10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: Chicago Cubs

Baseball is finally here. To some it may feel like the season just ended, but to those that live and breathe baseball, it may feel like it’s been gone for an eternity. Either way, there are 10 days left until the first official team workouts here in Arizona and to help pass the time I will be releasing a daily blog post about 10 things I’m excited to watch in 2015.

These posts are in no particular order, so if I list your team or favorite player 10th, fifth or first, there’s no reason to read too much into it. I’m anxious for the upcoming baseball season and these are 10 reasons why:

Things I’m watching in 2015:

Cubs

It’s hard not to be excited and/or curious about the Cubs in 2015. After a tremendous off season there will certainly be a lot of eyes not only on Opening Night, but throughout the entire season.

While the Cubs made plenty of moves over the past few months, the biggest were the additions of Joe Maddon and Jon Lester.

It’s hard to argue with Maddon’s resume. Maddon had a winning record in six of his last seven seasons with the Rays and his team won 90 or more games in five of those seasons. Meanwhile, the Cubs have won 90 or more games just once (2008) since the year 2000.

While hiring Maddon would have constituted a solid off-season, the Cubs weren’t done as they then added Jon Lester via a six year deal worth $155 million.

Lester is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.46 ERA, but will have to adjust to the National League – although it’s hard to imagine that being any sort of drastic adjustment for someone who has been as successful as Lester.

The Cubs also upgraded their rotation when the brought back Jason Hamel. Although Hamel struggled with the A’s, he was 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA as a Cub last season.

Lester and Maddon were clearly the Cubs two biggest moves of the off season, but they aren’t the only reason, I’ll be watching the Cubs this season. Dexter Fowler was a solid addition to the Cubs outfield and the progress of Javier Baez will be interesting to monitor as well.

Jake Arrieta is also coming off of his best ever season as he posted a career high in wins (10) and a career low in ERA (2.53)

Kris Bryant has generated a ton of hype and whenever the Cubs top prospect makes his Major League debut, it will undoubtedly be a major story surrounding the team.

The Cubs are littered with players to watch this season and although it may take them a while to learn to win and completely change the culture in Chicago, the Cubs are going to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch next season.

Pitch clocks? So far…..I’m a fan

Maybe I’m in the minority, maybe I don’t have enough respect or appreciation for “the way baseball has always been played,” but so far I’m a fan of the new Pace of Play Initiatives.

For those unaware, Major League Baseball’s Pace of Game Committee is testing several time-saving measures in the Arizona Fall League this season.

Most notably, is the 20-second pitch clock and the two minute and five second clock between innings.

Three games have been played with the pitch clock in effect and the average time of those games has been two hours and 38 minutes. In fact, that time is even a bit high since one of the three games went 11 innings.

Now, the system is not perfect, the Fall League is not directly comparable to a Major League game and tweaks need to be made, but there is certainly potential and I’m a fan.

Through three games there have only been three pitch clock violations which shows me the players are capable of speeding up the game when prompted.

There have also been multiple occasions when a batter has stood in the box with 40 seconds left on the “innings-break clock” another sign that players can move faster.

I’ve also talked to multiple position players about the pitch-clocks and while they admit it is a bit strange to get used to, they also have said that they like it and can feel the game moving faster.

However, there are also some changes that may need to be made. There are some times where the pitcher, especially if he shakes off a sign or doesn’t get a sign from the catcher right away, looks rushed.

There will also be some changes in the running game as the pitcher can basically no longer simply step off the rubber. Within the allotted 20 seconds the pitcher either has to throw to the plate or throw over to the base. He can’t just step off and look at the runner – unless he hops back on the rubber real quick and throws a pitch.

I expect tweaks perhaps toward the end of the Fall League or maybe in next year’s AFL, but I would not be surprised to see pitch clocks in the MLB in the future.

And assuming they resemble what they’ve looked like thus far in the AFL, I’ll be a fan.

*The Fall League has 14 more pitch clock games scheduled so if things change or if there are any unusual occurrences as a result of the pitch-clock I will certainly write another post and let you all know.

Trade Deadline Revisited

As soon as the July 31 Trade Deadline was completed, the A’s and Tigers appeared to be the big winners.

