfield fence to highlight the top of the 4th. Zach added to his RBI total in the bottom of the fourth, when his three-run homer scored Jake and Ben, SC 6, Hillsboro 2.

Joseph's fantastic catch in right field ended a Hillsboro rally with two boys on base. In the bottom of the fifth, SC opened up its lead when Ben's double scored Tyler and Nick. Ben scored on Zach's smash to shortstop, and Blake launched the third over-the-fencer, making the score 11-2.

Ben took the mound in the top of the 6th. After Jack's walk and an error in fielding Rich's grounder, runners were on 2nd and 3rd. Nick flew out, but Jack scored from third. Ben's cut of the incoming throw and quick fire to second base made it a double play. After a strike-out, the game ended 11-3. SunCreek moves out of pool play for the first time in three years!

Oregon District 4: Game 14 Pix

2007-07-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

Pix from Saturday at Alpenrose

2007-07-15T08:41:00.001-07:00

District 4 Baseball Scores & Updates

2007-07-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Let' get you updated on some scores from the (Oregon) District 4 Majors Baseball tournament:

When: July 12-18
Where: Alpenrose Dairy
Bracket: link

Game 5: Lake Oswego LL 4, Tigard LL 2

Game 6: Raleigh Hills LL 9, Beaverton Area LL 3

Game 7: Hillsboro LL 9, Wolf Creek LL 4

Game 8: Murrayhill LL 11, SunCreek LL 5

Top of 1st, visitors SunCreek LL loaded the bases on singles from Tyler and Ben, but MurrayHill LL held them scoreless after a popup and double play.

MH scored a run in the 1st and 2nd innings, 2-0. In the top of the 3rd, Blake's line drive to the fence scored Jesse and Shane, followed by Zach's two-run blast over the left center wall, bringing the score to SC 4, MH 2.

After two out-of-the-park homeruns in the bottom of the 3rd, SC 4, MH 5.

In the 4th inning, SC was scoreless, while a three-run homer, walks and singles opened the MH lead to 11-4.

Blake's solo homerun and a double play by SC in the 5th inning brought the score to SC 5, MH 11.

SC was unable to score in the top of the sixth inning, ending the game. Next up: SunCreek LL vs. Hillsboro LL, Monday July 16, 5:30 Alpenrose West.

Schedule for Sunday, July 15:

Game 11: Tigard LL vs. Beaverton Area LL, 2pm
Game 12: Cedar Mill LL vs. Raleigh Hills LL, 5pm

(Oregon) District 4 Upcoming Games

2007-07-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

The schedule for District 4 Majors baseball at Alpenrose tonight:

Game 5: Tigard LL vs. Lake Oswego LL, 5pm Main Field

Game 6: Beaverton Area LL vs. Raleigh Hills LL, 7:30pm Main Field

Saturday, July 14, all the teams will be back in action (except for BALL), with a full day of games on the Main Field:

Game 7: Wolf Creek LL vs. Hillsboro LL, 11am

Game 8: SunCreek LL vs. Murrayhill LL, 1:30pm

Game 9: Tigard LL vs. Raleigh Hills LL, 4pm

Game 10: Cedar Mill LL vs. Lake Oswego LL, 6:30pm

Pix from D4 Game 1

2007-07-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

Oregon District 4 Scores

2007-07-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

The District 4 Majors Baseball Tournament kicked off this evening with four games at Alpenrose:

Game 1: SunCreek LL 19, Wolf Creek LL 0

Game 2: Tigard LL 14, Cedar Mill LL 0

Game 3: Lake Oswego LL 10, Beaverton Area LL 0

Game 4: Murrayhill LL 5, Hillsboro LL 4

The games all finished prior to the lightning and rain storm that snuck up on Portland this evening. In fact, my son's JBO District playoff game was suspended when dark clouds quickly blanketed the THPRD Rec Center and lightning was flashing in the sky all around us.

ALSO: In the Championship game of the 9/10 (Oregon) District 4 Baseball tournament, Murrayhill LL beat Lake Oswego LL to advance to the State Tournament.

My Boys' MLB All-Star Road Trip

2007-07-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, my husband and son took off last Sunday on a whirlwind, two-day trip to San Francisco to soak up all they could from the MLB All-Star festivities.

On Sunday, they spent the entire day at FanFest, a three-story mecca of baseball memorabilia, exhibits, batting and pitching cages, and autograph sessions at Moscone Center. They got autograph (on baseballs) from (native Oregonian) Harold Reynolds, Matt Williams, and Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie. They also got autographs from Stacie Pestrak and Jaime Dacey of the Philadelphia Force (National Pro Fastpitch).

Sharon Robinson was giving away copies of her book "Safe at Home," a Scholastic hardcover written for 9-12 year old kids. My copy is inscribed: "To Carrie, we share a love for kids, writing and education. I'm sorry we didn't meet you--Sharon Robinson." This gift was worth way more than the cost of that trip :)

On Monday, they entered AT&T Park early for Workout Day (batting practice) and the HomeRun Derby. Here are some photos. They didn't get a ball, but they were in great seats, eleven rows from the field on the right hand side.

The flew home Tuesday, making it in time for their 6pm game in Beaverton, though they missed the actual All-Star game. But we've been watching (and reliving) the highlights every minute since then...:)

Donations for Fellow Baseball Families

2007-07-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

I have received many comments regarding the tragic accident involving a family and players heading to a district baseball tournament in Welches, Oregon.

Here is a link to the boys' baseball association, Tri-County JBO, and information for making monetary donations to the families: http://www.tricountybaseball.org/

I know you are all very busy with your own tournaments and games this time of year, but if you have time to visit a US Bank branch, you can make a contribution to aid the healing of the affected families.

District 4 (Oregon) Baseball Updates

2007-07-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

District 4 (Oregon) has its first baseball champion to send to State:

Murrayhill LL beat Lake Oswego LL last evening in the final game of the 10/11 District 4 Tournament at West Union field, 10-5. Murrayhill LL will travel to Gresham for State, July 13, to open play versus District 6.

Tonight, the champion in the 9/10 Baseball Division will be crowned at Westlake Park in Lake Oswego at 7pm: Lake Oswego LL vs. Murrayhill LL

And tomorrow night, after weeks of practice, the Majors Baseball District 4 tournament finally begins at Alpenrose.

District 4 (Oregon) 10/11 Baseball Semi-Finals

2007-07-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

Scores tonight from West Union Field:

Murrayhill LL 14, Tigard LL 0

Lake Oswego LL 3, SunCreek LL 1

Tomorrow's Championship game will feature Murrayhill vs. Lake Oswego at 6pm, and the winner will represent District 4 (Oregon) in the State tournament in Gresham!

