South Carolina & Italy: On Their Way to Portland

Congrats to Simpsonville Little League of South Carolina District 7!

They defeated Florida in the Southern Regional to advance to the Little League Softball World Series, beginning next week in Portland.

And from the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) regional, congratulations to Lombardia Little League of Milano, Italy! Italy went 4-0 in the tournament and defeated Poland in its final game to earn the LLSBWS berth.

Beaverton Area LL Punches Its Ticket

Beaverton Area Little League emerged the winner from the 2008 Oregon District 4 Little League Softball tournament tonight and their next stop will be right back on the main field at Alpenrose: the Softball World Series.

BALL beat Tualatin City LL 17-2 in four innnings, to earn an appearance as the host team in next week's tournament. They will open up their World Series run with Game 4 versus the winner of the Southwest Regional.

Ten Teams Working Their Way to Portland

State tournaments are wrapping up around the country...it is that time of the summer when some families are heading to Regionals and some families are heading for vacation after a run in their local tournaments.

To follow the 11-12 Year-Old teams as they work their way toward the Little League Softball World Series here in Portland, you can use the following links:

Western Regional (July 26-August 3)
hosted by Washington District 4 in Vancouver

Eastern Regional (July 26-August 2)
hosted by New York District 13 in Albany

Southern Regional (July 25-29)
St. Petersburg, Florida

Southwestern Regional (July 26-August 1)
hosted by Texas District 19 in San Antonio

Central Regional (July 26-August 3)
hosted by Missouri District 2 in Carthage

Canadian Regional (July 31-August 4)
Windsor, Ontario

Asia Pacific Regional
played July 7-12 in Guangzhou, China
Bacolod West LL, Bacolod, Philippines, beat Guam to advance to the LLSBWS

EMEA Regional (July 24-28)
played in Kutno, Poland

Latin America Regional
played July 16-20 in Maunabo, Puerto Rico
ASOFEM LL, Maunabo, Puerto Rico, advances to the LLSBWS

Host/Oregon District 4 (July 21-28)
played at Alpenrose Stadium, Portland, Oregon

A Night of USA Softball in Portland

It has been a busy week with Little League tournaments starting and my son finishing up his regular season of baseball (and vying for the league championship on Tuesday night!) and blogging for "(just another) Little League Mom" and for "SunCreek Little League." But Tuesday night my dad and I joined hundreds of other dads and daughters, and moms, too, at soldout Erv Lind Stadium in NE Portland to cheer on and admire the USA Softball team on its Bound for Beijing pre-Olympic tour.

I was able to take some photos from our seats at the game, but they didn't come out great. Hope you enjoy them. Oh, Team USA beat the Portland All-Stars, 19-0.

8-8-08 at 8pm

Where will you be on August 8, 2008, at 8pm?

Check out the schedule for the Little League Softball World Series:

Game 8 of the tournament is scheduled for 8-8-08 at 8pm.

(cool)

Let the (tournament) Games Begin: Softball Style

Little League Softball All-Star teams have been formed and practices are well underway...now it's Tournament Time and our own Oregon District 4 will kick it off July 7th with the opening games of the 9/10 All-Stars.

Here is a rundown of the schedule:

9/10 year-old Softball All-Stars
July 7-11: Alpenrose Park, Portland

Majors (11/12 year-old) Softball All-Stars
July 21-28: Alpenrose Park, Portland

The Oregon District 4 Majors champion receives an automatic bid to the Little League Softball World Series, held in August at Alpenrose!

Valley Invite in Hillsboro, Oregon

Talking about some super softball for Portland area fans...check out the 2008 Valley Invitational College Exposure Tournament this weekend at the Hillsboro (Oregon) Stadium complex, as well as other fields around Washington County.

This tournament will feature over 100 teams in 18Gold, 18A and 16A divisions.

In addition, an NFCA Endorsed Recruiting Camp and All-Star games will be held on Friday, June 20. Over 50 college coaches will be attending. Pool Play begins Saturday, June 21st.

I believe admission is free -- this is my first trip out there, as last year my son was also playing in a tournament that weekend. If I get a chance, I'll post some updates!

Upcoming Summer of Sensational Softball

With the conclusion of the Women's College World Series and the crowning of Arizona State as the 2008 Champs, the summer season of All-Stars and the Olympics are next on the schedule.