The Athletics had acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel a bit before the Trade Deadline and then acquired Jon Lester in a blockbuster move while the Tigers landed David Price.

As it turned out, those teams went a combined 0-4 in the postseason and the real prize of the Deadline may have been a 31-year old pitcher from Mobile, Alabama.

The San Francisco Giants acquired Jake Peavy, for a couple of pitching prospects, a few days before the Trade Deadline. Peavy went 8-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts for the National League champions to finish the regular season and is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in two postseason starts.

Now it remains to be seen whether or not the Giants will resign Peavy next season, but after winning the National League pennant and reaching a third World Series in the past five years, it’s hard to argue the move wasn’t a success for the Giants.

In addition to the Peavy trade, plenty of other teams were active at the Trade Deadline. Here’s a quick rundown on how everyone performed with their new teams:

A’s acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel: In 16 starts with the Athletics, Samardzija went 8-8 with a 3.14 ERA. Hammel went 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 12 starts.

Cubs acquire Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily: Russell, the No. 5 prospect according to MLBpipeline.com, was the prize of this trade for the Cubs and he hit .294 in 50 games with the Cubs AA affiliate.

The Athletics acquired Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes and cash from the Red Sox for Yoenis Cespedes: Lester went 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts, but was also on the mound when the A’s collapse began in the AL Wild Card game. Gomes played in 34 games for the A’s and hit .234 Cespedes hit .269 with five homers and 33 RBI for Boston.

Then, the A’s traded Tommy Milone to the Twins in exchange for Sam Fuld:

Milone appeared in six games, five starts, for the Twins while Fuld played in 53 games and hit .210 for Oakland.

The Cardinals acquired John Lackey from the Red Sox for Joe Kelly and Allen Craig: Lackey went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts for the Cardinals while Kelly went 4-2 with a 4.11 ERA in 10 starts for Boston and Craig hit .128 in 29 games.

The Brewers traded a pair of minor leaguers (outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony Banda) to the Diamondbacks for Gerardo Parra: Parra hit .268 in 46 games for Milwaukee.

The Padres continued selling and traded Chris Denorfia to the Mariners for Abraham Almonte and minor league pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen: Denorfia hit .195 in 32 games with the Mariners.

A day after trading Justin Masterson to the Cardinals, the Indians traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Nationals for Zach Walters: Masterson was a disappointment with the Cardinals as he went 3-3 in nine games, six starts, with a 7.04 ERA. Cabrera hit .229 in 49 games with the Nationals and Walters hit .130 in 70 games for the Indians.

The Red Sox traded Andrew Miller to the Orioles for minor league pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez: Miller appeared in 23 games for the Orioles and posted a 1.35 ERA.

Boston was very active at the deadline and concluded its day after trading Stephen Drew to the Yankees for Kelly Johnson: Drew hit .150 in 46 games with the Yankees.

In addition to Drew, the Yankees acquired Martin Prado. In order to get Prado, the Yankees sent Peter O’Brien and either cash or a player to be named later to the Diamondbacks: Prado hit .316 in 37 games as a Yankee.

The Braves acquired Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell and cash from the Cubs in exchange for minor league catcher Victor Caratini: Bonifacio appeared in 41 games for the Braves and hit .212, while Russell posted a 2.22 ERA in 22 appearances with Atlanta.

The Marlins sent outfielder Jake Marisnick to the Astros in return for Jarred Cosart and Kike Hernandez: Marisnick hit .272 in 51 games with his new team and Cosart went 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 10 starts with his new club.

The Tigers acquired David Price, the Mariners picked up Austin Jackson and the Rays received Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin: Price went 4-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts for the Tigers while Austin Jackson hit .229 in 54 games with the Mariners. He also stole 11 bases. In Tampa Bay, Smyly went 3-1 in seven starts and posted a 1.70 ERA and Franklin hit .206 in 11 games.

Obviously these stats do not tell the whole story of who won or lost a trade or whether it was even for both teams as contract situations, cash, prospects and plenty of other factors are up for consideration, but in the break between the championship series and the World Series, it is interesting to look back and see how all those Deadline deals stacked up.

MLB Looking To Speed Up The Game In AFL

Pace of game has been a major topic across baseball for quite some time, but throughout the 2014 season, the issue really seemed to gain some steam.

