The True World Series
By Karlsie
Today, at 3:30 EDT, the real World Series will have its final game. In Williamsport, PA two teams of 11-12 year old boys - one from Curacao and the other from Hawaii - will face off in the Little League World Series. ABC sports will cover the game and the ratings are expected to be better than last year's numbers. In fact, they find that people often tune in when they find themselves unsure of what to do at times of scandal - such as athletes on steroids and other "performance enhancers."
But what is missed is these are kids in 5th and 6th grade taking to the field and getting their first taste of reality: professional baseball may still be a game, but it sure isn't always fun. These kids are under enormous pressure. Yesterday, the kids from California kept their composure in spite of one bad inning that allowed Hawaii to blow past them. You could see their eyes glistening and you know they wanted to do the one thing kids do: cry. But they didn't. They did their best to keep their heads in the game under the stellar guidance of a coach that didn't challenge umpires or yell at them. He did what good Little League coaches do: tell the kids to shake it off and not to worry - it's only a game.
Until yesterday, both California and Hawaii had been undefeated. They both played one of those games where it was a shame someone had to lose. They played with their hearts, their souls and everything they had for Hawaii to advance to today's final round. On the international side, it was a similar story. In the end, Curacao had three hits the whole game and scored two runs in the first (and that was the only scoring done the whole game). They shut out Japan on two hits over 5 1/2 innings. Japan, the team that had committed no errors had one last night.
Some of the stories ESPN focused on this week were the two Florida sons of major leaguers - who fell to California the other day. There were calls to encourage various teams from a variety of famous players and other celebrities. There were inspirational stories galore as well. But one story that made me proud to be a Red Sox fan was this: yesterday the Red Sox brought the World Series trophy to Williamsport so all the kids could see, touch and have their photos taken with it.
It was said that kids looked at with dreams of one day winning that for their favorite team. Adults were reminded of their childhood dreams and some recounted two weeks of sleepless nights last fall as they watched until the final pitch. For me, even though I'm not in Williamsport (as much as I'd love to be), it is another reminder of why I love the Red Sox: the current owners get it. They get that baseball is about our hopes and fears and dreams. It is about being 12 years old and pretending you are the go ahead run at the bottom of the 9th with a full count and the bases loaded and two out to hit a grand slam to win it all. It is about apple pie and mom and endless summer days that gently fade into clear night skies full of stars and lightning bugs. It is about chewing bubblegum and riding your bike with the baseball players you hate pinned to the fork so to make noise as you ride down the road. It's about a hot dog with spicy brown mustard in the ball park next to someone who loves you more than anything else in the world as they teach you how to keep score and do the wave.
In Williamsport the past week, it was a field of sighs as well as a field of dreams. Today the magic spell has to end when the best of the US pool goes against the best of the International pool. They're all winners down there - it's just a shame someone has to lose the game.
