Little League World Series 2016

[King]

Canada kicks off on Friday against Japan, good grief.

 

 

Haven't won a game since 2013 and own a 45-120 win loss record overall. This will be the year!

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/xPrOvC6.png

http://i.imgur.com/Ha9XUOZ.png

[Spanky99]

Canada kicks off on Friday against Japan, good grief.

 

 

Haven't won a game since 2013 and own a 45-120 win loss record overall. This will be the year!

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/xPrOvC6.png

http://i.imgur.com/Ha9XUOZ.png

 

Who's repping Canada? B.C... I'd imagine.

[King]

Who's repping Canada? B.C... I'd imagine.

 

Vancouver yep. They pitched a no hitter in the Canada regional final and won 1-0.

 

 

http://www.llbws.org/media/news/Hastings-Community-Little-League-from-Vancouver-Wins-Little-League-Baseball_-Canada-Region-Championship.htm

 

Hastings Community Little League from Vancouver will participate in the Little League Baseball® World Series for the third time after taking a 1-0 victory over Whalley Little League in the Canada Region Championship Game on Saturday, August 13. Seven teams participated in the 10-day nation-wide event held in Vancouver, British Columbia.

 

Led behind a combined no-hitter by Loreto Siniscalchi and Stefano Dal on the mound to hold the Whalley LL offense at bay, Hastings Community Little League was able to put up a single run in the bottom of the fifth to go on and take a 1-0 victory to earn the right to represent Canada in the 2016 Little League Baseball World Series.

 

While Whalley Little League was able to work four walks over the course of the game, it was the RBI single in the bottom of the fifth by Nicola Barba that gave Hastings Community LL the lone run of the game and the eventual victory.

 

Siniscalchi earned the victory for Hastings Community LL after throwing 5.0 innings of hitless work, allowing four walks while striking out 13 of 19 batters faced.

 

Hastings Community LL finished the Canada Region tournament with an unblemished 8-0 record to earn the Canada Region Championship title. This marks the third trip out to South Williamsport for Hastings Community LL after participating in the Little League Baseball World Series back in 2009 and 2012.

 

This will be the 57th time Canada has been represented at the Little League Baseball® World Series, more than any other non-U.S. nation. Last year’s Canada Region Champions were White Rock South Surrey Little League from White Rock, British Columbia.

 

Hastings Community Little League will open play in the 2016 Little League Baseball® World Series as Canada Region Champions when they face the Japan Region Champion, represented in 2016 by Chofu Little League from Chofu City, Tokyo, on Friday, August 19, at 2 p.m. at Volunteer Stadium. Spanning the course of 10 days, 32 games will be played in the 2016 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, culminating in the Championship Game, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 28. For more information on the 2016 Little League Baseball World Series, visit LLBWS.org.

[Jonn]

They just put together an all-star team. And send them. See how they do. All the best kids at that level.

[TheHurl]

They just put together an all-star team. And send them. See how they do. All the best kids at that level.

 

no, just no. LL is about representing your town/city. Going through the process of regional, provincial, National and then Williamsport, is what the LL is all about. Not to mention...good luck trying to scout u12 kids Nationally for an All Star game

[Jonn]

no, just no. LL is about representing your town/city. Going through the process of regional, provincial, National and then Williamsport, is what the LL is all about. Not to mention...good luck trying to scout u12 kids Nationally for an All Star game

 

Just would like to see them stand more of a chance that's all. We only get to send one team.

[King]

Just would like to see them stand more of a chance that's all. We only get to send one team.

 

Are you sure Japan sends an allstar team? Little League took away the title from the Chicago team back in 2014 for using players from outside the geographical region - Seems like they are pretty strict against this kind of stuff. I mean I guess they could do it and not get caught?

 

 

 

http://www.espn.com/chicago/story/_/id/12308988/little-league-strips-chicago-team-us-championship-suspends-coach

 

Little League Baseball has stripped the U.S. championship from Chicago-based Jackie Robinson West and suspended its coach for violating a rule prohibiting the use of players who live outside the geographic area that the team represents, it was announced Wednesday.

 

Jackie Robinson West must vacate wins from the 2014 Little League Baseball International Tournament -- including its Great Lakes Regional and United States championships.