Baseball is certainly aware that games are getting longer and to combat that a Pace of Game Committee was officially announced on September 22nd.

Baseball games – especially when watching on television – sometimes can drag on, but if someone doesn’t like a three hour and 15 minute game for it’s length, I’m not sure how appealing a two hour and fifty minute game will be. Unless baseball find a way to drastically reduce the time of game, it just seems like one of those things where you either like it or you don’t.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to fault baseball for trying.

In the upcoming Arizona Fall League several new pace of game initiatives will be game tested in an effort to speed up the game and potentially make changes to the Major Leagues in the future.

“The Pace of Game Committee is eager to test various ideas – ranging from the incremental to the dramatic – in order to learn more, and we are fortunate to have a setting in which we can do exactly that,” Commissioner Bud Selig said in a press release. “We will work with the appropriate parties – including players, umpires, our partners, our fans and many other contributors to our game – to form effective pace of game recommendations that will fit the Major League level.”

So what are these new initiatives and what can fans expect to see in the Arizona Fall League?

  • Batter’s Box Rule: With the exception of foul balls, wild pitches or a time out the batter must keep at least one foot in the batter’s box throughout his at-bat.
  • No-Pitch Intentional Walks: If the manager wants to walk a player, he simply signals to the umpire and the batter is awarded first base. Personally, I love this rule and think it should have been in effect sooner. It won’t save a ton of time (how many intentional walks in an average game? 1?) but it does help.
  • 2:05 Inning Break Clock: The break between innings will be just over two minutes. If the batter takes too long the umpire can call a strike, if the pitcher takes too long the umpire can call a ball.
  • 2:30 Pitching Change Break: Teams get two and a half minutes to make a pitching change. If the first pitch isn’t thrown within 2:30, the umpire will call a ball.
  • Three “Time Outs”: Each team is only allowed three in-game conferences. Pitching change and injury-related items do not count toward this total. Where this rule will really come into effect is pitching coach visits to the mound and a third base coach talking to the batter. With just three of those allowed per game, it looks like there will be a new type of strategy that managers will have to consider.
  • The 20-Second Rule: This is seemingly the most drastic change that fans will observe in the Arizona Fall League.
    • Directly from MLB’s press release: “In the In the AFL games at Salt River, a clock will be displayed in both dugouts, behind home plate, and in the outfield. The clock will be operated by an independent operator, who is not a member of the umpire crew. A pitcher shall be allowed 20 seconds to throw each pitch. The batter must be in the box prepared for the pitch during the entire 20-second period. If the batter steps out of the box during the 20-second period, the pitcher may deliver the pitch and the umpire may call a strike, unless the batter was first granted time by the umpire.”
    • The 20-second clock will start when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and will stop when the pitcher begins his motion – not when he releases the ball.

Needless to say, not all of these rules will be flawlessly implemented into the Fall League. There will certainly be bumps in the road as everyone gets used to the changes and adjusts aspects of their routines, but it will still be fun to see the impact these changes have on the game.

Stanton’s The Focus, But Fiers Is Recovering Too

When someone is hurt, the sports world instantly shifts its focus to the injured player.

People always want to know the extent of the injury, the timetable for recovery and the impact the injury may have on the rest of the players’ career.

More often than not, we forget about the other players involved in the accident.

There is nothing wrong with expressing concern toward an injured player and hoping for a speedy recovery – in fact it’s what sports fans should do, but the injured player is not always the only one worthy of thoughts and prayers.

When Giancarlo Stanton was hit in the face with a Mike Fiers pitch in the fifth inning of Thursday night’s game, the baseball world was stunned.

Everyone was focused on Stanton, but what about Fiers?

Granted the Brewers right-hander didn’t take a fastball to the face and is physically ok, but when something like that happens you have to wonder about the player’s emotions.

There is no way Fiers was intentionally throwing at Stanton and Fiers was visibly shaken after the incident.

After the game he took to Twitter to express his remorse.

“I am deeply sorry about what happened tonight,” Fiers tweeted at Stanton. “I can’t imagine what you and your family are going through. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. I feel horrible and hope for a speedy recovery.”

In his post-game meeting with reporters Fiers was shaken and holding back tears.

