I recall one team got busted years ago with a 14 year old pitcher.
Danny Almonte. You could tell he was fake because he was East Coast.
Just like the black team from Chicago or whatever that Obama embraced and loved. If he had half a brain he'd have known they were cheating. Go to ANY travel ball tournament. you don't see black people. More then 1-2 per team. Our team had like 2-3 and that was a LOT. So some black team maigcally goes to Williamsport? Cheating. Big City Midwest or anything east coast? Cheating.
The only ones who can win it without cheating are warm weather states. CA, HI, FL, TX, maybe AZ or La Mostlu the first two and possibly texas. Hawaii the last decade or so. CA always. CA has been to the LLWS winning their region almost every year and the teams they often play there are worse than teams in their own cities or regions. There usually are 15-20 teams in CA better than almost all of the American teams in the LLWS. My son's 12 year old year we didnt get out of sectionals and we were better than at least 3 of the LLWS teams. The regions are suicidal and it's all political. Against CA interestingly. It's why when a west team gets there they make the finals about 50% of the time. Even though there are 12 American teams in Williamsport. At the time I am referring to, us? There were 8. But like Maine and Mass are one entire region or Maybe Vermont. Put it this way. Maine down to Virgina gets 3 teams in LLWS. But CA, HI Arizona and used to be Nevada? All together get 1. It's so gay.
No problem. Prepping your team is a little easier. You obviously do the fielding and bullpen work you'd always do. You're doing it with bettwe players. You have dads scout opponents for weaknesses to zones and off speed. Or in some cases you have teams that just cant hit above 60MPH and if you have a kid who throws 65, that's all you do.
Anyway. Hitting? Most LL seasons are full of guys who throw 50-60mph from 46 ft. Thats not bad and if you and i went and caught that we'd be like wow. It feels like about 80-90 that close. So you start AS paractice about a week or 10 days before the tourney and you start with coaches throwing, and some live kid pitching. That's one station when you hit. Another is you have guys on the machine at 60. Every day you go up 1 mph so by the time the tournament starts your kids are hitting 70. They don't notice 1 MPH a day. They adjust after 3-4 pitches. That becomes the new normal.
About 3-4 days before the tournament the brackets come out and if you're playing a power in the first couple rounds you then bring in 14-15 year olds who play and pitch frosh or soph baseball at their school. And they pitch to your kids. And they don't let up.
So your kids before you face a top guy are facing 15 year olds. Breaking pitches. And 70 or 70+. It's why these games can be so low scoring. Thats like hitting 100mph and these guys are 12. You hope to get a walk, slap a ball, get an error and catch a bomb on the barrell.
if you're not facing a power in the first couple rounds I think you bring in the HS kids later. I forget now. Because you don't want your kids really far in front of everything either. Tournament starts around 6/19 to 6/25 in most places. I have spent many a 7/4 prepping for a championship game underneath a fireworks show with a sighing wife showing her disapproval. Next round is really fast. Like 7/11 and for us it was only 4-6 teams. After that it narrows.
Our District had 16 teams and we were the next smallest league. It was nearly impossible for us to do anything. I won two district titles and everyone thought I was a miracle worker. Our league at all levels had won I think 2-3 games prior to our time. I won two championship games, lost one, and finished 3rd in one. So I don't know how many wins that was, but probably about 20-25. Like 5-6 each year depending on whether you came from winner or losers bracket. Sectional you can win with I think 3 wins. And you get more rest. I sucked in sectionals. Never won a game.
WRONG!
They're all-star teams. The best players in their league.