 

The team's manager, Darold Butler, has been suspended from Little League activity, and Illinois District 4 administrator Michael Kelly has been removed from his position.

 

The organization found that Jackie Robinson West used a falsified boundary map and that team officials met with neighboring Little League districts in Illinois to claim players and build what amounts to a superteam.

 

As a result, the United States championship has been awarded to Mountain Ridge Little League from Las Vegas.

 

"Quite honestly, we had to do this," Little League International president and CEO Stephen D. Keener told ESPN on Wednesday. "We had no choice. We had to maintain the integrity of the Little League program. ... As painful as this is, it's a necessary outcome from what we finally have been able to confirm.

 

"The real troubling part of this is that we feel horribly for the kids who are involved with this. Certainly, no one should cast any blame, any aspersions on the children who participated on this team. To the best of our knowledge, they had no knowledge that they were doing anything wrong. They were just kids out playing baseball, which is the way it should be. They were celebrated for that by many, many organizations, many people. What we're most concerned about today is that it's going to be hard on these kids. And that's the part that breaks your heart."

 

President Barack Obama, who had honored Jackie Robinson West with a White House ceremony, said Wednesday that he continues to be proud of the team and that he blames the problems on "dirty dealing" by adults.

 

"The president is proud of the way they represented their city and the way they represented the country," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a briefing. "The fact is some dirty dealing by some adults doesn't take anything away from the accomplishments of those young men."

 

When it comes to Jackie Robinson West losing their little league title, the punishment doesn't fit the crime as the kids suffer for the adults' choices.

Jackie Robinson West drew significant attention as it advanced to the tournament's title game, where it fell to Seoul, South Korea. In a sport that increasingly struggles to attract African-Americans, the team representing Chicago's South Side emerged as a force, beating Las Vegas 7-5 in the U.S. title game.

 

The Chicago players were lauded for not just their prowess on the field but also for their sportsmanship.

 

"This is a heartbreaking decision," Keener said in a statement. "What these players accomplished on the field and the memories and lessons they have learned during the Little League World Series tournament is something the kids can be proud of, but it is unfortunate that the actions of adults have led to this outcome. ...

 

"As painful as this is, we feel it a necessary decision to maintain the integrity of the Little League program. No team can be allowed to attempt to strengthen its team by putting players on their roster that live outside their boundaries."

 

Dave Belisle, who coached the Rhode Island Little League team that was eliminated by Chicago in the second round of the United States bracket, expressed his disappointment over the situation.

 

"It's disappointing, very disappointed that someone would stoop that low to do something like that," Belisle said. "We had a great opportunity to do something wonderful and do it the right way, and they didn't."

 

"Watching those kids win the championship, and watching those kids in the parade, I don't know how [someone] could live with yourself, knowing you did it the wrong way," Belisle added. "You know what? They got their due, unfortunately at the cost of young kids. How bad is that?"

 

Former Las Vegas league president Kristi Black, whose organization pushed for the Chicago team to be stripped of the title, said she felt "sad" for the JRW players.

 

"For us, it's not about getting the title," Black, who was president of the Las Vegas league when its team was in Williamsport, told ESPN. "It's about preserving the integrity of the Little League World Series. I spoke with a couple of our kids this morning, and they're excited, but they feel terrible for the kids on Chicago team. Our kids have moved on. They're just of the mind that when rules are broken, that's not acceptable."

 

Evergreen Park, Ill., Little League vice president Chris Janes, whose concerns last year about the falsified boundaries prompted the initial investigation, also spoke out on the topic Wednesday night during an interview on "Outside the Lines."

 

"It's really simple, this is a game for kids," said Janes, whose 12-year-old son plays on a team beaten last year by JRW, according to the Chicago Tribune. "We are all volunteers and we are all playing by the same rule book. I wanted Jackie Robinson's story to be just as true as everybody else did. They were a great and fun team to watch. At the same time, I've got three of my own kids playing in our league. We've got a league of 200-plus kids playing and we're trying to teach them to do the right thing."

 

Little League embraces policies designed to preserve traditional community-based leagues in which classmates play with classmates, friends with friends.