District 4 (Oregon) Championship Rounds

2007-07-09T08:28:00.001-07:00

Pool Play has concluded in the District 4 (Oregon) 9/10 and 10/11 Baseball tournaments, with the following teams now playing in the championship brackets:

10/11 Baseball (West Union field)

Monday, July 9:
Tigard LL vs. Murrayhill LL, 4:30pm
Lake Oswego LL vs. SunCreek LL, 6:30pm

9/10 Baseball (Westlake Park)

Tuesday, July 10:
Beaverton Area LL vs. Murrayhill LL, 5:15pm
Lake Oswego LL vs. Tigard LL, 7:30pm

Winners from each night will play in the District 4 Championship games:

10/11 Baseball Championship: Tuesday, July 10, 6pm, West Union
9/10 Baseball Championship: Wednesday, July 11, 7pm, Westlake

Champions will advance to the State Tournaments:

10/11 Oregon State Baseball Tournament
When: July 13-20, 2007
Where: District 2, Gresham LL, Gresham, Oregon

9/10 Oregon State Baseball Tournament
When: (coming soon)
Where:

Kids...tournaments...cell phones

2007-07-08T11:27:00.001-07:00

I cried myself to sleep this morning...

I was up very early to take my son and husband to the Portland airport -- they flew down to the Bay Area to attend the MLB HomeRun Derby and Baseball FanFest in San Francisco, and soak up all their favorite sport has to offer in their favorite city (they were both born there). I traveled back to Washington County quickly, no traffic and with a beautiful summer morning enveloping me as it unfolded over the downtown area. I pulled into our driveway at 5:30am.

The Sunday Oregonian was not even in its tube yet, so I logged into my computer and uploaded a great photo of "my boys" at the airport and sent it to family and friends. "What a treat for them," I thought. It's not like we're big-spending booster, season-ticket-holding, Nike-employed sports jet-setters. We love sports and really had to find a way to work in their two day whirlwind trip to see the events in San Francisco, both financially, and in terms of their own baseball team, the JBO Westview National Wildcats.

I heard the newspaper delivery car swing by our house, walked out and grabbed it, changed back into my pajamas and lay in bed to read and enjoy my peace and quiet. I read the front-page story on the horrific crash on Highway 26, near Sandy, and just started bawling...

"The 8:30 a.m. head-on crash in the rural Cherryville area of Clackamas County killed a mom, her daughter and a family friend on their way to a youth baseball tournament. A man in another vehicle also died. Seven people were injured. "

(link to story on KGW-tv)

They could have been headed to a soccer tournament, or the End of the Trail basketball tournament in Oregon City, but for some reason, "youth baseball tournament" grabbed me by the heart and I lost it... Can you imagine waiting on two late players as your district tournament game was about to begin? What goes through your mind?

All over the country, cars and vans of families and teammates are traveling to baseball and softball tournaments, especially this week. We rush to here and there and fret about equipment and umpire calls and winning/losing and did he pull that pitcher too soon?

Today, let's celebrate the small miracle of kids healthy enough to play ball, arriving safely, and finishing the game and burgers/pizza, and making it home safe and sound. Let's celebrate the small miracle of tournament logistics, all the pieces coming together, the rows of grandparents and neighbors out for the big game, the number of things that must go right when a batter lays down a perfect bunt and the defense shifts, covers the bag, makes the out, or the batter legs it out and moves his/her teammates around the bases...

I woke up at 9:08am today when the phone rang and the caller ID said Jacks cell phone.

"Hi mom! We got in fine and we're on the road, heading up to San Francisco..."

Please take a moment to think about and pray for the North Portland Junior Baseball program, and especially the Brundege and Williams families. And today and everyday, enjoy baseball, enjoy softball, enjoy soccer and basketball and volleyball and gymnastics and cheerleading and band concerts and school plays and spelling bees and Eagle Scout ceremonies and .... your kid's voice on the other end of the phone when it wakes you up from a deep sleep.

Saturday's 9/10 Baseball Scores

2007-07-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Results from the District 4 (Oregon) 9/10 Baseball tournament in Lake Oswego:

Murrayhill LL 7, Raleigh Hills LL 6

Tigard LL 2, Cedar Mill LL 0

And in the final game of the day, Zane Chitwood smacked a single and a double for SunCreek LL, who put up a tremendous effort in their game against Lake Oswego LL, but came up short, 11-8.

Sunday games wrap-up Pool Play, with Tigard LL vs. SunCreek LL (moved to 3pm), and Lake Oswego LL vs. Beaverton Area LL (noon?) at Westlake Park.

Catching Up on 9/10 District 4 Scores

2007-07-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

The District 4 (Oregon) 9/10 Baseball tournament continues in Lake Oswego:

Tuesday, July 3rd games:

Raleigh Hills LL 10, Cedar Mill LL 3

Murrayhill LL 14, Tigard LL 3

Thursday, July 5th games:

Murrayhill LL 9, Lake Oswego 2

Beaverton Area LL 8, SunCreek LL 4

Last night's action:

Beaverton Area LL 18, Raleigh Hills 12

Murrayhill LL 17, Cedar Mill 5

Today's games:

Murrayhill vs. Raleigh Hills at 9:30am, Westlake
Tigard vs. Cedar Mill, noon, Westlake
Lake Oswego vs. SunCreek, 2:30 Westlake

More SCENES from West Union

2007-07-06T21:34:00.001-07:00

Scenes from West Union

2007-07-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

Final scores are in from the District 4 (Oregon) 10/11 Baseball Tournament at West Union field this evening:

Murrayhill LL 10, SunCreek LL 3

Lake Oswego LL 6, Tigard LL 5

Tomorrow's games conclude Pool Play, with SunCreek LL vs. Lake Oswego LL at 10am, and Tigard LL vs. Murrayhill LL at 12:30.

District 4 (Oregon) 10/11 Tournament Update

2007-07-05T22:47:00.000-07:00

Tightly contested ballgames were the order of the night as the District 4 (Oregon) 10/11 Tournament kicked off at West Union School.

In the first game, Lake Oswego LL beat Murrayhill LL, coming back in the bottom of the sixth inning, 8-7.

In the second game, SunCreek LL beat Tigard LL in 7 innings on Paul B.'s homerun, 2-1!

Friday's action:

Murrayhill LL vs. SunCreek LL at 4:30pm.

Lake Oswego LL vs. Tigard LL at 6:30pm.

Here is a link to local newspaper coverage.

Since my son had a JBO game (and won!), I was not able to attend any games tonight. I would love to get scores from the 9/10 Baseball Tournament in Lake Oswego and would be happy to post them! You can email or leave a comment (it will be automatically forwarded to me).

Thanks, and good luck to all the teams tomorrow. I will be out at West Union to cover the games in person.