International softball will be highlighted in August with two great tournaments featuring teams from all over the world. The Little League Softball World Series , with 11-12 year old players, takes place August 7-13, and the USA Olympic Team will be competing August 12-21 in Beijing, China.

Both tournaments will have television coverage.

In the meantime, hundreds of softball teams will toil in the sun in tournaments and qualifiers and friendlies and league games for the love of the sport. Good luck to all the teams as the school year comes to a close and summer break brings the good life: softball without homework! :)

More Press for Western and Central

Well deserved shout-outs for the women softballers of Central Washington and Western Oregon:

1. ESPN's Wednesday "Freeze Frame" featured the photo of Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace carrying Western Oregon's Sara Tucholsky around the bases after she tore her ACL after hitting a homer. The photo was voted best of the week by viewers.

2. John Canzano, local sports columnist, asks "could this have ever happened in a men's game?"

3. Detailed article from ESPNU writer Graham Hays.

4. even the New York Times, who picked up Mr. Hays' scoop.

5. and finally, The Today Show.

Some Older Girl Softball News

The front page of the major Oregonian newspaper featured a sports story that wasn't about steriods or fan behavior or off-the-field legal issues...it was about softball, with a beautiful photograph simply illustrating true sportsmanship.

The headline reads "Opponents Carry Injured Hitter Around the Bases to Ensure Her First-Ever Home Run"

I caught wind of this event a couple of days ago and was excited to get the paper this a.m. and see it as the top story on the front page!

Here's the setup:

"Central (Washington) entered Saturday's doubleheader one game behind Western Oregon in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference race. At stake was a bid to the NCAA's Division II playoffs. Western won the first game 8-1, extending its winning streak to 10 games. Central desperately needed the second game to keep its postseason hopes alive. "

In the second inning, Western's Sara Tucholsky of Forest Grove "did something she had never done before -- even in batting practice. The career .153 hitter smashed the next pitch over the center field fence for an apparent three-run home run. "

Then:

As she sprinted to First Base, she missed the bag, and injured herself returning to the base.

So:

"Our first-base coach was telling me I had to crawl back to first base. 'I can't touch you,' she said, 'or you'll be out. I can't help you.' " she told Brian Meehan of the Oregonian.

"Tucholsky, to the horror of teammates and spectators, crawled through the dirt and the pain back to first. "

"Western coach Pam Knox rushed onto the field and talked to the umpires near the pitcher's mound. The umpires said Knox could place a substitute runner at first. Tucholsky would be credited with a single and two RBIs, but her home run would be erased. "

Can you imagine?

So, get this:

"The umpires said nothing in the rule book precluded help from the opposition. (Mallory) Holtman asked her teammate junior shortstop and honors program student Liz Wallace of Florence, Mont., to lend a hand. The (Central Washington) teammates walked over and picked up Tucholsky and resumed the home-run walk, pausing at each base to allow Tucholsky to touch the bag with her uninjured leg. "

Oh yeah:

"Western Oregon won the game 4-2 and extinguished Central Washington's playoff hopes."

And read this out loud to your daughters or teammates:

"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain and she deserved a home run. . . . "

Softball @ its Best!

I caught the second half of an excellent high school softball game last night at a nearby suburban Portland high school. Both teams featured future collegiate players, and former Little Leaguers who had played in the LLSoftball World Series several years ago.

It was a great game, featuring strong pitching and good defense. Jesuit HS defeated Westview HS, 1-0 on WVHS's home field. It was actually a clear day, and not too breezy...finally, some softball weather! I was hoping to see more younger players hanging out in the stands, but they were probably finally getting in a full practice or game themselves...

In spite of the Oregon weather, we are lucky to have opportunities to watch high-level softball in these parts. For example, the USA Softball Team is making a Portland stop on their Bound for Beijing tour on July 8. Reserve tickets are now sold-out for the game, but general admission are still available. Why not make it a team outing? How often do you get the chance to watch Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, Monica Abbott, Jessica Mendoza...(the list goes on) in person?

But before summer ball, we still have a good deal of the high school season to follow, as well as all of your own Little League schedules... Good luck, play hard, have fun!

Talk About an Inspiration!

All I can say is wow...

Think about spending your softball career as a "left-handed" hitter, and later training yourself to be a switch-hitter, even though you were born without a left hand...

