King

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

http://i.imgur.com/O2S7qUm.png http://i.imgur.com/csiC99I.png http://i.imgur.com/u1ieaEb.png http://i.imgur.com/LGWtEZJ.png http://www.milb.com/assets/images/8/4/6/196395846/cuts/Burns_Andy_640_z9517q0v_x6tdsr1e.jpg For the second straight year, the Thruway Cup will reside in Rochester. The Buffalo Bisons scored three times in the second inning but couldn't hold on as the Rochester Red Wings came back for a 6-3 win at Frontier Field on Thursday. The night started out strong for the Herd as Jesus Montero's second-inning single to left was followed up by a replica from Chris Colabello. Domonic Brown then delivered the opening score as he took a slow slider from Jason Wheeler and drove it into right field. Two batters later, Andy Burns brought home both runners as his high fly ball nearly left yard, coming down into the top half of the wall for a stand-up double. However, that's as much damage as the Bisons would cause for the rest of the night. Rochester starter may have allowed the three runs in the second inning, but then he certainly found his groove. After Ryan Goins' doubled to lead off the third, Wheeler retired the next 12 Buffalo batters. The big lefty finished with six punch-outs over seven frames as he picked up his 10th win of the year. Melky Mesa and Montero each reached base to lead off the eighth and ninth frames respectively, but both were unable to advance any further. In his eighth career start against the Red Wings, Jason Berken lasted 5.2 innings before exiting the game down 4-3 with a man on second. The veteran righty, who had only made two appearances with the Herd so far this season, fanned four and was charged with four earned runs on four hits and three walks. Chad Girodo was unable to hold the fort when he took over for Berken, as he allowed two hits and two walks to the next four batters, extending the Wings' lead to three. BISONS NOTES: With a second-inning single, Jesus Montero extended his hitting streak to 10 games…Dustin Antolin struck out two of three batters he faced and now hold as 1.94 ERA over 40 appearances with the Herd this year…Andy Burns' double puts him two ahead of Montero and Domonic Brown for the team lead...Buffalo is now 8-10 against Rochester with their final battle of 2016 slated for 7:05 p.m. on Friday. http://i.imgur.com/cE43WG3.png http://i.imgur.com/ha9iE5o.png http://i.imgur.com/0d8ElS0.png http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/8/4/179304584/cuts/Tellez_Rowdy_5316_schofield_tzk8zlgm_6o63rjm8.jpg Manchester - Jorge Saez and Rowdy Tellez each had three hits, but the Fisher Cats fell a run short in a comeback bid, falling 3-2 to Binghamton on Thursday night. New Hampshire (59-65) still won its fifth consecutive series, winning three of the five games. The teams split the 18 they played in 2016. The Mets (58-65) opened the game with a run in the top of the first inning. Phillip Evans doubled and scored on a single by Matt Oberste. Evans also singled in a run in the second and singled in the fourth as the Mets plated another run for a 3-0 lead. New Hampshire scored in the bottom of the fifth. Saez, who went 3-for-4, singled, advanced to second on a single by Ian Parmley, and scored on a single by Richard Urena. The Fisher Cats mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jason Leblebijian walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Derrick Loveless made it 3-2 with an RBI single. Tellez doubled twice and singled, but the Fisher Cats couldn't deliver the clutch hit. Rainy Lara (7-10) picked up the win for Binghamton. He worked into the sixth inning, yielding to relievers Luis Mateo, Kyle Regnault, Tim Peterson and David Roseboom. The foursome did not allow a run and Roseboom pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save. New