Oregon District 4 Info

2007-07-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

Based on the Google traffic I have been getting, many of you are searching for some basic information about the District 4 (Oregon) baseball tournaments:

9/10 Baseball (hosted by Lake Oswego LL)

When: July 2 -11, 2007
Where: Westlake and Waluga (Quarry Road) Parks, Lake Oswego
Bracket: link
Pool Play began Monday night (scores are listed in my Tuesday entry).

10/11 Baseball (hosted by SunCreek LL)

When: July 5-10, 2007
Where: West Union School Fields
Bracket: link
Pool Play begins tonight with Murrayhill LL vs. Lake Oswego LL at 4:30, followed by Tigard LL vs. SunCreek LL at 6:30pm.

11/12 Baseball (hosted by Oregon District 4)

When: July 12-18, 2007
Where: Alpenrose Dairy Stadium
Bracket: link
Pool Play begins Thursday, July 12.

Complete Oregon District 4 SOFTBALL information can be found on my new sister site.

Let the Games Begin (version 07)

2007-07-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Edited to add:

What do All-Star teams do on the 4th of July? Form a parade float, of course!

Here is a shot of the SunCreek LL Majors All-Star team participating in a Bethany-area neighborhood parade:

Is there anything better than a summer night watching LL All-Stars?

In between my son's games this month, we hope to catch tons of Oregon District 4 baseball and some softball action, too.

The 9-10 All-Star Baseball Tournament for District 4 kicked off this evening at Waluga and Westlake Parks in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Here are the first day results:

Cedar Mill LL 13, Beaverton Area LL 4

Tigard LL 6, Lake Oswego LL 0

Raleigh Hills LL 15, SunCreek LL 1

We were there cheering on the SunCreek team and catching up with old friends. Action continues tomorrow when Cedar Mill LL takes on Raleigh Hills LL (5:15pm), and in the second game at Westlake Park, Murrayhill LL will play Tigard LL (7:30pm).

To follow the International Tournament, here is a great website that I highlighted last year. It keeps track of ALL the tournament action for the 11-12 year olds leading up to Williamsport in August! The Oregon District 4 LL tournament begins July 12.

Little League Families

2007-06-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been quite awhile since I last posted!

I am sorry; now that my son is playing Junior Baseball of Oregon (high school rules) with other 13-14 year olds, I haven't been around the LL field as much as I would like. But summer-time brings barbeques and barbeques bring LL families, no matter where everyone has scattered off to...

Just finished another backyard dinner party with former teammates. What a treat to have these boys and their families still in our lives. The best by-product of the driving to practices and games, lugging equipment in the car for five months, and the sitting through rain/heat is the bonds that develop. And, quite often, these families become friends during the off-season as well.

I recently read "Hi, I'm Tommy's Mom -- A Sweet Simple Book about Life and Little League Baseball" by Ohio teacher and author Rae Showen. I was thinking about this as we finished up our barbeque/card game tonight and that the seed for this friendship was planted on a Little League field in suburban Portland, Oregon, and began by the uttering of a few simple words: "Hi, I'm Jack's mom." The little book is a collection of short entries ordered 1st-9th Innings (wait, LL games only last 6 innings ;) and sweet sentiments about the kids playing baseball.

All over the world, kids are playing basketball, soccer and football together, so what makes LL so special?

Dunno...what do you think?

As Tournament Team season begins, I hope you'll remember that the families sitting on the other baseline could have been lifelong friends had it not been for geography. It is very likely they love LL as much as you and love their kids even more, and you might have been teammates, hanging out together in the rain/heat, driving back and forth to practices and games, and possibly barbequing and playing cards together on Saturday nights.

Good luck to you all, and I will be keeping everyone posted as Little League tournaments play out all over the world!

Pitch/Hit/Run: A Great Afternoon

2007-05-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago (man, they are flying by!), SunCreek Little League hosted a local edition of the Pepsi/Major League Baseball PITCH/HIT & RUN at their own field of dreams, West Union School. We had over 50 boys and girls join us to pitch at a target, run from second base to home plate, and hit off a tee just for the fun of it! And every kid took home a smile and a BabyRuth candy bar.

Last fall, I was browsing the San Francisco Giants website scoping out options for the 2007 All-Star Weekend and happened upon a little ad for the Pitch/Hit/Run and signed up to organize a local competition that would send its winners to sectionals, regionals and possibly even the main event in July in San Francisco during the All-Star Game. Fast forward to April and they rain took a break so we could spend the afternoon hanging out with baseball games going on all around us and the kids enjoying a very relaxed opportunity to do baseball things without coaching and pressure.

While it might be too late to organize one for your area, I encourage you to think about it for next spring. It was a fun afternoon and thanks to the hard work of some volunteers (thanks, hubby!), it was really a low-key, easy-to-run event that the kids seemed to enjoy and kept them hanging out at the ballpark after their games.

Life After Williamsport

2007-05-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

The local boys of the Murrayhill LL All-Star team lived a summer of dreams last year by qualifying for the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. But, is there life after Little League?

Here is a link to an article in the Portland Tribune regarding those players and their new teams and challenges on the bigger diamond. It's great to see that some of them are still playing Little League on a Junior Little League team. Might we seem them in the Junior BB Western Regional here in Beaverton in August?

Friends of Baseball/Portland Beavers Volunteer Awards

2007-04-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here is another great opportunity to honor someone who devotes time and energy to youth baseball:

The Portland Beavers, Oregon Sports Authority and Friends of Baseball have announced the 2007 Coach and Volunteer of the Year awards. These partners are very excited to recognize these individuals at the Portland Beavers Youth Baseball/Softball Weekend June 2nd and 3rd.

These individuals will represent the thousands of coaches and volunteers who literally bring this game to life each spring and summer. They are in the final stages of receiving nominations, but it is not too late. Please take a moment to briefly compose your thoughts about someone very special to youth baseball/softball in your community.

You can find information at Friendsofbaseball.org All nominations must be received no later than May 10th 2007. A $1000 team grant will be presented to each of the inductees in recognition for this annual award. Take a moment to recognize your teams’ hero!

Girls and Baseball

2007-04-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Twice in one day I had the pleasure of hanging out with fellow females who love baseball!

We are a rare breed -- truly, most moms my age complain that baseball is slow and boring and rarely played in the sunshine as it should be. It's difficult to keep the siblings occupied with the game and increasingly difficult to follow ("What inning are we in?") The kids need to be there extra early to hit whiffle balls turning the entire evening into one long game in wet grass with hungry kids and seeing your player maybe touch the ball twice. There is always some fan/grandfather who knows more than both coaches and umpires put together -- and shares that knowledge all game.

Having grown up in Portland, Oregon, with no professional baseball team, but being an avid softball player, I was open to attending a few AAA games downtown and that was it. When I attended college near San Francisco, my ears provided my first exposure to Major League Baseball.