After Stanton was carted off the field and the game resumed he missed his intended location – down and away – and instead threw a fastball up and in that hit Reed Johnson in the hand.

Understandably the Marlins were upset. First their star player was hit in the face, then the next man up nearly suffered the same fate.

Again, I am confident none of this was intentional and that the second high and tight fastball was the result of Fiers mental state.

After throwing a pitch off a players face and watching him leave the field in an ambulance it has the be immensely difficult to get back on the mound, focus on baseball and throw strikes.

I’d imagine that not only was Fiers not 100 percent focused on the next pitch, but that a situation like that may weigh heavily in the back of his mind the next few times he takes the mound.

While most of the attention has been centered on Stanton’s recovery – on Friday morning he tweeted “the amount of support I have received from you guys has been tremendous and heartfelt. I’m much better today and deeply appreciate your prayers!” – the baseball community should also take some time to think about Fiers.

Physical injuries are the only ones that land players on the Disabled List, but mental ones can have lasting impacts as well.

Thought You Could Predict Baseball? Guess Again

Just when something appears certain, baseball proves why it is such a beautiful and yet extremely frustrating game.

Remember six weeks ago when the A’s were seemingly on cruise control and there were talks of how this could finally be Billy Beane’s season?

Remember when the Brewers got off to such a fast start and looked poised to take the NL Central?

There was a time when most people could have penciled the A’s and Brewers – although it was still a mystery if they’d win their division or simply clinch a Wild Card spot – into the playoffs and barely would have had to think twice about it.

However, fast forward a bit and baseball has reminded us all that there was a reason we penciled those teams in the playoffs and didn’t use pen.

Nothing is certain in baseball – except maybe Clayton Kershaw winning the NL Cy Young award this season – and that has been proven once again.

The Oakland Athletics – who once had a MLB-best 72-44 record – are 8-19 in their last 27 games and just 2-8 in their last 10.

On August 15th, the A’s were in first place in the AL West. On the 18th, they fell a half game back and it has been downhill for them ever since.

This morning, the A’s woke up seven games behind the Angels in the AL West and barely clinging on to the top spot in the AL Wild Card.

While the meltdown in Oakland has been highly publicized, the collapse in Milwaukee has been shocking as well.

The Brewers demise had been more gradual than the A’s. Milwaukee started the season 20-7 and has played sub-.500 baseball ever since. However, the Brewers have really gone into a tailspin lately as they’ve lost 12 of their last 13 games.

On August 31st the Brewers were tied for the NL Central lead – a position they had held sole possession of for most of the season – and on September 9th the Brewers find themselves six games back.

Changes in the standings happen all the time, especially over the course of a 162 game season and there are plenty of reasons for the way these two teams have played recently.

Some say the Brewers age and health is catching up to them.

Some say the A’s haven’t been the same since Yoenis Cespedes was traded and although numbers certainly say they haven’t been the same team, it’s foolish to think that’s the sole reason they’re struggling.

Maybe it’s just the law of averages over-correcting teams that had spent the bulk of the season playing over their heads.

Whatever the reason may be, the collapses in Milwaukee and Oakland have been just as fascinating as some of the story lines surrounding teams and players making late season charges.

Will the A’s and Brewers put it together with enough time left to salvage the season and get back on track? That remains to be seen.

However, the one thing I know for certain is that baseball is impossible to predict and although speculating is fun, the best bet is simply letting the season play itself out.

Magic Numbers, World Series Favorites, MVP Odds And More

From your basic statistics such as batting average and ERA to more advanced sabermetrics like UZR and BABIP, baseball is a sport littered with numbers.

Baseball fans typically like numbers, so here are some numbers to keep your eyes on for the remainder of the season:

Playoff Clinch Scenarios:

*The Angels can clinch a playoff berth September 10th, the earliest of any team in the Majors.

*The Orioles and Nationals could clinch their divisions (AL and NL East) on September 12th, the earliest of any team.

Magic Numbers To Win Division:

*Orioles magic number is 19

*Royals magic number is 26 (25 to clinch playoff berth)

*Angels magic number is 22 (17 to clinch playoff berth)

*Nationals magic number is 19

*Cardinals magic number is 25 (23 to clinch playoff berth)

*Dodgers magic number is 23 (20 to clinch playoff berth)

Wild Cards:

*A’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 21 (22 for the first Wild Card spot)

*Tigers magic number is 25 to clinch a playoff berth

*Giants magic number is 22 to clinch a playoff berth and 24 to host the Wild Card game.