 

"Little League takes these matters very seriously and has spent countless hours gathering information about the many issues facing Jackie Robinson West Little League and Illinois District 4," Keener said in the statement. "During our review, it became clear that both Jackie Robinson West officials and District Administrator, Mike Kelly signed documents to make players eligible who should not have been."

 

The national organization said it was Kelly's responsibility to verify player eligibility based on player information that is gathered and signed by the league president, player agent and team manager.

 

Little League said that it wasn't until meetings in January that local league officials acknowledged that they knew of the violation but had never reported it to Little League International.

 

"Unfortunately, no allegations against Jackie Robinson West Little League were made until well after the tournament ended, contributing to the difficulty of resolving these many complex issues," Keener said. "As an organization, Little League has faced issues similar to this in the past, and we felt that we must take the appropriate action set by that precedent."

 

Jackie Robinson West isn't the first team to have its Little League title stripped. In 1992, Little League took away the title from Zamboanga, Philippines, and handed it to Long Beach, California, after Zamboanga used several players who lived outside its district or were overage. In 2001, a team from the Bronx that finished third was forced to forfeit its games after pitcher Danny Almonte was revealed to be overage.

 

"This is not an issue that is rampant among Little League programs. This is an isolated case," Keener told ESPN. "We've only had to take this type of action three times in our program's 75-year history."

[Spanky99]

They just put together an all-star team. And send them. See how they do. All the best kids at that level.

 

Hnnngghhh...

[Spanky99]

Just would like to see them stand more of a chance that's all. We only get to send one team.

 

All these teams are regional, or played through a tournament process.

[FrozenRopes]

Who is monitoring the teams in Japan etc? Do they fly people over to check families etc. Highly unlikely.

[Jonn]

All these teams are regional, or played through a tournament process.

 

I understand that. I just have my doubts all the teams are folllowing the rules. I just would like to see stand a chance instead of getting there teeth kicked in every year. I understand it would be difficult to assemble an under 12 All-Star team. I remember as kid though we had houseleague, rep, and selects. We played in Courtice and had kids from Ajax and Pickering on our team. One Courtice team was always stacked compared to the others.

 

And before you say Courtice isn't big enough to have that many teams lol. Our Rep team was the Clarington Orioles. But our select Team Courtice Cobaras was the team that played at competitive tournaments.

[Governator]

I understand that. I just have my doubts all the teams are folllowing the rules. I just would like to see stand a chance instead of getting there teeth kicked in every year. I understand it would be difficult to assemble an under 12 All-Star team. I remember as kid though we had houseleague, rep, and selects. We played in Courtice and had kids from Ajax and Pickering on our team. One Courtice team was always stacked compared to the others.

 

 

1) We don't play baseball year round in Canada

2) Not a popular sport in a relatively small populated country

 

Even our best all-star team probably loses to USA's top local team. It'd be like Germany vs CHL champs in World Jrs.

[Jonn]

1) We don't play baseball year round in Canada

2) Not a popular sport in a relatively small populated country

 

Even our best all-star team probably loses to USA's top local team. It'd be like Germany vs CHL champs in World Jrs.

 

All good points like I said I just want them to be successful.

[King]

The team representing Canada this year steamrolled the Canada region tournament. They probably faced better teams locally throughout the season. The other BC team did the same.

 

Vs Atlantic: 12-0 win

Vs other BC team: 5-4 win

Vs Ontario: 10-0 win

Vs Alberta: 12-1 win

Vs Saskatchewan: 10-0 win

Vs Quebec: 14-4 win

Vs Alberta: 9-0 win

Vs other BC team (in finals): 1-0 win

 

 

So when they inevitably get steamrolled by Japan tomorrow...

[King]

One of the "stars" of last years LLWS, Cole Wagner, has only thrown a few pitches since the tournament ended due to arm injury and hasn't been handling the pressure of the LLWS well. Pretty sad.

 

 

 

http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/08/cole_wagner.html#incart_river_home_pop

 

Cole Wagner exploded onto the national scene during Red Land's run to last year's Little League World Series.

 

With a fastball that sat in the mid-70s, and a big-time bat to boot, the tall, lefty became a megastar in Williamsport.

 

But life on the diamond hasn't been as charming for Wagner since.

 

"He had a rough 13-year-old year," his father, Bret Wagner, said Tuesday, two days before the start of this year's World Series.