Since my classmates were overwhelmingly from the greater Bay Area, they had grown up with MLB, gone to games routinely and followed baseball in the newspaper. They followed their teams, rival players and schedules. They knew when the A's or Giants "were in town." They knew, by heart, the flagship radio stations of both teams. Many outdoor barbeques and pick up basketball games and "parties" were serenaded with "the game" on in the background.

And thanks to them (I didn't have a car at college) and sometimes BART, I attended many games on both sides of the bay and became an A's fan because it was closer, sunnier, flashier, and did I say sunnier?

That all changed when I met my husband, who was born and raised in San Francisco, rode the L Taraval to Candlestick Park, attended every "The Giants present Japanese-American Day" and had a mother who kept book during the games and attended every "The Giants present Senior Citizen Day." He entertains our son with tales of sneaking down to the good seats with Marty and when his car was driving alongside Willie Mays' on the 280 between San Mateo and the City. So now, by marriage, I am a Giants fan. And since our son was born there, he is also a "415 guy" as he says (415 is the area code for San Francisco).

So, fast forward to 2002 when I am attending a college class reunion and reconnect with one of those Bay Area Kids Who Love The Giants who now lives in Tigard! What a wierd coincidence -- we live in Rock Creek -- let's get together! Also, she is a girl. She is the kind of girl who loves the Giants so much, she attends all three games of a homestand when she is in the Bay Area. Her sister-in-law works for the Giants and her husband works for Nike and gets to go to All-Star games and stuff (lucky!). Well, we met them at Chevy's on Friday and they presented our son with the latest Nike baseball shirt (you can see it on Daiseke tonight) and as a bonus, a Nike/SF Giants shirt.

Jack pawed those shirts all night. We made him try it on and her husband did a product demo of all the baseball-related features of this new shirt. Very cool way to spend the evening -- talking mostly baseball and some other topics, but really, mostly baseball.

Oh, and earlier in the evening, I enjoyed Happy Hour with a colleague who loves baseball, too. Mostly she loves baseball players ("A Rod is on My List") so that counts.

Remember, it is moms who can also instill a love for the game of baseball!

Getting My Little League Fix

2007-04-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some dry spring weather, we actually watched some baseball yesterday!

Our son's Junior Baseball of Oregon (JBO) scrimmage was rained-out due to standing water on the diamond, so we ventured out to good old West Union field to see our old LL team, the Diamondbacks, take on the Braves. Family friends were in both dugouts and a pitching duel led to a quick game, DBacks 1, Braves 0. It was great to see the old AND new faces of SunCreek LL major's level.

And since the day was still young, we headed over to Sunset Park to watch the District 4 AAA Baseball tournament. Our minor-league favorite, the Volcanoes, played back-to-back games with local teams using a pitching machine and modified rules for quick play. The younger kids were stealing and stretching out hits as they were getting comfortable with the next level of competition.

The Volcanoes are named for the Giants affiliate, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and their uniforms are awesome. I also love the other names of SunCreek LL's AAA teams: the Muckdogs, the Storm, and the Bats.

The sun is shining and we are organizing homework...ugh. The "day of rest" is now the "day of do all house chores." I'd rather be out at a ballfield...

"Diamonds in the Rough" contest

2007-04-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

How does winning $5,000-10,000 towards upgrading a ballfield or purchasing bats, balls, mitts and uniforms sound?

The 2007 Diamonds in the Rough: Recognizing The Power Within contest encourages youth baseball and softball players to write a short essay recognizing an adult mentor or unsung hero who has helped him or her to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle on or off the baseball field.

Twelve winning youth / mentor pairs will be named. Each winning pair will be awarded $5,000, and lawn equipment for the upkeep of their local field among other fun baseball prizes. One of the winning regional pairs will be chosen as the grand prize winner to receive $10,000 and equipment for the upkeep of their field, and a clinic hosted by former New York Yankee Tino Martinez.

This is a great opportunity for baseball-and-softball-playing kids to thank that one special person who makes a difference, and to give back to their community by refurbishing their local baseball field.

More about the essay and other contest rules can be found at the link above. Good luck and thanks to Briggs & Stratton for the opporunity to thank a mentor and help ballplayers at the same time!

Opening Day!

2007-04-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, April is here, we are into Opening Day of Major League Baseball, and Little League, too. I came across this wonderful little book, and had to pass on some of my favorite passages:

A Prayer for the Opening of the Little League Season
by Willie Morris, First Voyager Books edition, 1999

It begins:

Dear Almighty God,

This is a prayer for all the kids of all races and creeds in the boundless
earthly springtime as baseball once more commences, as it has and will eternally
in the ordinance and charter of Thy inexorable seasons.

and continues:

Defend the little ballplayers when they drop flies or boot grounders, from the wrath of their fathers, for many are the fathers who fear not the timeless
injunction "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Forever shield the erring
boys from retributive daddies who know not even the Infield Fly Rule.

and my favorite:

Reward the faithful mothers as they transport their children to practice, launder their sullied uniforms, soothe their cuts and bruises, pacify their anxious qualms, and sustain them in triumph as in adversity with cheers and
acclamations from the bleachers, for theirs is rightfully the Kingdom of
Heaven.
Amen.

Little League Mom's Unofficial Equipment List

2007-03-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Now that Spring is officially here, it is time to break out the necessary but unofficial equipment that every Little League fan will need from now until mid-July.

The fan chair: For many of you, the fan chair is still in the car from soccer season. These can be deep-seated nylon pop-ups or Coleman camping chairs or even a beach chair that sits low for maximum leg tanning. This is an essential item and really, Little League should license an official one with a cupholder on one arm and a flat surface on the other for all you scorekeepers out there.
The cooler: While not an essential item, the well-stocked cooler will get you through those 6pm games when you and your other children are starving and their isn't a Snack Shack to be found. The ice is an issue, and I know most moms have abandoned the Blue Ice and such -- can't an ice cold Diet Coke keep the whole thing cool enough for one night? Yes.
The blanket: We are in Oregon and it rains off and on until Fourth of July. So, I have found a great product that repels rain on one side and keeps you warm on the other: it is the "Waterproof Sport Throw" from LandsEnd. After the game, give it a shake, and throw it in the trunk. Wash it once in awhile, and you're good to go.

There is still time to stock up for the upcoming season of baseball and softball games, and you'll be glad when you are racing out the door with one kid stuffing a sandwich in his mouth and the other looking for her GameBoy, that the trunk is ready for a comfortable, warm evening at the ballpark.

Little League Flashcards

2007-03-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

I was joyfully surprised to read an email from an old college (Go Gaels!) pal who found this blog while researching T-Ball for his son(s). My good friend, Dr. Pete the pediatrician, and his wife are practically raising an entire team under one roof, so I figure they are in for the long haul.

