50 years ago in Little League

[Paul Wozniak]

50 years ago a tiny city called Hamtramck, MI won the Little League World Series. We are just a small city of 2 sq. miles completely surrounded by Detroit, about 4 miles North of downtown Detroit. Even more amazing was the fact that the same team repeated their World title in 1961 in the Pony league World Series. (13-14 yrs. old age group).

There isn't much to brag about here anymore. We used to be a predominantly Polish city, now I may be the last Pollack left in the city. This used to be an amazing city in my youth. Now we can barely field one little league team. When I played we we had 24 teams, and try-outs to make a squad. The team I played on won 4 consecutive city titles, and we even made it to the state Little League finals in my third season. (1966-1969). That feels like so long ago now.

 

[SandraC]

50 years ago a tiny city called Hamtramck, MI won the Little League World Series. We are just a small city of 2 sq. miles completely surrounded by Detroit, about 4 miles North of downtown Detroit. Even more amazing was the fact that the same team repeated their World title in 1961 in the Pony league World Series. (13-14 yrs. old age group).

There isn't much to brag about here anymore. We used to be a predominantly Polish city, now I may be the last Pollack left in the city. This used to be an amazing city in my youth. Now we can barely field one little league team. When I played we we had 24 teams, and try-outs to make a squad. The team I played on won 4 consecutive city titles, and we even made it to the state Little League finals in my third season. (1966-1969). That feels like so long ago now.

Unfortunately Little League numbers are down everywhere. The difference between now and 50 years ago (or even 15-20 years ago) is baseball used to be the only organized sport most kids played. Some kids also played Pop Warner football if their moms would let them, but that's about it.

Now AAU basketball, travel soccer, and even lacrosse, field hockey, and other sports are taking athletes away from baseball.

My nephew is 14, at 12 he hit a ton of home runs in his little league and was a dominant pitcher. He played all-stars, his team won their district and their region, and went to the state final four, where they lost. They were two steps away from being in Williamsport where all games are on TV, one step away from the Northeast regionals, where the finals are on TV. He was a star of the all-star team as well.

Two years later, he doesn't play baseball anymore. Football, soccer (he has to decide between the two by next week as he heads into high school for the Fall, although he can still play travel soccer in the Spring if he chooses football), and AAU basketball took over his life. When I asked him why he doesn't play baseball anymore, he said 'it's too boring, Aunt Sandy.'

Hitting all those home runs was too boring!


Sandra

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Hamtramck is populated by mostly immigrants lately, most of whom never even heard of baseball till they got here. Mostly Middle Easterners and Bengladeshi. The local High school (only one now, used to be 5) has a great soccer team.

 

[HD MM]

Unfortunately Little League numbers are down everywhere. The difference between now and 50 years ago (or even 15-20 years ago) is baseball used to be the only organized sport most kids played. Some kids also played Pop Warner football if their moms would let them, but that's about it.

Now AAU basketball, travel soccer, and even lacrosse, field hockey, and other sports are taking athletes away from baseball.

My nephew is 14, at 12 he hit a ton of home runs in his little league and was a dominant pitcher. He played all-stars, his team won their district and their region, and went to the state final four, where they lost. They were two steps away from being in Williamsport where all games are on TV, one step away from the Northeast regionals, where the finals are on TV. He was a star of the all-star team as well.

Two years later, he doesn't play baseball anymore. Football, soccer (he has to decide between the two by next week as he heads into high school for the Fall, although he can still play travel soccer in the Spring if he chooses football), and AAU basketball took over his life. When I asked him why he doesn't play baseball anymore, he said 'it's too boring, Aunt Sandy.'

Hitting all those home runs was too boring!


Sandra

Yeah, either that or kids are lazy nowadays. Seriously, instead of sitting infront of video games like the kids do nowadays, I was outside from sun-up to sun-down riding from park to park with my Kirk Gibson signed Mitt.

Aint like it used to be, huh Pauly?

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Yeah, either that or kids are lazy nowadays. Seriously, instead of sitting infront of video games like the kids do nowadays, I was outside from sun-up to sun-down riding from park to park with my Kirk Gibson signed Mitt.

Aint like it used to be, huh Pauly?

It sure isn't. I played ball from the time I awoke till we ran out of players, or light. Baseball was my favorite, basketball, when we couldn't find enough for the former. My four year old wakes up with only one thing on his mind - video games. Not many children in my neighborhood, and not many of them even speak English, so he doesn't have anybody to play ball with besides me, and I can't keep up with him at my age. He doesn't understand how old I am, and gets upset when I need a time out.

 

[SandraC]

Yeah, either that or kids are lazy nowadays. Seriously, instead of sitting infront of video games like the kids do nowadays, I was outside from sun-up to sun-down riding from park to park with my Kirk Gibson signed Mitt.

Aint like it used to be, huh Pauly?

Who you callin' Pauly? I'm more of a Meadow...

Actually sometimes the lazy kids are the ones who ARE playing baseball.

The structure of little league is such that you have to play from March through June with every kid who signs up. So elite baseball players are playing on the same team as kids who could not care less, whose parents just want to get them out of the house for a few hours a week. The elite players have to go through that for three months in order to play all-stars, where the real competition is.

