LLWS: On TV this weekend

[regaleagle]

I think the mixture of chasing curve balls outside and the umps calling strikes outside is giving the Japan pitcher an advantage and forcing the Texas hitters to swing at outside pitches.

[regaleagle]

End of 3rd

Texas 2
Japan 3

Texas starter has thrown 60 pitches in 3 innings.....the limit is 85 per outing.

[regaleagle]

High fly ball (tall can of corn) to left by Ross for the first out. Requena up now.....he's the one that homered to win the game yesterday for Texas.

[regaleagle]

He swings at a breaking ball in the dirt for the 2nd out......not good discipline there. 6th batter in lineup grounds out to short. Another 3 up, 3 down for Japan......this will not get it done for Texas. They need more focus against this breaking ball pitcher. Next inning they have hitters 7, 8, and 9 coming to bat. Texas will be forced to substitute off the bench to get every player at least one at bat.

[regaleagle]

Homer by Japan on 1-2 pitch right down the center of the plate. The Japan pitcher has not done that yet. 4-2 Japan now with no outs in the bottom of the 4th.

[regaleagle]

Now their top hitter whacks one of over the left field wall....he had the triple last time up. He's the leader and probably best player on this Japanese team. They practice 5 hrs a day and sometimes 6 days a week in Japan. Here at the LLWS......they had a 4-hr practice before one of their games. How do you compete against a team from Tokyo that breathes baseball 24/7??? And look at the population of Tokyo vs little ol' Lufkin. It's not really fair. Now here goes another homer with Deason pitching. Texas just doesn't have their Top 3 pitchers eligible today. It's tough when you get so far down in the pitching pecking order to compete at this level. I don't like the rules.....I think it's not a level playing field and greatly favors the winners bracket teams.....especially when a team is coming out of the losers bracket for the Championship game. They need to let whoever the team chooses to pitch this last game be able to pitch, IMHO. I've been around baseball for 50+ years......quite frankly this rule sucks. And so do the umps calling strikes that far outside in a tournament like this.

[regaleagle]

Is it no wonder Japan has so many wins in the LLWS??? Some of these rules have to change.....Japan knows them very well and practices to take advantage of them. It's tough enough getting to this game just playing a team that has All-Stars from a population and city like Tokyo.

[regaleagle]

Tokyo 7 Lufkin 2

Population of Lufkin 35,000 Population of Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area 13,000,000......the largest metro city in the world.

Do you think this particular Little League in Tokyo can recruit some great players??? They have a legacy coming to the LLWS.

[regaleagle]

Let's all be honest and say what everybody else thinks.......Nobody......I mean nobody but people from Japan or with a Japanese heritage......wants to see Japan win. Everybody already knows the deck is stacked in their favor. It's a miracle they don't win every single year.

[regaleagle]

Looks like Texas is gonna get run ruled today because of these idiotic rules about the pitching and days rest. It's batting practice out there. It's over now.......12-2. I hope those that make the rules for this Championship here in the USA are happy with their lousy tournament now......just go take a look in the mirror and you will see the problem. I've said all that needs to be said.....it's not a level playing field with the current rules.

[regaleagle]

Now back to the golf tournament.....where your play is the result of your own skills and the only advantage is one that a player gains with skill. Spieth and Dustin Johnson are tied with 3 holes to play. They are playing together in the last twosome today.......head to head.