One of the reasons Dr. Pete is a Dr. is that he studied hard and studied smart. We made fun of his flash-card system in our frosh year, but really, look where he is now! And look where I am :)

Ever since I can remember, he kept index cards with important vocabulary and concepts written on them in his pocket and studied while in line for dinner or on the way to a Rugby match at Sonoma State (yeah, right). So I was thinking, if he were to set up index cards for Little League, what would be written on them?

Little League 101 (or "Flashcards for Coach Pete")

Card #1: Baseball is fun. Laugh. Be silly at times. Get dirty.

Card #2: Baseball is a simple game, but is hampered by lots of equipment, rules, lines, and a person who stands behind the plate to make a decision EVERY TIME A KID THROWS A BALL. Remember, baseball is a simple game.

Card #3: Every child is a gift from God.

Card #4: Explain the game. It is not always obvious that you hit and then run to first base because sometimes you hit and you don't run to first base, like on a foul ball.

Card #5: Don't forget to PLAY CATCH. The key to this game is CATCHING AND THROWING.

(men put so much emphasis on hitting I have seen practices where kids hit from a tee the entire time)

Card #6: Baseball is a simple game.

There, six cards and you'll be fine. Just don't get these cards mixed up with the ones you made for Anatomy class back in the day...

"Weighing In" on Non-Wood Bats

2007-02-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

Awhile back I received an email from Little League Corporate about its stance on non-wood bats. It seems "some volunteers and members of the media" were questioning whether the weight of the bats used in Little League games should be limited, relative to the length. Here is a link to the press release.

What I found most interesting was this fact:

"In 2003, nearly 108,300 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for baseball- or softball-related injuries according to the National Safe Kids Campaign (NSKC). However, only 42 injuries in Little League Baseball and Softball activities, ages 5 to 18, required an insurance claim to be paid that year. " (italics mine)

Only 42 injuries? Could this be right? I have to assume that only 42 injuries required a LL insurance claim, as opposed to kids' private insurance. Nonetheless, Little League is often criticized for "all their rules." But if the rules keep the kids safe, what is the problem? Mustn't we always err on the side of safety?

It's Time to Register!

2007-01-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

The new year brings the updates from Little Leagues around the country that Registration is now open! Time to sign up and get the paperwork flowing for spring baseball and softball.

In our area, evaluations for major teams begin next month, so most of the registrations are due around mid-February.

If you are thinking about joining a league, first place to look for info is probably your child's school lobby. I know we have a table for flyers and handouts about everything from afterschool Spanish language classes to area preschools to LITTLE LEAGUE. If you don't have this great resource at your school, try calling your city or county recreation department. They should have phone numbers and websites for your local youth sports leagues.

New Blog: Little League Softball

2007-01-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know that I started a new blog exclusively for scores and stories relating specifically to Little League Softball.

Check it out!

With ESPN dedicating eight more years to televising Little League World Series games and with the expansion to include all levels of Little League, I thought the interest might warrant a dedicated site for the softball side of things. Tell me what you think:

www.LLSoftball.blogspot.com

Dale Murphy -- Local LL Alum

2007-01-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

Growing up, my sister and I played for Tualatin LL in the Gabriel Park/Wilson High School area of Portland. In fact, Tualatin LL no longer exists, and has been renamed "SW Portland LL" because it was often confused with Tualatin City Little League.

One of its famous alums is MLB great Dale Murphy, who is currently featured on the official LL site with his endorsement of the new Pitch Count rule. You can read about it here.

Nice shout out for "Tualatin Little League."

Thoughts on 2006

2007-01-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm back from my "winter meetings." Being that I am firstly (mostly) just a suburban mom, the holidays are kind of busy. But I have been thinking a lot about Little League lately, and especially about the ups and downs of 2006:

Top Five Little League Moments 2006, At Least For Me

#5: Watching the Murrayhill LL All-Star team go to Williamsport and capture the heart of the suburban Portland area as well as the nation. Even a seasoned newspaper columnist was won over by the moppy-haired boys from Beaverton. We watched this team up at Alpenrose field during the District 4 tournament and you could tell there was something special about them. No other team in our area benefited from the experience gained when LL changed the age cutoff to April 30. Several of their stars were so-called "double 12's" and their experience showed. Great job!

#4: Being featured on the eTeamz website for the 2006 LL World Series coverage and having the opportunity to highlight to a worldwide audience the great events, teams and volunteers of our wonderful area. I don't want to toot toot my own horn here, but there was something very cool about a national audience reading about...

#3: our local league's run to a State Championship! The SunCreek LL 9-10 baseball team won our first ever Oregon District 4 championship and then went to the eastern part of the state to capture the State banner also! SunCreek LL was the only non-Murrayhill team to come out of District 4 on the baseball side of things. And because I work at the neighborhood school, it was even more fun to see these kids and their families over the summer. What an exciting run for these guys...it was an honor to "cover them in my blog" and I was even more honored when they presented me with a baseball signed by the kids and coaches after the final game.

#2: Hanging with my dad at the LLSoftball World Series at Alpenrose Dairy, and watching as ESPN showed live coverage of the games from this beautiful facility. To think that we won our first and only Oregon District 4 Championship in SeniorLLSoftball on that same main field in 1980... I loved having my nieces up there, too. Since I don't have a daughter of my own, they are my only hope of seeing "family" up there playing in a tournament that we care so much about.

#1: Watching my son play, and husband coach, in the Oregon District 4 "Honors" tournament at Alpenrose, the sort-of JV tournament for kids not picked for the League All-Star teams. Of course, none of this would have happened if he hadn't worked so hard last spring to even make a majors team in SunCreek LL. If you could only see him as a first-year player in A ball when he was two years older than the other boys... He really took two years to grow into his body, and he is still growing. We played catch every day after school. We batted on the Hit-Away. Husband took him up to the schoolyard and they ran bases and did agility drills. He was finally drafted onto the Diamondbacks for his 12 year old year, and we met some of the best people EVER, who will be friends long after Little League.

I look forward to another upcoming spring and summer, following my son's team and the local boys and girls playing America's pastime, or some version of it.

Winter Meetings

2006-12-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

While the big boys of MLB negotiate and make "behind the scenes" moves (which are reported on ad nauseum by ESPN and bloggers), is your local Little League doing the same? What "moves" are your leagues making to improve the playing experience for the boys and girls who sign up for Little League? Are there plans in the works to startup any new playing levels? For example, our local league, Sun Creek LL, is going to start its first Junior Baseball division this upcoming spring, after a successful fall schedule in the Portland area.

