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Fair And Balanced
by Dave
Monday, August 14, 2006
I admit to watching the Little League baseball championships on TV. I have watched and will watch just about every televised game. I am a junky and it doesn't look like I'll be "recovering" anytime soon. Similarly I think I watched every televised fastpitch softball game this year, more than once. We purchased the Fox Sports Network package from our local cable provider and gave our digital recorder a full blown workout. It is am extremely rare occurrence for me to miss a televised softball game. I can't help myself.
I'll watch the ASA Gold championships today at noon on ESPN2. I am encouraged that ESPN has decided to televise this but I have to admit to a couple major disappointments. For one thing, I am disappointed that the Shamrocks will not be there. We did get to see them play in person once this year so I guess I can't complain. For another thing, I am extremely disappointed that only one ASA game will be televised. I would have liked to see the semifinals. Actually I would have liked to see the quarterfinals or any other game played in this tournament, the top level of our sport's youth play. And ESPN is televising it at noon on one of the best beach days of the year! Why not broadcast it in primetime?
I am further disappointed because I know that several games from the Little League softball "world" series will be aired during primetime. I am disappointed partly because I know the level of play for these 12 year olds is far below what the top level of 12U ball is in other venues. Little League softball is a travesty. It is a shame ESPN can't do better and find the time to air a level of softball which is more worthy of national recognition.
The top teams in the LL softball tournament will have some pitchers who windmill just shy of 50 mph and a few who aren't that fast. I'm not sure I saw more than one or two pitchers in "B" level travel tournaments throw that slowly this year. We may even see one shotgun pitcher as was the case last year. That'll be a treat for me since I haven't see any shotgunners since last year's LL tournament.
There won't be many screwballs, drops or even changeups. These pitchers won't be all that good at locating their pitches. But they'll be effective. There will be a lot of strike outs as the hitters struggle to catch up. The play in the field will be pretty good although the base running will not be aggressive enough to really test anyone. Most likely the championship will be decided by one or two key hits, some walks, and an error or two. But I suppose that's fairly common in this sport as it is in baseball.
The game will be played with 11 inch balls instead of the 12 inch ones every other major softball organization uses at this age. Girls often do have trouble adjusting to the larger ball used in ASA, NSA, Pony, Babe Ruth et al play. That is one reason why the sport's best 12 year olds will not be found on a Little League field this summer. That is a major reason why you will not find the sport's serious pitchers in Little League. Any girl who aspires to pitch at a serious level will be found hard at work, practicing with 12 inch balls in softball academies around the country. They wouldn't work out with 11 inch balls any more than a major league batter would take batting practice with the junior varsity of his local high school team.
California, Texas, Arizona and the other states which produce the best softball will probably not be well represented. They will have teams in the tournament but they won't be the best representatives of softball in their states. Midway Little League, Waco, Texas who has won 7 of the last 10 LL world series softball championships did not make it this far. I don't know if they are still affiliated with LL but another team from Texas is in. That team lost just one game, 13-7, in pool play to the team representing the East, Pequannock, New Jersey. Pequannock, who went 4-0, easily beat the other teams in their pool. Pequannock looks like the favorite to eventually make the final round though you never do know.
I watched the Pequannock team play a few games last year when the girls were 11. They were nothing special then, although they did win the state LL championship, taking 2 out of 3. Their LL program is one of the better ones but they lack serious pitching. Perhaps that is because of the numerous travel programs located around them, many of which also produce winning teams though against stiffer competition.
If you go through the teams which participated in the Pony or NSA National championships this year, there are several within a half hour's drive of Pequannock. Any serious player would opt for one of those teams rather than play LL ball. Any of these teams is far superior to the Pequannock LL team. It would be a shocker if one of those teams played Pequannock and didn't run rule them at the first opportunity.
The Pequannock team would not have been competitive at the tournaments I attended this year. They might very well have lost their first games each Sunday. If they had advanced beyond the first elimination round, they most assuredly would not have won any tournaments.
Such is the state of Little League softball these days. It sports mediocrity. There is mediocre hitting, defense and even worse than mediocre pitching. But it gets top level billing with ESPN probably because the LL organization demands it as part of the baseball coverage agreement. It is a sorry state of affairs for girls whose parents don't know any better than to play LL. But the biggest travesty by far is the almost complete shut out of girls who actually play this game at a high level. ESPN will carry one single ASA Gold game. They'll cover no Pony, NSA, or FAST championship play. And the myth that girls in Little League play competitive softball will be perpetuated.
Rebuttal!
Carrie writes in regarding this piece:
I had to take a deep breath after I read your latest "Fair and Balanced." I have followed your writing on girls fastpitch because I am also a fan. But frankly, I denote a tone of jealousy when it comes Little League softball being televised on ESPN.
First of all, I have attended several games in Portland and the level of play has improved over the years. I am confident that the best teams are playing on TV tomorrow and will show well for ESPN. I am under no delusion that this is the top level of play for softball at that age. I just think it is comparing apples to oranges.
