2014 US Little League World Series Champions!

The Jackie Robinson West Little Leaguers from Chicago have been making history ever since their arrival in Williamsport for the 2014 edition of the Little League World Series.


They were the first team from the Jackie Robinson West LL to make it to Williamsport since 1983 and the first all black squad since the 2002 team from Harlem.

Yesterday they accomplished something those other two teams hadn't.  With their 7-5 win over the Mountain Ridge LL in the US Championship game, they became the first ever all Black Little League team to become the US World Series Champions

The Chicago based JRW squad avenged their lopsided 13-2 August 17 loss to the team from Las Vegas to advance to the 2 PM CDT title game against Seoul, South Korea, who smashed defending international champion Japan 12-3 in their rematch to take the International World Series Championship crown.     

Best of luck to you Jackie Robinson West LL as you seek to make even more history later today and bring the Little League World Series Championship back to Chicago. 

Diamonds Are Mo'Ne's Best Friend

Marilyn Monroe once sang diamonds are a girl's best friend.   But in 13 year old Mo'Ne Davis' case, it's a baseball diamond.

Mo'Ne is the 18th girl to make it to the LLWS, but she has the sporting world's attention as one of the few girls in the 67 year history of the LLWS to be the star player of their Little League team.

Her Taney Youth Baseball Association Little League of Philadelphia squad got to the 2014 Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA on the strength of her pitching arm and her 70 MPH fastball.  

In addition to the personal history Davis is making, her Taney squad is also making it as a team. They are the first team from Philadelphia to make it to the LLWS. 

In the Taney Dragons first game on Friday a 4-0 win against Nashville, Tennessee, Davis proved she was no joke as she pitched her second complete game,   She gave up only two hits and struck out eight batters enroute to becoming the first girl ever in the 67 year history of the event to pitch a shutout. .

In the game last night against Pearland East, my H-town suburban homies and the overflow crowd  of 32,000 found out that Mo'Ne can hit, too. 

Her first inning single made her only the sixth girl to record a hit in LLWS play and help her Taney Dragons team to a 7-6 win that puts them two game away from the US Championship.

They face Mountain Ridge LL from Las Vegas in the winners bracket on Wednesday.

Hopefully Mo'Ne and Taney LL will continue to prove that baseball diamonds are a girl's best friend, too.
   

Ugandan Team Makes LLWS History

When the Little League World Series comes on, I'll take some time to watch the games that are broadcast on ESPN because it does take me back to when I played Little League ball back in the day but never got the opportunity to play for my league's All-Star team.  

I have a deep appreciation of how hard it is to not only make your individual Little League's all star team, but go through the various regional playoffs in your state and region to get to Williamsport, PA where they play the Little League World Series.

I was excited to see for the second time ever in the 66 year history of the LLWS, a team from the African continent break through their region chock full of Middle East based Little League teams with children of expat Americans working in the area and win.

Last year a team from Kampala, Uganda beat a strong Saudi Arabian team in the Middle East-Africa regional finals to become the first African team ever to qualify for the LLWS. 

But the joy over that landmark accomplishment was dashed when problems arose with the Ugandan team’s visas and player birth records.  That resulted in the Saudi team they vanquished making the trip to Williamsport

This year's team from the Mehta Little League didn't have that problem since they made certain it was comprised of all 11 year olds and the visas were cleared by the US State Department.  But they still had to successfully navigate the Middle East/Africa regional tournament in Kutno, Poland once again in order to make history.         

That road to reach the LLWS began in July with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia due to a two run homer hit by the Saudis in the top of the 6th inning.   The kids from Lugazi bounced back the next day to beat Dubai 6-0 in the first of their must-win games to stay alive in the double elimination tournament.  They had to play two must-win games the following day, beating Qatar 13-1 and Kuwait 8-0 to get to the July 16 MEA Regional Championship game. 

They beat Kuwait 5-2 to make it the second straight year a Ugandan team has claimed the Middle East/Africa regional tournament title and qualified for the Little League World Series.   The Mehta Little League team scored 33 runs in five MEA tourney games with four of them being pressure packed must win ones.  They gave up only 5 runs in the MEA Regional to begin the trip of a lifetime representing their town,their country and get a shot at winning the world championship. 

The Ugandan squad knew they would be underdogs when they arrived here to play the more experienced international Little League teams, and on Friday they lost to Aguadulce, Panama, 9-3.  The next day Uganda lost to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico 12-0 to eliminate them from international division championship consideration ans send them to a consolation game against Gresham, OR..  

In their consolation game against the Gresham, OR squad today they broke through for a 3-2 win, the first ever by an African based LLWS squad. 

     



They will officially have a 1-2 record, but they will leave Williamsport having made many fans and accomplishing their goal of making friends.   Once the Little League World Series is over they will take in a minor league baseball game and see the United Nations building in New York before heading back home

They will also go back home knowing that they accomplished something that no other African based little league team has ever done in terms of winning a game at the LLWS.