 

Wagner tossed just two innings following the World Series before arm pain forced him to shut it down.

 

Bret Wagner said his son has not thrown in a game since.

 

"It was really hard just because I didn't know what the problem was," Cole Wagner said.

 

Arm pain was not his only hurdle.

 

According to Bret Wagner, a first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1994, his son struggled to live up to the expectations heaped upon him after his showing, and he became a target for some.

 

"As a dad, it was kind of hard to watch all the negative stuff coming his way, whether it was on social media or from folks that we played," he said. "Folks liked to try to point him out when he was struggling a bit.

 

"Kids will be kids," he added. "It wasn't so much the kids that bothered me. It was the social media and ... everybody is quick to diminish achievement on social media. But, the biggest thing that bothered me was some of the adults outwardly rooting against him.

 

"But we knew it was coming."

 

And, he said, his son dealt with it well.

 

"I couldn't be prouder of how he handled his 13-year-old year," he said. "He learned to deal with adversity on the field and beyond it."

 

For his part, Cole Wagner said he tuned out the negativity and fit in where he could help his GoWags Patriots travel team.

 

"I knew that I still had to contribute," he said. "So, I figured I would play first base and help out with my bat."

 

And, after taking a trip to the Florida Baseball Ranch to work with pitching coach Randy Sullivan during his hiatus from the mound, things are looking up for Wagner's pitching prospests once more.

 

"We identified some things he could be doing differently," Bret Wagner said. "Within a 15-to-20-minute session, his arm pain was gone. It was all mechanical stuff that we cleared up."

 

He said Cole has grown a bit, shooting up from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot. That should come in handy for his planned return to the mound.

 

"I had a (season) off," Cole Wagner said. "I'm definitely looking forward to next year, getting back, and it's going to be my first full year pitching on a regulation field, so I'm excited."

 

And, for the time being, he is excited about getting an opportunity to take in the Little League World Series from in front of the TV.

 

"Just watching it is nice, too," he said. "It's nice to take a step back and just be a fan for a little bit. We miss being there, but we have more baseball in our future. It's nice to move on, and nice to look back on it."

[Krylian]

The Canadian kids need PED's. Someone isn't doing their job.

[Jonn]

The Canadian kids need PED's. Someone isn't doing their job.

 

Got to. It's hard to compete against 15 and 16 year olds when your 12

[King]

http://embedstream.com/espn_usa.php

 

Panama/Mexico

[LGBJ29]

Got to. It's hard to compete against 15 and 16 year olds when your 12

 

http://i.imgur.com/TAyupQo.png

[King]

Canada kicks off on Friday against Japan, good grief.

 

 

Haven't won a game since 2013 and own a 45-120 win loss record overall. This will be the year!

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/xPrOvC6.png

http://i.imgur.com/Ha9XUOZ.png

 

Canada goes up against Japan today at 2 eastern on tsn. A win would be cool but my expectations are low.

[FrozenRopes]

Canada goes up against Japan today at 2 eastern on tsn. A win would be cool but my expectations are low.

It doesn't show on tsn guide

[Jonn]

Canada goes up against Japan today at 2 eastern on tsn. A win would be cool but my expectations are low.

 

A win would be on par with the miracle on ice.

[King]

It doesn't show on tsn guide

 

TSN5

 

TSN PRVerified account

‏@TSN_PR

PROGRAMMING ALERT: #TSN has live coverage of Team Canada's #LLWS2016 opening game, Friday at 2pmET on TSN5

[King]

Yep it's on TSN5. Go Canada!

[GD]

canadaaaaaaaaaaaa

[King]

0 Jose Bautistas under favorite baseball player, the ship has sailed

 

Tons of Donaldson, 1 stroman and 1 estrada though

[Sammy225]

0 Jose Bautistas under favorite baseball player, the ship has sailed

 

Tons of Donaldson, 1 stroman and 1 estrada though

 

and a Harper and a Pedroia

[KingKat]

0 Jose Bautistas under favorite baseball player, the ship has sailed

 

All the good faith washed away in the time between the bat flip and the punch.

[King]

A win would be on par with the miracle on ice.

I want to believe

[GD]

Holy aggressive