With the football season coming to a close and the basketball season just getting underway, our minds shift to winter hitting clinics and holiday camps. Both are great ways for your kids to get offseason pointers and practice before the spring season. Check with your local LL for ones specifically marketed to our age group (8-14).

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season! Let me know if you are reading over the offseason and next week I hope to do my first annual "Little League Year that Was" wrap-up of 2006.

Major Rule Changes for 2007

2006-10-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

...and they are biggies:

(1) Pitch Counts: Little League Baseball is changing its decades-old pitching rules, making the actual number of pitches delivered the deciding factor in determining eligibility in the baseball division, rather than innings pitched. The news was released during the Little League World Series, with great fanfare and much discussion during the television broadcasts.

and

(2) Little League Softball is moving to the standard 12 inch ball! Here is a summary: "A rule in the Little League Softball Division (for girls ages 9-12), mandating the use of the 12-inch softball. The 11-inch softball remains in use for the Minor League Softball Division (for girls ages 7-12)."

Leagues will now need to spend the off-season updating equipment and figuring out how to keep track of pitch counts :)

The LL BOD made additional changes -- you can read all about it here.

(just a little more) Little League news

2006-09-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Little League World Series may be over, but the celebrations are still going strong:

On Monday, September 4, there will be an event at Alpenrose to honor Murrayhill Little League and its historic run to Williamsport. The celebration will take place from 2-4pm on the main field. Free ice cream bars for those in attendance!

Murrayhill will also be featured in the Beaverton Celebration Parade on September 16 at 10am.

In addition, the Little League SOFTBALL World Series Champs, Mattawan LL of Mattawan, Michigan, will be honored at the Detroit Tigers game tonight, televised on ESPN, 5pm (Pacific time).

So, What Do We Do Now?

2006-08-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

I started this blog way back in late March as my 12-year-old son began playing on his first and only major Little League baseball team. Because we have family living all over I thought it might be fun to chronicle his season online and share why we were never home in the Spring and Summer. I was proud of him and spent time myself as a Little League softball player, coach and umpire, so I felt a connection to the "experience." My husband was one of the coaches and all was right with the world.

I realized I knew way too much about Little League -- lots of useless knowledge about weekly pitching limits and umpire mechanics and the infield fly rule. Somehow, I hadn't needed to use this stuff all these years. Was it the company I kept? :)

Now, the summer has turned to Back-to-School. "Sleeping-Bag Season" (all those sleepovers) turns to "Mayonnaise Season" (all those parties and dips) and away we go. Blink and it's Halloween.

As I run into people at school and they ask "how was your summer?" I smile and say "great. Followed baseball and softball, and learned a lot about my son. It was perfect!"

_____________________

A Few Quickies:

heard there might be an event this weekend to celebrate Murrayhill's trip to the Little League World Series...something about Alpenrose? shoot me an email at cmatsuo@aol.com if you have any info.

if you are interested, most local leagues run a Fall Ball program -- it is more casual and more fun, I think, for the kids to play with less stress. contact your local LL or Baseball/Softball Association.

I regularly encounter kids who do not own mitts, balls or bats. please consider donating any used equpment to "Pitch In For Baseball" (link is to the left) or simply handing it down to the kindergartener in the neighborhood.

Before it gets too wet and cold, go outside and play catch with your son or daughter.

LL World Series: Jump On Board

2006-08-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

Join me on the Murrayhill LL bandwagon, won't you? :0)

While my son prepares for his first football jamboree this afternoon by watching ESPN's "High School Football Classic," I am trying to get my house chores done so we can watch Murrayhill LL play in for the U.S. Championship today in the Little League World Series. The game will be televised live on ABC at 12:30 (Pacific time). MHLL will take on the team from Columbus, Georgia, representing the Southeast.

It's hard not to root for the local kids and think about what an incredible summer they are having as they travel around Oregon, California, and finally, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the Little League headquarters, the "Disneyland" of baseball.

Our local 9-10 Baseball All-Stars from SunCreek LL advanced to the State Tournament in Pendleton and created amazing memories traveling just three hours from home! I cannot even imagine traveling three states and playing baseball and eating out and staying in hotels and being with your best buddies for two months straight!

Oregonian columnist Steve Duin has a nice feature this morning as the MHLL manager Jeff Keller describes how each game has become a chapter in the book they are writing this summer. Another article today talks about the attention the team is getting and all of the northwest folks who are sending their best wishes. I'm sure any Google search will give you lots to read about MHLL. But you won't find hype on their own website. Nope. This is just another game listed among the results of all their post-season teams. In fact, you kind of have to hunt through to find the team that the world is talking about this morning.

OK, gotta run. School starts in just over one week and I'm still thinking and talking baseball...I need to switch over the fall (football, Back-to-School, etc.). Maybe I'll go put away the 4th of July decorations before the game starts...

Baseball in Oregon

2006-08-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

There have been several mentions during ESPN's coverage of Murrayhill in the Little League World Series of Oregon State University winning the 2006 College World Series. In fact, two members of the OSU team played for Murrayhill LL and six others played on other District 4 teams (according to Gary Rowell, DA for Oregon District 4):

Darwin Barney, Rob Summers (Murrayhill LL)
Dallas Buck, Derek Engelke (Newberg LL)
Cory Ellis (SunCreek LL)
Mark Grbavac (Tualatin LL, now known as Southwest Portland LL)
Greg Laybourn (Raleigh Hills LL)
Michael Stutes (Lake Oswego LL)

I wonder how they would compare their CWS experience to MHLL's experience at the LLWS?

The OSU Beavers put Oregon baseball in the news at the beginning of summer and the boys of Murrayhill LL in Beaverton are carrying it through until school starts!

LL Softball WS: OK, Some More "Final" Thoughts

2006-08-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

I have been following hometown Murrayhill LL playing in the 2006 Little League World Series and thinking about how lucky we are to host the LL Softball World Series right here in Oregon District 4. What an opportunity to share our lovely area and our wonderful volunteer spirit with kids/families from all over the world.

This time of year, the internet lights up with discussions of the over-commercialization of youth sports, how parents have ruined everything, the equipment and the showboating, the overworked pitchers, "I won't watch the games on TV,"... fine. Discussing our children, and discussing other people's children are ranked #1 and #2 in the list of "most emotional and outside of any rational thought" so it sometimes difficult to put it into perspective. We cannot help but bring our experiences into any story about youth sports.

Little League seems to very accurately reflect our American culture, like it or not. We go through our lives with challenges and rewards, peaks and valleys. Millions of kids play youth sports and are guided by caring adults that don't receive any publicity, but nonetheless make an impact on our future by providing a caring, safe environment for them to play, learn, grow, hang out, laugh.

I am proud to be a supporter of Little League and other youth sports programs. It is far greater a challenge to stay involved in ANY program to help make it better than to stay home and deny a child an opportunity.