A USA Today article highlights collegiate softball player Shay Oberg, a junior at Montana State - Billings, who has done just that: "One-Handed Slugger Oberg Powers Over Obstacles"

Ms. Oberg, an outstanding outfielder, has three home runs on the season.

She is also a former Riverside Little League softball player!

Go Yellow Jackets!

Michele Smith, Softball Ambassador

If you have followed this blog, you know what a big fan I am of Michele Smith. Thanks to her connection with Little League, I have listened to and witnessed first-hand her respect for the game of softball and for the young athletes who play.

Little League Inc has a nice article this month touching on the clinics she has been speaking at around the country, as well as Olympic softball and its future.

Michele Smith is one of the first softball superstars, IMO, along with Lisa Fernandez and Dot Richardson and Michelle Granger, and let's throw in Debbie Doom, too. Rising up from the increased awareness and support of collegiate and Olympic softball, they were proficient role models in a wonderful team sport that I strained to find any information about. There was no internet and only the early days of dedicated sports networks...I remember reading about them and hearing stories from California softball players, but NEVER having had the chance to see them with my own two eyes.

Today, the web gives us real-time scoring, photos, videos and live broadcasts of softball throughout the year. We have the opportunity to watch dedicated players every August in the Little League Softball World Series on ESPN2, as well as at ballfields across the nation. We can reach out via email and attend softball clinics. We can be spectators at one of the Bound 4 Beijing Tour stops that the Olympic Softball team will make around the country this spring and summer (I already have my tix for the July 8 visit to Portland).

The foundation for success and recognition of girls' softball begins with the likes of Michele, her teammates and the community of coaches, umpires and especially parents, who make the countless practices, games, and tournaments come together. Thanks, Michele, and all of you who play softball!

"The Weather Outside is Frightful"

but inside, the laptops and DVD's and notebooks are cranking out the plans for the upcoming seasons. Schedules and practices and line-ups, oh my! Find education and inspiration by attending clinics offered by colleges or coaching associations, or Little League!

New and veteran coaches, and league officials are invited to Little League Softball clinics around the country during February and March, featuring Michele Smith.

Here is a rundown of the events:

Feb. 9 in Bellevue, Wash. (Western Region)

Feb. 10 in Albuquerque, N.M. (Southwest Region)

March 1 in Kalamazoo, Mich. (Central Region)

March 2 at the Southern Region Headquarters in St. Petersburg, Fla.

March 9 at the East Region Headquarters in Bristol, Conn.

I'm a huge fan of Michele Smith. She is a class act and an excellent role model for young softball players. She is fan-friendly and "gets it." :) Enhance your season and your coaching notebooks with practical advice from a top-note softball player!

2008: Here We Come!

Sunday's Super Bowl puts the 2007 football season to bed. Sure, there is the Pro-Bowl, but that is just really their team party, if you will, where everyone gets together and remembers the good times.

It also opens the Spring/Summer sports season for me, and more specifically, softball (and baseball, too, but that's for another board). It's gonna be a banner year for the sport of softball, as media coverage of women's competitive softball will reach a new high, lots of televised games, and interest that will culminate in late summer with the Beijing Olympics.

High school tryouts begin February 18 in our area, and all over, youth leagues and teams are finalizing registrations and teams.

Best wishes to you all as you begin the 2008 season. I look forward to bringing to you information and photos about this great team sport that I love.

2007 Little League Softball: Final Thoughts

It is raining here in Portland today...kinda feels like Fall, and gives us a kinship with the Lake Oswego LL team at Williamsport who are rained-out today.

It's a good day to wrap-up the 2007 Little League Softball World Series...

Organized youth sports are full of hope and joy and anguish. Thanks to a worldwide audience, Little League is in the spotlight and so is our country's complex relationship with kids and sports. It is important to ask, "What are the kids getting out of all this?"

Here is the diary of a young athlete from the Little League Softball World Series that highlights "the experience of a lifetime."

"Morristown's nickname could be Home of Champions"

And finally, the pictures from the Closing Ceremony are a testament to the notion that all the fuss is about kids...

LL Softball World Series Wrap-Up

Thanks for hanging with the blog this summer. It has been a real treat to follow the teams and communities that are involved in Little League Softball, especially the final ten that make it to the World Series in Portland. This is the 14th year that Alpenrose has hosted the tournament, and it never looked better.