*The Brewers magic number is 24.

Pennant Odds: According to Bovada Sportsbook (http://sports.bovada.lv/)

AL

*Angels – 5/2

*A’s – 7/2

*Orioles and Tigers – 4/1

*Royals – 7/1

*Mariners – 12/1

NL

*Dodgers – 2/1

*Nationals – 5/2

*Cardinals – 5/1

*Brewers and Giants – 7/1

*Braves – 14/1

World Series Odds:

*Angels – 5/1

*Dodgers – 11/2

*Nationals – 6/1

*Orioles and A’s – 7/1

*Tigers – 8/1

AL Cy Young:

*Felix Hernandez -300

*Chris Sale +300

*Max Scherzer +500

AL MVP:

*Mike Trout -200

*Robinson Cano +500

*Jose Abreu +550

NL MVP:

*Clayton Kershaw -150

*Giancarlo Stanton +120

*Andrew McCutchen +1000

There are no odds listed for the NL Cy Young award which is one way of saying congratulations to Clayton Kershaw.

Dbacks Can Play Spoiler, Impact October

The Arizona Diamondbacks aren’t going to be playing baseball in October, but have a chance to impact who is.

The Dbacks have 31 games left in the season and 14 of those games (45 percent) are against teams in the think of playoff races.

Arizona hosts the Los Angeles Dodgers for a brief two game series Tuesday and Wednesday and also travels to Los Angeles for a three-game series September 5-7.

In addition to the five games against the Dodgers, the Dbacks will play six games against the Giants – three in Arizona and three in San Francisco – and finish the season at home against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Dodgers arrived at Chase Field on Tuesday with a five game lead in the National League West.

The Cardinals are a game and a half back in the NL Central and have a three game lead in the NL Wild Card.

The Giants are trailing the Dodgers in the NL West, but have a half game lead for the second NL Wild Card spot.

On September 1, MLB rosters expand from 25 to 40 players so teams will be calling up top prospects and giving them a shot to compete and learn a bit of what life is like at the Major League level.

Since Arizona is not in contention, it is likely they will giving players a look in order to determine how the roster will look in 2015 and the performance of those players – and the Dbacks as a whole – could have an impact on October.

So far this season the Dbacks are 4-10 against the Dodgers (0-2 in Australia, 2-4 at home and 2-4 on the road).

Arizona is also 5-8 against the Giants (3-3 in San Francisco and 2-5 in Arizona) and 0-3 against the Cardinals as they were swept in St. Louis earlier this season.

AL West Weekend Recap, Takeaways

The weekend series between the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim certainly lived up to the hype. The A’s took the first two games of the series – both of which were very tense for all nine innings – while the Angels coasted to a lopsided victory in the third game.

As these teams fight for a division crown over the last five weeks of the season there will be plenty more head-to-head matchups, but after watching the weekend series, here are some quick takeaways:

Athletics: 76-53, 1 Game Back In AL West, 5 Game Lead In Wild Card

Good:

The Athletics limped into the weekend series having lost eight of 10 and were fresh off watching their four-game division lead turn into a two-game deficit.

While taking two of three from the first place Angels, the A’s showed they are not going to roll over in this division race and in the first two games of the series they resembled the team that had the best record in baseball for the bulk of the year – not the team that has struggled in August.

It’s no secret what the A’s are capable of this season, but a rough patch had some people questioning the team’s future. Oakland used the weekend showdown against the Angels to answer some of those questions and remind everyone that they’re a playoff-caliber team.

Bad:

Over the course of a 162 game season, blowout losses – like the A’s 9-4 loss to the Angels on Sunday night – are going to happen. However, with the momentum of two straight wins against a division rival, a blowout loss can take the wind out of the sails a bit.

But, perhaps more importantly than one August loss to the Angels is the health of some of the A’s key players.

Prior to Sunday’s contest, the A’s put closer Sean Doolittle on the Disabled List with a right intercostal (the muscles between the ribs) strain.