Hampshire's bullpen recorded four innings of scoreless relief. Brady Dragmire, John Stilson and Murphy Smith held the Mets in check after starter Jeremy Gabryszwski (7-10) allowed three runs in five innings. The homestand at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium continues on Friday at 7:05 p.m with the first of three games with Western Division leading Altoona. LHP Shane Dawson (8-4, 3.99) is slated to start for New Hampshire. An Atlas Fireworks Show will follow the game. It's also our annual Kids Run The Show game when they take over the ballpark and learn what it takes to put together the Fisher Cats Entertainment Experience, presented by TD Bank. Tickets are available at www.nhfishercats.com. http://i.imgur.com/8OpoiUR.png http://i.imgur.com/ytAbvlI.png http://i.imgur.com/lLtTlHD.png http://i.imgur.com/IS0StlT.png http://i.imgur.com/InTA5ma.png http://i.imgur.com/dlQ1Ud4.png http://i.imgur.com/XFmcCkZ.png http://i.imgur.com/eJ4PnDK.png http://i.imgur.com/CcPDQBo.png LANSING, Mich. - The Great Lakes Loons (25-27, 54-68) completed a decisive four-game road sweep with a 5-1 win over the Lansing Lugnuts (26-27, 62-61) on Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium, pulling within a half-game of the Lugnuts for the second and final Eastern Division playoff berth. 17 games remain in the Midwest League regular season. In six of the nine innings, the Loons sent only three batters to the plate - but they scored two runs in the second inning against Justin Maese (Loss, 1-2) and three runs in the seventh against Tom Robson to back another stellar pitching effort. 19-year-old Great Lakes starter Leo Crawford tossed four innings, limiting Lansing to merely a Justin Atkinson sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third. Luis DePaula (Win, 2-0) held the Lugs off the scoreboard from the fifth through the seventh innings, and Andrew Istler recorded the final six outs without issue. Maese finished six innings, allowing only the two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out five in his third quality start with the Lugnuts. Lansing's offense was led by Juan Kelly, who went 2-for-4 with a double to extend his consecutive on-base streak to 19 straight games. J.C. Cardenas added a ninth-inning double, Ryan Hissey went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk, and Juan Tejada was 1-for-3 with a single. The Lugs finished the four-game series batting just 1-for-26 with runners in scoring position. The South Bend Cubs arrive at Cooley Law School Stadium for the second leg of the Lugnuts' seven-game homestand. Friday is a Freebie Friday: Seniors Eat FREE - all senior fans age 55 or better receive a free hot dog, Pepsi and popcorn at the park - plus postgame LAFCU Fireworks! Right-hander Jordan Romano (3-2, 2.28) starts at 7:05 p.m. for the Lugnuts, opposed by South Bend left-hander Justin Steele (5-6, 6.07). For more information or to purchase your tickets, call 517-485-4500 or visit lansinglugnuts.com. http://i.imgur.com/ZHUXa76.png http://i.imgur.com/VbNb4JH.png http://i.imgur.com/LthVeyD.png http://i.imgur.com/sfDzTFi.png http://i.imgur.com/17EqXQy.png http://i.imgur.com/1fNaV8F.png http://i.imgur.com/9hmrQu4.png http://i.imgur.com/uQQQxiS.png http://i.imgur.com/TKEXTBL.png http://i.imgur.com/hCRIXiP.png http://i.imgur.com/MVM7ozl.png http://i.imgur.com/JYGAQxC.png http://i.imgur.com/BUfVXzp.png Kings 3 Stars of the Night 1) Justin Maese: Maese pitched 6IP 5H 2ER 1BB 5K, with 9 groundball outs. 2) Rowdy Tellez: Tellez went 3/4 with 2 doubles. #CantHitAdvancedPitching 3) Bradley Jones: Jones went 2/6 with 2 doubles and 5 RBIs. Kings Platinum Arencibia 1) Juliandry Higuera: Higuera pitched 3.1 innings giving up 7 hits and 8 earned runs. He walked 3 and struckout 0, with 2 wild pitches and a hit batter.

