By Josh:
Here I sit at Story Field in Longview, WA as Day 2 of the 2014 Babe Ruth World Series comes to an end and I am trying to imagine what the players are feeling as they walk into each game. The pressure that they are dealing with, the adrenaline that is running through them and the desire to be crowned the best in the nation.
There are no ESPN cameras here. Just three cameras from the local community TV station that is playing the games over the internet. There is no national media covering every moment of every game. Just a local reporter and the 9 Inning Know It All Crew.
When you compare this World Series and the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA there are some huge differences. The LLWS is focused on sportsmanship, protecting the kids health, putting on a great show for fans around the world.
The Babe Ruth World Series shares the emphasis of sportsmanship but there are a lot of differences. The 10 teams here in Longview are focused on one goal and that is winning it all. There are no pitch counts for pitchers, there aren’t any heart warming human interest stories (at least not that I know of) that are designed to create fan favorites. Coaches don’t have to put a player in for an at bat or an inning of defense. A player can sit the entire tourney if a coach doesn’t want to put him in.
I’m not saying one World Series is better than the other. They are just different. The ages are different, the skill level is different, and the drive to win is more intense.
However, there is one thing that holds true, baseball is baseball regardless of how old the players. When you are playing you feel the same pressure to get the hit, or make the play. When you are playing against the best of the best and you have a chance to be a champion it keeps you up at night in anticipation, makes you anxious to get out on the field, and can break your heart just as easy at age 12 as it can at age 30.
Baseball in the end is baseball.