LLSoftball World Series: Final Thoughts

2006-08-17T10:19:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to all the teams who made the trip to Oregon to compete in the 2006 Little League Softball World Series:

Team Central: Mattawan LL, Michigan, USA (this year's champion)
Team East: Pequannnock LL, New Jersey, USA (this year's runner-up)
Team Canada: Layritz LL, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Team Latin America: Soraida Juliana LL, Willemstad, Curacao
Team Oregon/District 4 (Host): Cedar Mill LL, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Team Southwest: Elgin LL, Texas, USA
Team Asia-Pacific: ILLAM Central LL, Makita City, Philippines
Team EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa): Ramstein American LL, Germany
Team South: Morristown American/National LL, Tennessee, USA
Team West: Gilroy LL, California, USA

Here is some of the media coverage of Mattawan LL's 6-2 win:

Kalamazoo Gazette: "If that's the way kids in Michigan are, then Michigan must be one great state."

Mattawan's Parade Plan

eTeamz coverage

local Oregonian

May I add:

1) The title game last evening on ESPN2 was as well-played as any I have witnessed up at Alpenrose. The level of competitive softball has risen in Little League and the players and spectators are the winners! I expect this trend to continue and look forward to more girls working hard year-round to join us in Portland in the coming years.

2) Youth sports in general, and Little League specifically, are often criticized for all that goes wrong and so rarely is the other side of the story told: it is fun, you meet great people, you make memories of a lifetime... There are few headlines exclaiming "Families Stay In Touch For Years After Playing Together On Softball Team," or "Host Families Make Lifelong Friends," or "Player from Germany: I'm Having a Great Time!" :)

3) The 2006 Little League Softball World Series was a great tournament and the many volunteers should be proud, albeit tired, as they head home and back to work today. Congratulations on a FANTASTIC event! These folks no longer have children playing Little League -- they do it for the smiles on the players' faces as they see Alpenrose for the first time and because of their committment to the community.

4) If you are interested in playing Little League, contact your local district representative and find out which league your community resides in. I would especially like to see more urban areas represented! If you need help with contact information, please email me: cmatsuo@aol.com

5) Please don't email me and tell how much better PONY and ASA softball are compared to LL. This is like comparing apples to oranges. All softball programs have their place and their purpose in our wonderful country :) I played both LL and ASA. LL remains a personal favorite because I believe in Mandatory Play and the I love the community focus -- when your league is on your jersey, it means something. I am most pleased when I see neighborhood kids playing ball at their neighborhood school! I believe it serves our cities and counties well to be involved in something local, whatever it is, and this flows over into your local schools, churches, Scouts and keeps us connected. (I will step down off my soapbox now...)

Thanks for reading this blog. It will remain up throughout the year to cover Little League baseball and softball.

LLSBWS: Champs!

2006-08-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

The representatives of the Central region, Mattawan LL, Michigan are the 2006 Little League Softball World Series champion! Congrats to the players, coaches and families on playing hard all summer and winning tonight's game, 6-2, over the East team, Pequannock LL, New Jersey.

LLSBWS: Down to Two

2006-08-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the winners of yesterday's semi-final games in the 2006 Little League Softball World Series. The championship game will be tonight, 6:30 (Pacific time), broadcast live on ESPN2, featuring two teams who are undefeated in the tournament and both wearing shades of green:

East (Pequannock LL, New Jersey) vs. Central (Mattawan LL, Michigan)

It was great to see Alpenrose packed last night by the second game (as more and more people were getting off work and heading to the ballpark) with an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd. I eyed sweatshirts and t-shirts from Portland-area Little League programs, ASA Softball programs, and even the Oregon high school state champs, Jesuit Crusaders! It was great to see support for girls' softball.

In the first game, East pitcher Dana Nielsen threw a 4-hitter and added an RBI to help her team beat South (Morristown LL, Tennessee) 5-1.

In the second semi-final game, Central pitcher Lauren Gevaart scored one of two runs for her team as she also threw a four-hitter to outlast Southwest (Elgin LL, Texas) 2-0.

It's a little cloudy in the Portland area right now, but hopefully it will clear by gametime. As the Alpenrose complex prepares to host its last games, it will be the final time to crank out ice cream cones and trade pins. If you are free tonight, drive over to Shattuck Road and bring the kids and some change for sno-cones. You'll get to watch some great softball and feel the excitement of a championship game, catch a glimpse (and probably an autograph) of two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michele Smith, wander around and get a taste of what it takes to telecast a live ESPN event, and parking/admission are free.

LLSBWS: More Scenes from the Semi's

2006-08-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

LLSBWS: Scenes from the Semi's

2006-08-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Some of the pre-game stuff...

LLSoftball WS: Big Day!

2006-08-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

The teams from the Little League Softball World Series finished up Pool Play yesterday then headed to Portland's PGE Park to enjoy the Beavers win over Tacoma, 8-3, in AAA Pacific Coast League action. The Beavers are affiliated with the San Diego Padres and Tacoma is associated with the Seattle Mariners. They all paraded on the ballfield in their WS uniforms and participated in some of the promotions.

This morning, the All-Star game will take place at 10am, then ESPN2 will televise the semi-final games in the afternoon. The All-Star game allows players from the eliminated teams to compete in a fun event (no managers!) and girls who have received only minimum playing time during the tournament are starters.

Media Wrap-Up

"That's been the best part...I've seriously met people from halfway across the world that I never knew even existed. It'll be friendships for a long time."

Elgin Courier

Daily Record (Morris County, New Jersey)

Citizen Tribune of Morristown, Tennessee

Mattawan LL in the Kalamazoo Gazette

The Table is Set for ESPN

2006-08-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Pool Play for the 2006 Little League Softball World Series has concluded and the Semi-Finals are set:

Game 1, 4pm (Pacific time), Tuesday, August 15, LIVE on ESPN2

East (Pequannock LL, New Jersey) vs. South (Morristown Amer/Nat LL, Tennessee)

Game 2, 6:30pm (Pacific time), Tuesday, August 15, LIVE on ESPN2

Central (Mattawan LL, Michigan) vs. Southwest (Elgin LL, Texas)

The winners will meet in the Championship game on Wednesday, 6:30pm (Pacific time) on ESPN2.