I like Danny Jansen though he is definitely less hyped than the other two. The injuries are concerning and the power hasn't shown up in full season ball yet. Hopefully next season is his breakout year. Still young enough.

Why? They have it in Vancouver and the few games I've watched on TV it works well and fast. I have no problems with the length of games myself but if they were to make changes I would rather they do things like this to trim time down than change the game itself, which was the whole point of my post in the first place.

McGuire the better catcher. There's a chance Pentecost never catches a major league game.

Then you can fix other ways to speed up pitching changes that have already been mentioned in this thread. Have a bullpen golf cart drive the pitchers from the bullpen to the mound instead of the slow jog. Limit warmup pitches to 1 or 2. Among other things.

I agree with this, but wouldn't teams then just put position players on the 25 man roster in for pitchers they weren't going to use anyway?

It depends. If it's used in a way where a ball is called if you don't pitch before the 20 seconds ticks down to 0, then it will be enforced as long as it's in place. If it's used just as a reminder, it will serve little to no purpose, and that's the way it sounds like it's going to be implemented by the way Manfred talks about it in the article. “Our evaluation of that is, the more we can have on the field, constant reminders so it’s in front of people’s minds, the better off we are in terms of continuing to move the game along. And I think the clock is probably the quintessential example of the reminder that keeps pace in people’s minds. “And, quite frankly, the data shows that people don’t violate the 20-second. With or without a clock. It’s a reminder that moves things along.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/08/18/mlb-rob-manfred-pitch-clock-reliever-limits-limiting-shifts/88960724/ HOUSTON - Major League Baseball, alarmed by the game’s lack of action this season is considering making the most radical changes to the game in more than a century. The owners spent time Thursday discussing and reviewing how the game has changed over the years, with offenses suffocated by a record number of shifts and pitching changes, leading to longer games and less production. Commissioner Rob Manfred said that baseball will consider limiting the number of pitching changes in the future, as well as curtailing the amount of shifts, and even implementing a 20-second time clock for pitchers to deliver a pitch. “Our view of the pitch clock is that we feel it’s been effective in the minor leagues,’’ Manfred said, “we really do. I think when you look at our experience with the effort we undertook last year, and you look month-by-month in terms of where we were in terms of game time, we did really well early and kind of regressed the second half of last year, and certainly this year. “Our evaluation of that is, the more we can have on the field, constant reminders so it’s in front of people’s minds, the better off we are in terms of continuing to move the game along. And I think the clock is probably the quintessential example of the reminder that keeps pace in people’s minds. “And, quite frankly, the data shows that people don’t violate the 20-second. With or without a clock. It’s a reminder that moves things along.” When asked if he would like to see the clock implemented perhaps as early as next season, Manfred didn’t hesitate. “I would,’’ he said. “I said yes because there’s no temporal assigned to that.” While pitch clocks might speed up the game, infield shifts already do - perhaps too much for Manfred's liking. Manfred said research indicated that there were 2,400 infield shifts just five years ago; this season, major league clubs are on pace for 28,000 shifts, limiting offenses. “I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing,’’ Manfred said, “but it has ramifications for what people see when they buy that ticket to go to the ballpark. We just wanted to point out this whole series of changes that has occurred over time, very naturally, in the game and pose the question of whether or not we should be managing that change more aggressively.”

He was eaten alive.

I was wondering what happened that made Keith think Tellez can't hit advanced pitching but now we know. Tellez struckout against a pitcher throwing heat in the Arizona Fall League while Keith Law was in attendance, and now he's tripling down on this opinion.

He's been on it for a few months now.

Walligator: Rowdy Tellez is up to .295/.387/.499 after a brutal start to the season. He is walking almost 13% of the time, while only striking out 18% (with 16 homers to boot). He is just 21 years young. While he undoubtedly has a “bad body”, and is likely to be a DH, is there nothing to like in his profile, given his age and inexperience at the level? Admittedly, I’ve only scouted his stat line–is he someone that you have to watch in person to pick out his flaws? I believe you said he has a long swing or one that can’t handle high velocity…is there any way he can make it work? His slash line at his age just seems excellent, and I would think some AA pitchers can hit the mid to high 90’s…does Rowdy have a chance at a big league future? Klaw: New Hampshire’s a good place for LH power – remember Eric Thames – and no, he’s not facing mid- to high-90s that often. I think good pitching will eat Tellez alive, like it did in the AFL.

http://embedstream.com/espn_usa.php Panama/Mexico

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."

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...

He probably goes unclaimed anyway

???