Third baseman Josh Donaldson also had an MRI on Sunday, but manager Bob Melvin said the MRI revealed no structural damage of Donaldson’s left knee.

Melvin did say Donaldson’s knee just had a little “instability” but added that he expected the third baseman to be in the lineup Monday against the Astros.

Angels: 77-52, 1 Game Lead In AL West

Good:

After dropping the first two games of the series, the Angels offense came to life Sunday. The Angels scored eight runs in the first four innings and finished the game with nine runs on 13 hits.

While it’s always nice to see the entire offense break out in such a way, the Angels have to be pleased with the way some of their stars are swinging the bats.

Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Erick Aybar all had multi-hit games Sunday.

When Trout, Pujols and Hamilton are all hitting, the Angels offense is extremely dangerous and it looks like that may be on the verge of happening.

Hamilton singled in his first at-bat and then homered in his second at-bat while Trout singled in his second at-bat and hit a 417 blast to center field in his third at-bat.

In the same way it was good for the Angels to see their offense break out, it was also good for Mike Scioscia to not see a couple of his relievers on the mound.

Kevin Jepsen, Joe Smith and Houston Street did not have to pitch in Sunday’s finale which was vital for the Angels as they had all pitched extensively on the road trip.

Jepsen pitched in five of the 10 games on the trip, Smith pitched in six and Street pitched in five. Street did start to warm up in the ninth, but never came in the game.

Bad:

The Angels leave Oakland with a one game lead in the division, but are just 4-8 against the Athletics this season. The Angels finish the season with 43 games in 45 days and seven of those games will be against the A’s.

The Angels and A’s will face off four times next week in Anaheim and then in late September the teams will play three in Oakland – where the Angels are just 1-5 this season.

Sometimes teams just don’t match-up well against other teams, but if the Angels want to hold on to the division lead, they are going to need to find a way to beat the A’s head-to-head.

Mariners:

The AL West race has been centered on the Angels and the Athletics, but by no means is this only a two-team race.

Seattle is arguably playing the best baseball of any team in the division right now and with a very strong pitching staff, the Mariners are more than capable of catching either the A’s or the Angels.

The Mariners have a 2.28 ERA – the best in baseball – since the All-Star break, have won seven of their last 10 games and still have six games left against the A’s and seven left against the Angels.

As ESPN’s Buster Olney noted on Twitter, the Mariners were 11 1/2 games back of the A’s on July 27th. On August 25th, they’ll wake up with a one-game lead in the second Wild Card spot and also find themselves just five games behind the Athletics and six games behind the Angels.

For The Love Of The Game

Instead of egos and salaries, we are treated to teamwork and camaraderie.

Instead of stoic athletes, we are treated to smiles and tears.

No one is mistaking the Little League World Series for a Major League Baseball game, but that doesn’t mean the annual event in Williamsport, Pennsylvania isn’t worth watching.

The Little League World Series is truly a world event – nine different countries were represented this year – and while the diversity is certainly an appealing aspect, the most fun rewarding part of watching the event is the emotions of the kids and the friendships that form between players of different teams.

No one is worried about steroid testing, future contracts or impending free agency.

Instead, it’s just a bunch of kids playing a game they love. This is evident throughout the game as the field is often littered with kids flashing beaming smiles and appreciating the opportunity they have been blessed with.

On the other end of the spectrum, we are occasionally shown kids crying in defeat, but often times those kids are accompanied and consoled by a coach or a teammate – a lesson for all of us about helping others in tough times and making sure you are there for your teammates.

The Little League World Series is not perfect and although the kids are very skilled, they often make “little league” mistakes, but the experience of watching the Little League World Series isn’t necessarily always about the baseball.

Major League Baseball is big business can often be stressful for fans and players alike, but in Little League, odds are most fans don’t have a rooting interest in any of the games.

The Little League World Series provides baseball fans the opportunity to just sit back and watch the game without worrying about who is on deck, up in the bullpen or even caring about who is winning or losing.

Anytime baseball is on television, I am likely to check it out for at least a little bit. The relevance of the game and possible story lines will impact how long I watch, but when it comes to the Little League World Series the skill level and score don’t make a difference.

There is something special about watching those kids have so much fun playing baseball and as long as the big, genuine smiles continue to flash across the screen, I’ll continue to watch.