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• No matter what their native language, EVERYBODY knows what to do when the P.A. system plays "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."

• Best question so far:  "Did you ever swallow a gnat when you were umpiring?"  - - Carter, age 7

• As someone who's spent the last couple of decades in Florida, the terrain here has been a rude awakening for my calves. 

 Another beautiful morning as the grounds crew prepares the field at Volunteer Stadium. In the background is something the locals call "mountains."

 

The number of video reviews so far is outpacing previous years, thanks to plenty of close plays and managers who are more savy and comfortable with the process.  If it's a banger, some of them figure they have nothing to lose (although they must be mindful that their opportunities are limited). 

The review process adds a little more pressure, but as I've said before, we all want to make sure the ultimate decision is the right one.  Nonetheless, though we are not professionals, we take a lot of pride in our training and experience.  None of us wants to perform poorly here.  So far, the umpires are looking darn good -- more calls confirmed than reversed. 

These reviewed plays are all very, very close ones, and our decisions are rendered in real time.  We do not have the benefit of seeing the play in super slow-motion from 5 different angles.  Just sayin' . . .

My review #2 came on a real bang-bang play at second base Saturday night in the Great Lakes/Mid-West game.  My decision?  Out! 

It was the third out, and as ESPN went to commercial, I turned to walk back to my position on the field.  Please don't review, please don't review, please don't review.  You guessed it.  I looked up to see the coach heading toward home plate.

After what seemed like eternity (but was actually only about 30 seconds),
UIC Richard Muffley returned to the field and confirmed my call. 

Whew!

 

 

 

I must admit, it took me a while to figure this out.  The peanut I got right away.  The fluffy guy -- ok, that's popcorn, I think. 
But the dude on the far right????  I needed a little help on that one.

• Honda, a long-time LLWS Sponor, is introducing their latest innovation that every Little League mom will appreciate:  the Odyssey Minivan now comes equipped with its own vaccum.  As someone who had more than their share of infield dirt and post-game snacks to deal with, I say "Great idea, Honda!"  They promoted this with characters dressed as a popcorn kernel, a peanut, and what I finally deduced was a creepy looking vacuum cleaner head.

 



Many fun activities for the fans, both young and old. 
 

•  Every sponsor has a booth with some sort of interactive activity. Test your pitching arm, show off your hitting skills, or sign up for a chance to get your laundry washed, dried, and folded (I am NOT making this up).  And, of course, you can get the ubiquitous trading pin . . .



The experience of getting into the LLWS Gift Shop is a

lot like what you may have enjoyed at Disney World. 

 

 Looking for a souvenir?  We've got plenty here!  Hats, t-shirts, team jerseys, every sort of collectable you can imagine.  Trading pins and fancy bags to display them in.

  

Speaking of pins . . . well, that's a topic worthy of its own post.  Coming soon!

 

 

International Love

One of the really great experiences at the LLWS is seeing the teams and fans in the International Division.  Such enthusiasm!

Last year, the team from Uganda was the first team from Africa to make it to Williamsport, and what a story it was!  As you can imagine, their league back home was modestly equipped - - the kids practiced and played barefoot. 

So when they made it to the LLWS and were presented with new shoes, they had to tread (groan) lightly.  They practiced first with the right shoe on, then with the left shoe own.  Certainly didn't want to get blisters the first day.

When the first batter got a hit, the stadium erupted.  If you were watching at home, you had to feel something for those kids.

This year, the Czech Republic and Australia are making their debut, and they are pumped up!  These developing baseball programs are showing a lot of promise and a lot of heart.  They come to Williamsport with the same dreams as the others, but I'm sure their expectations are realistic.

One of my fellow umpires, John Ignacio, shared this exchange he had with the Czech coach during their game with Japan:

Coach:  You see scoreboard?
John:    Yeah?
Coach:  We make Japan play 6 innings.  That our goal.  We make champions play 6 innings!

Not only that, but they lost to the Canadian team by only one run.  The Czech team also has the only girl in this year's series, a catcher.  I would love to have had the plate assignment in one of their games so we could have had dueling pony tails.

The Australian team is so excited to be a part of the magic in Williamsport.  They are well-coached, focused, and clearly have a lot of talent -- they just haven't been able to string those hits together. 

Last night I watched the Japan-Chinese Taipei match-up, and it was the game you'd expect.  Disciplined teams, precise fundamentals, enthusiastic fans, a joy to watch.  Seeing the Chinese Taipei moms and dads dancing to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" was a special treat.

MVP of the game?  In my opinion, it was the P.A. Announcer at Lamade Stadium.  He didn't flub a single player's name . . . as if I would know.



Not sure if this is a fan or a team mascot, but he was definitely a photo op!