Juan Meza is terrible

http://i.imgur.com/XcQFSjM.png http://i.imgur.com/bVTC3Ta.png http://i.imgur.com/087k5n1.png http://www.milb.com/assets/images/1/4/0/196148140/cuts/Montero_Jesus_603_640_tmp3bd2u_jxdnvcv3.jpg The Buffalo Bisons kept their chances at a Thruway Cup alive with a 4-3 victory over the Rochester Red Wings at Coca-Cola Field on Wednesday. In his third start with the Herd, Mike Bolsinger worked quickly as he continued to stretch himself out. The 28-year-old Texan used 82 pitches, 21 more than his last start, to work his way through six innings. "The past month and half has been really interesting. When I arrived here and made my first start in Pawtucket, I hadn't pitched in two and a half weeks. Going from starting to relieving and back to starting, it's been a weird little route that I've taken," said Bolsinger after his first win as a Bison. "It's been crazy and I've never experienced anything like it before. I think now I'm getting back into the groove of things." Bolsinger struck out a handful while spreading out seven hits and a walk, keeping the Wings at bay on a trio of runs. Having seen Andrew Albers for the third time in as many months, Buffalo's bats got to Rochester's starter for all four runs on 11 hits - all singles - over six innings. Down 1-0 in the third, Casey Kotchman led off the frame by poking a single into right field with just one hand on the bat. Erik Kratz then floated a base hit over short and both runners advanced on Jio Mier's sac bunt. Dalton Pompey tied the game with an infield single to the hole at shortstop. Andy Burns then cashed in Kratz, keeping the ball up the middle while hitting into a fielder's choice. "We made all our hits count today," remarked manager Gary Allenson on the seeing-eye singles. "We'll take 'em." After Adam Walker retook the lead for the Red Wings with a two-run homer in the fourth, the Bisons answered with another pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Jesus Montero sent a laser into center field for a single. Chris Colabello and Domonic Brown sent a base hit each into right, loading the bases for Kotchman. The first baseman then blooped a ball just over Wilfredo Tovar at short to bump up each runner a bag. Kratz followed up by grounding into a double play as Colabello crossed home for the 4-3 lead. The one-run advantage held as Matt Dermody threw a scoreless seventh before making way for Danny Barnes. Barnes went the rest of the way as he punched out four of six batters, including all three in the ninth inning, to earn his fourth save of the season. Buffalo is now 8-9 against Rochester this season and needs to win out in order to take the 2016 Thruway Cup. The two teams will tango twice more over the next two days, with a pair of 7:05 p.m. first pitches at Frontier Field. BISONS NOTES: Casey Kotchman extended his hitting streak to seven games with a 2-for-4 day…Jesus Montero stretched his run to nine games with a pair of singles and continues to lead the International League with 137 hits…Danny Barnes remains perfect against left-handed hitters while with the Herd. Lefties are now 0-for-31 with 13 strikeouts against the right-handed reliever…The two hour and seven minute contest was the fastest at Coca-Cola Field this season. http://i.imgur.com/qUKysLZ.png http://i.imgur.com/f80TMaD.png http://i.imgur.com/HDWp5Q3.png http://i.imgur.com/wqYcjKj.png http://i.imgur.com/vEW12PC.png http://i.imgur.com/YYOTVF5.png http://i.imgur.com/eyGlK6x.png http://i.imgur.com/DalUG5u.png http://i.imgur.com/6V6WZsw.png http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/1/8/186061218/cuts/Atkinson_640_ikkaclnr_q22z51he.jpg LANSING, Mich. - Saige Jenco sizzled a tie-breaking RBI single into center field in the top of the 11th inning, and the Great Lakes Loons (24-27, 53-68) bested the Lansing Lugnuts (26-26, 62-60) for the third straight day, 3-2, on Wednesday night at Cooley Law School Stadium. The Lugnuts' lead over the Loons for the second and final Eastern Division playoff berth now stands at 1.5 games with 18 games left in the regular season. Garrett Hope led off the 11th with a first-pitch double to right-center off Lugnuts reliever Andrew Case (Loss, 0-2). Hope moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, putting him in position to trot home on Jenco's single through a drawn-in infield. Dean Kremer (Win, 1-0) pitched the eighth, ninth and tenth innings in perfect fashion for the Loons to earn the victory, striking out four. Tony Gonsolin (Save, 1) followed with a hitless bottom of the 11th, working around a two-out walk to Juan Kelly. The Lugnuts' only runs were scored in the second inning. Kelly singled off of Loons starter Jordan Sheffield, the 36th pick of the June 2016 draft, and then stole second base, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Ryan Hissey sacrifice fly. Justin Atkinson followed with his fifth home run of the year, a 405-foot shot to left-center. Both Great Lakes' runs prior to the 11th were tallied by left fielder Luke Raley, scoring in the first inning on an Ibandel Isabel grounder, and in the sixth inning on a solo home run to right-center. Lansing right-hander Josh DeGraaf turned in his finest start to date, striking out six batters in 5 1/3 innings while limiting the Loons to just the two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks. Kirby Snead followed DeGraaf with two scoreless innings, and Jackson Lowery extended his own personal consecutive scoreless streak to 11.2 IP with five outs stretching from the ninth through the tenth. The Loons go for the four-game sweep in Lansing at 7:05 p.m. on a Labatt Thirsty Thursday Gone Wild: Beer Games - enjoy $2 beers and half off craft drinks, form a team, and compete for prizes throughout the night! Right-hander Justin Maese (1-1, 2.67) starts for the Lugnuts, opposed by Great Lakes left-hander Leo Crawford (1-1, 4.22). For more information or to purchase your tickets, call 517-485-4500 or visit lansinglugnuts.com. http://i.imgur.com/IpD2DzT.png http://i.imgur.com/YrQDOi9.png http://i.imgur.com/3EC6lhe.png http://i.imgur.com/GQB2LRQ.png http://i.imgur.com/tXXOBmA.png http://i.imgur.com/wmoSnBe.png http://i.imgur.com/EN8sVIY.png http://i.imgur.com/5mprzlN.png Kings 3 Stars of the Night 1) Chavez Young: Young went 4/5 with 2 doubles, a walk and 3 stolen bases. 2) Josh DeGraaf: DeGraaf pitched 5.1 innings giving up only 1 earned run while walking 3 and striking out 6. 3) Danny Barnes: Barnes threw 2 perfect innings giving up no hits or walks while striking out 4. 22 pitches, 18 strikes. Kings Platinum Arencibia 1) Conner Greene: Greene was lit up for 6 earned runs, 7 hits and 6 walks in 4.2 innings pitched. 1 step forward and 100 steps backward.

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."

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.

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

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/michael-saunders-has-helped-or-killed-the-blue-jays/ Discuss.

Trolled.