Today's Games:

Game#17 South over Asia-Pacific, 6-5

Game#18 Southwest over Latin America, 10-0

Game#19 Host/Dist. 4 over Canada, 9-7

Game#20 Central over West, 1-0

LLSoftball World Series: August 13, 2006

2006-08-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday's matchups:

Game#13: Southwest over Canada, 10-0

Game#14: South over EMEA, 20-2

Game#15: East over Host/Dist4, 7-4

Game#16: Central over Asia-Pacific, 3-0

Pool A Standings as of 8/13:

East 4-0
Southwest 2-1
Latin America 1-2
Host/District 4 1-2
Canada 0-3

Pool B Standings:
Central 3-0
South 2-1
West 2-1
Asia-Pacific 1-2
EMEA 0-4

Pool Play concludes tomorrow. Semi-Final 1 will take place at 4pm (Pacific time) with Pool A winner vs. Pool B #2, live on ESPN2. Semi-Final 2 will follow at 6:30pm (Pacific time) with Pool B winner vs. Pool A #2, live on ESPN2. The Championship game will take place at 6:30pm (Pacific time) LIVE ON ESPN2.

Schedule for Monday, 8/14:

Game#17: South (Morristown American National LL, Tennessee) vs. Asia-Pacific (ILLAM Central LL, Makita City, Philippines)

Game#18: Southwest (Elgin LL, Texas) vs. Latin America (Soraida Juliana LL, Willemstad, Curacao)

Game#19: Oregon/District 4 (Cedar Mill LL, Beaverton) vs. Canada (Layritz LL, Victoria, BC)

Game#20: Central (Mattawan LL, Michigan) vs. West (Gilroy LL, California)

Following the final game of the day, the girls, coaches, fans and host families will head out to the Portland Beavers game, the AAA affiliate of the San Diego Padres!

LL Softball World Series: Saturday Tidbits

2006-08-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Results from the Little League Softball World Series at Alpenrose Dairy, Portland, Oregon, for Saturday, August 12, 2006:

Game#9: East (Pequannock LL, New Jersey) beat Southwest (Elgin LL, Texas), 13-7
Game#10: West (Gilroy LL, California) beat EMEA (Ramstein American LL, Germany), 14-0
Game#11: Latin America (Soraida Juliana LL, Willemstad, Curacao) beat Canada (Layritz LL, Victoria, BC), 6-3
Game#12: Central (Mattawan LL, Michigan) beat South (Morristown American National LL, Tennessee), 4-0

Pool A Standings: (after three days of play)

East 3-0

Southwest 1-1

Latin America 1-2

Host/District 4 1-1

Canada 0-2

Pool B Standings:

Central 2-0

South 1-1

West 2-1

Asia Pacific 1-1

EMEA 0-3

Wrapup of Media Coverage:

Oregonian today: "Nielsen Led East"

Elgin Courier

Gilroy Dispatch

Daily Record in New Jersey and home LL coverage for Pequannock

Kalamazoo Gazette (Mattawan LL, MI) on Saturday and today

Morristown Citizen Tribune

LLSoftball World Series: So Many Links!

2006-08-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I opened the newspaper and the front page of the Sports section, featured TWO top stories of interest: the new women's soccer season at University of Portland (2005 NATIONAL CHAMPS) and "South Pitcher Throws a Perfect Game." Squeezed in between was the Oregonian's coverage of Oregon State football and a column on the NBA Trailblazers. Thank you very much -- this is a sign that women's and girls' sports are popular, legitimate and part of our culture.

In fact, coverage in the Oregonian (Oregon's major daily newspaper) and our local Beaverton Valley Times has been excellent. This morning, there were two articles in the Oregonian: about Friday's matchups and about the LL Softball World Series experience, specifically regarding the team from the Philippines, staying with host families and being in a different culture.

Very soon, ESPN trucks will begin to roll in and set up for coverage of Tuesday's Semi-Finals (4pm and 6:30pm, Pacific time) and the Championship game on Wednesday at 6:30pm.

But today, the games continue with Game#9 Southwest (Elgin LL, Texas) vs. East (Pequannock LL, New Jersey), Game#10 West (Gilroy LL, California) vs. EMEA (Ramstein American LL, Germany), Game #11 Canada (Layritz LL, Victoria, BC) vs. Latin America (Soraida Juliana LL, Willemstad, Curacao), and Game#12 Central (Mattawan LL, Michigan) vs. South (Morristown American National LL, Tennessee).

Please click on the "Game#" highlights above and click on "Box Scores" for LIVE scoring and photos from the games. Volunteers are running around the complex to bring you these updates and know how hard it must be for those family and friends who are following their teams from home.

Right after today's final game, the RE/MAX Home Run Derby will take center stage on the Alpenrose main diamond. Like the DeMarini Skills Challenge, this is a fun event to add memories and good times to the scrapbooks for these players. The girls, siblings, coaches and local celebrities will take their hacks at pitches from a cow! Yes, the LLSBWS mascots Alpen and Rose will keep the lobs coming in so everyone gets a chance to hit a homerun. And all proceeds benefit the LLSBWS and go towards the expenses of running this tournament.

So, if you're in Portland, and not at the North Plains Garlic Festival (where my husband is serving as the parade judge), or in between heading to the Bite of Oregon or the Portland Beavers game, stop by and enjoy some free, family entertainment at Alpenrose. Will two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michele Smith make an appearance again today and smash one over the fence? I hope so -- I am heading out there to find out myself :)

Let the Games Begin

2006-08-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

Following a day when fear and anger once again gripped the world, it was a pleasure to spend the evening at the Little League Softball World Series, enjoying a small reminder that families all over the world are more alike than different. Where a ballfield hosts 11-13 year old girls playing softball, singing Happy Birthday to Alyssa Wilkins of the Southwest team (Elgin LL, Texas) before the game, and the great-granddaughter of Alpenrose's founder performs the National Anthem, there is hope.

Game#1 started the tournament in exciting fashion as the East (Pequannock LL, New Jersey) needed extra innings to defeat Latin America (Soraida Juliana LL, Willemstad, Curacao) 10-4.

Mallory Black, the South (Morristown American-National LL, Tennessee) starter, struck out ten and pitched a perfect game to lead her team to a 9-0 win over West (Gilroy LL, California) in Game#2.

EMEA (Ramstein American LL, Germany) lost to Asia-Pacific (ILLAM Central LL, Makita City, Philippines) in Game#3, 10-4.

And in the nightcap, hometown Host/Oregon District 4 (Cedar Mill LL, Beaverton, Oregon) managed only two hits against Southwest (Elgin LL, Texas) losing 9-1 in Game#4.

Tonight, packed bleachers, barbequed hot dogs, pin trading, bright green snow cones and "Hey, how is it going? How'd you guys do today?" "We did great, but we didn't win" paint the big picture of unity and sportsmanship in our troubled world.

As I watch dozens of LL Softball World Series Volunteers race around the tournament complex attending to the needs of the players, the crowds, the media, I remember why I am spectator, too. Not because I have a daughter playing in the games (maybe a niece or two some day!), not because my husband is coaching or umpiring, but because I am moved to tears by the joy and comraderie of the kids, coaches and families. That comraderie is our future.