Many people make this event happen: tournament staff, housing families, field crews, Alpenrose employees...and they are on-site for about two weeks straight. That's a lot of time away from home and family for the benefit of 11-13 year-olds and their families and fans, from all over the world.

I played, coached and umpired Little League Softball at Alpenrose in the late 70's and early 80's. My dad was the manager and my mom was the co-Tournament Director. My poor sister was #1 fan until she started playing herself (and then proceeded to make every eligible All-Star team). Every day I am at the LLSBWS, my dad (the current webmaster) and I run into someone we played ball with or their parents or friends from High School taking their daughters up to watch softball. This is COMMUNITY.

Michele Smith frequently discusses this on the ESPN broadcasts of Little League Softball. These are the best teams that the rules of Little League produce each summer. We are lucky to have her doing the broadcasts, as she is a role model for the players as well as someone who stresses playing the game for fun and with families in your neighborhood.

As for the grass infield at Alpenrose, I know you softball purists are having a fit... But the truth is, the facility is one of the best in the country and a unique opportunity to play in a well-loved, well-cared-for stadium that has "kids" written all over it. It is not a huge park with several dirt fields and played on by slo-pitch mens teams. The grass infield looks great on TV and yes, it does slow the game down, but I don't think it makes a huge difference at this age.

And finally, congrats again to Morristown LL, Tennessee (South), and Elgin LL, Texas (Southwest), for battling through Districts, Regionals and making it back to the LLSBWS and giving us a championship game for the ages. The South team won, 3-2, but in a best of three series, it might have been different -- these were two great teams.

Press Coverage:

The Citizen Tribune (Tennessee)

Elgin Courier

The Oregonian

Beaverton Valley Times (Oregon)

Morristown LL (Tennessee) is 2007 LLSoftball Champ!

The 2007 Little League Softball World Series is in the books...And what a fantastic championship game to end the tournament!

Tonight's final game lived up to its billing: when two undefeated teams meet, something has to give. Both South (Morristown LL, Tennessee) and Southwest (Elgin LL, Texas) sailed through Pool Play and yesterday's semi-final games giving ESPN2 commentators plenty of great softball to talk about. In the end, the South team prevailed 3-2 in the best LLSBWS Championship Game I have ever seen.

Thanks to the young athletes who play Little League Softball -- it is for you that dozens of volunteers work year 'round to present you with an amazing experience as you cap off a signature summer of softball.

Congratulations to all the girls and their families/fans who made it to Portland, Oregon, for this exciting week of play and activities in the Northwest. We are honored to have had you here -- please come back and visit and be sure to say HI!

Championship Day at LLSBWS

All the teams from the 2007 Little League Softball World Series are in action today, starting at 9am, and games about every two hours up until the championship at 6:30pm (PDT) televised live on ESPN2:

Game 23: EMEA (KMC American LL, Ramstein AFB, Germany) vs. Canada (Turtle Club LL, Windsor, Ontario), 9am

Game 24: OregonDist4 (Beaverton Area LL, Beaverton, Oregon) vs. Asia Pacific (ILLAM Central LL, Makati City, Philippines), 11am

Game 25: Latin America (Asofem LL, Maunabo, Puerto Rico) vs. West (Gilroy LL, Gilroy, California), 1pm

Game 26: Central (Gladstone LL, Gladstone, Michigan) vs. East (Waterford South LL, Waterford, Connecticut), 3pm

(a little break to prep fields and prepare for ESPN)

Game 27: South (Morristown Am/Natl LL, Morristown, Tennessee) vs. Southwest (Elgin LL, Elgin, Texas), 6:30pm...winner is 2007 Champion!

Here are some newspaper links about last night's action:

The Morristown Citizen Tribune

The Elgin Courier

TheDay.com (Connecticut)

The Daily Press (Michigan) on the semi-final game and meeting Michele Smith

The Portland Oregonian

2007 LLSBWS Championship is Set

Congratulations to the teams from Morristown, Tennessee (South) and Elgin, Texas (Southwest), who will meet tomorrow at 6:30pm on ESPN2 to determine the 2007 champion of Little League Softball.

In tonight's first semi-final game, Southwest defeated Central (Gladstone, Michigan), 6-1. Southwest will face the South team, who beat the East (Waterford, Connecticut) team in the 2nd semi-final game of the evening, 10-1. Both South and Southwest battled through the tournament without a loss.