In sports like travel basketball, every kid the elite players play both with and against is elite, in every single game. For the kids who crave competition, that usually wins out over little league baseball.

Plus once they play other sports many think baseball is boring...


Sandra

 

[HD MM]

It sure isn't. I played ball from the time I awoke till we ran out of players, or light. Baseball was my favorite, basketball, when we couldn't find enough for the former. My four year old wakes up with only one thing on his mind - video games. Not many children in my neighborhood, and not many of them even speak English, so he doesn't have anybody to play ball with besides me, and I can't keep up with him at my age. He doesn't understand how old I am, and gets upset when I need a time out.

Yep. Baseball was my favorite too. Nothing spoke of summer quite like a pickup game at the local ball-field.

In the fall though, I do remember playing a lot of pickup Football games. Those were fun too. I always came home muddy as hell. My mother, God bless her, never complained about how many grass or mud stains she'd have to clean either.

 

[HD MM]

Plus once they play other sports many think baseball is boring...


Sandra

Oh no you didn't! Baseball isn't boring, it just requires patience which most kids don't have these days. We live in a world where you punch something into Google and it spits you out an answer. They want instant gratification with everything in life.

I played just about every sport available in my area growing up (baseball, basketball, football, street-hockey, golf, tennis) and by FAR my favorite was Baseball.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

The biggest problem is video games. Do you know a kid that doesn't play them? Nobody had even thought of them yet, when I was a kid, (back before electricity.)

 

[HD MM]

The biggest problem is video games. Do you know a kid that doesn't play them? Nobody had even thought of them yet, when I was a kid, (back before electricity.)

Lol! You're right Paul. Video games, and later in life Computers are the main form of communication and entertainment these days.

When I have kids, I'm gonna be mean and not buy any video game systems in my house. It rots the brain. Instead, I'm gonna give my kid a swift kick in the rear and tell him to go play outside. The only problem then is whether or not he'll have anyone else to play with if all the other kids are inside with their video games?

 

[SandraC]

Oh no you didn't! Baseball isn't boring, it just requires patience which most kids don't have these days. We live in a world where you punch something into Google and it spits you out an answer. They want instant gratification with everything in life.

I played just about every sport available in my area growing up (baseball, basketball, football, street-hockey, golf, tennis) and by FAR my favorite was Baseball.

If a kid who played and exceled at the sport says he thinks it's boring, he thinks it's boring. Here we go monitoring other people's opinions again.

Your generalizations about kids are just that...generalizations. Not all kids are obsessed with video games...ESPECIALLY elite young athletes.

Do you have kids?


Sandra

 

[SandraC]

Lol! You're right Paul. Video games, and later in life Computers are the main form of communication and entertainment these days.

When I have kids, I'm gonna be mean and not buy any video game systems in my house. It rots the brain. Instead, I'm gonna give my kid a swift kick in the rear and tell him to go play outside. The only problem then is whether or not he'll have anyone else to play with if all the other kids are inside with their video games?

OK you answered my question. No video games for the future kiddies, huh? Are you going to disconnect the TV and the internet too? How will you monitor Lebron's every move???


Sandra

 

[HD MM]

If a kid who played and exceled at the sport says he thinks it's boring, he thinks it's boring. Here we go monitoring other people's opinions again.

Your generalizations about kids are just that...generalizations. Not all kids are obsessed with video games...ESPECIALLY elite young athletes.

Do you have kids?


Sandra

Nope, do you? I do have nieces, nephews, family and friends with kids though and there's no doubt video games are taking away from their outdoor activites. It wasn't even an option as a kid growing up in the 80's as myself.

And when do you have the time to go surveying all these kids?

 

[Paul Wozniak]

You know, I miss those days. My ball playing ended at the age of 22, with a massive knee injury that required 5 hours of initial surgery just to put everything back together. Bowling and golf are as good as it gets now. A replacement knee is next on the table.

 

[SandraC]

Nope, do you?

And when do you have the time to go surveying all these kids?

I have many nieces and nephews who live very close to me and I spend a ton of time with them. Our family does everything together...we're Italian! Yes, I've spoken to many kids about sports.


Sandra

 

[HD MM]

OK you answered my question. No video games for the future kiddies, huh? Are you going to disconnect the TV and the internet too? How will you monitor Lebron's every move???


Sandra

Newspaper. I may be 27, but I'm real old school.

 

[SandraC]

Newspaper. I may be 27, but I'm real old school.

Your boss will thank you...


Sandra

 

[HD MM]

Your boss will thank you...


Sandra

Oh trust me. I wear the pants in the relationship. And speaking of pants, if she wants to order a new pair of them, I'll hand her the Penny's catalog and she can do it manually instead of shopping online.

 

[SandraC]

Oh trust me. I wear the pants in the relationship. And speaking of pants, if she wants to order a new pair of them, I'll hand her the Penny's catalog and she can do it manually instead of shopping online.

Wow, did you get that one wrong. I mean the person who signs your paycheck...


Sandra

 

[HD MM]

Wow, did you get that one wrong. I mean the person who signs your paycheck...


Sandra

Oh, THAT boss. Woops.