Secondly, ASA is on ESPN because of LL softball. Sorry, but it is true. I have worked with the ESPN crews for the last few years at the LL Softball World Series and it is the ratings that are pulled from the LLSBWS that have driven them to cover more softball. Michele Smith is also a big advocate of LL. She will be happy to tell you that she is in favor of community-oriented softball and mandatory playing rules for the girls UNDER 12. She wants it to be fun -- she is a great spokesperson for the game. She also feels LL is the way to grow the sport internationally because there are already so many established leagues around the world to build the infrastructure.
I believe that ALL media coverage of softball helps to grow the sport. Let's face it -- you are glued to the set. It works well for ESPN (btw, the LL Softball WS sees NONE of the big dollars thrown at Williamsport from Honda, Kelloggs' etc, but don't get me started on that :) but is not driven by an agreement between LL and ESPN, simply great ratings.
Just a side note: when travel teams play in tournaments every weekend, and umpteen qualifiers, it makes it difficult to follow where the true champion is. LL Softball on ESPN works because it is a true international tournament with its defined, regional set-up and makes it very easy to follow. America loves hometown baseball/softball. Plus, the MPR makes for a great story and helps all those dads (and moms!) out there who rode the bench in LL root for the sub to come in and make the big play.
My Response
I don't want to address Carrie's comments directly because I think they should stand on their own. I do want to put out some thoughts after having watched the two semifinal games last night.
First, the level of play was better than it was last year. I think that has a lot to do with the increased age of the players. This year LL adopted the same age cutoff used by all other softball bodies. That was a good move. The girls were about a half year older and it showed in the level of play.
Second, the pitching was far better than that which I observed last year. The girls not only threw harder but also had better command and movement. The pitching this year was well above what it was last year. In particular the pitchers from Michigan and Texas were very good. But I'm not sure I believe the radar gun was properly calibrated. The pitches, as much as you can tell by watching TV, did not appear to be in the high 50s as the gun showed. Even assuming the gun was perfectly calibrated, lets not forget that the ball was 11 inches not 12. There is at least a 5 mph difference between what one can throw the 11 vs. 12. So assuming the gun was right and calculating the difference between the balls, what I saw last night translates to low 50s. Not bad, not fantastic, better than the past for sure. The changeups were decent. The movement pitches were OK.
Hitting was pretty good. There weren't a ton of strikeouts. The girls were not overmatched by 56-58 mph fastballs. They made the best with what they had and adjusted to movement pitches, changes and decent location. Fielding was pretty good. There weren't any spectacular plays but for the most part fielders were competent.
Aside from these improvements, my final take away from the LL Girls World Series were:
1) Hey Little League, get rid of the grass field. Softball is played on skin.
2) For your next feat of strength, LL should get rid of the 11 inch ball for 12 year olds.
3) Once the right field and ball are used, LL should consider aligning the base running rules so girls can leave the base when the pitch is released. The difference is about a half second but it leads to more aggressive offensive play. This is an important difference between high level play and LL.
4) Teams should learn to bunt better. Only Michigan used the bunt effectively. Especially with a grass infield, the bunt can be the most effective offensive tool in this game. If you have a good team getting ready for next year and you're looking for something to make the difference, teach your girls to bunt. Teach them sacrifice bunting, drag bunting and every other style.
5) While I'm on the subject of aggressive offense, I didn't see anyone slap so far in this tournament. Slapping isn't nearly as effective on a grass infield but it can still work especially when most of the first and third basemen play so deep. I don;t know if LL allows slapping. If they do, teach a few kids to slap after you're done teaching bunting.
6) Throwing mechanics on the whole in this tournament were weak. It would be worthwhile to teach these girls, so many of whom aspire to "play for Team USA," how to throw properly. I suppose the most glaring differences between ASA and LL play are found by looking at fundamentals like throwing mechanics. Sure, much of the poor throwing techniques are hidden by the use of the 11 inch ball but that's no excuse for not teaching proper mechanics.
I could go on but these are my most important points. I look forward to seeing the championship game but I know that means pretty much the end of the softball on TV season until NCAA games are again broadcast sometime in the spring/summer of next year.
Final Comment
As I sit here watching the championsip game, I can't help but think Michigan will win and most likely deserves to win. They had better pitching and fielding and their hitters put the ball into play. They also bunted effectively, something that was otherwise lacking in this tournament.
However, I want to address a comment to the second base umpire. Your call out of the girl at second base in the top of the fifth was one of the worst calls I have ever witnessed. You were out of position as a result of having been too lazy to get into position - you had plenty of time but you didn't move because you didn't care enough to move. In case you have any doubts, you are the only person on the planet who thought the girl was out. The TV replay showed exactly how absurd your call was. You couldn't possibly see to make the call and if you were in doubt, you should have left it as it was. Any umpire worthy of wearing the blue knows that. I sincerely hope you are never asked to umpire a LL softball tournament game again. Your call changed the momentum of the game and possibly the outcome. You are a disgrace to umpiring and volunteerism. If you can't be bothered, stay home and leave it to someone who does care. Otherwise, I thought the umpiring was pretty good!
Permanent Link: Fair And Balanced
 
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