Does This Little Puddle Look Like Something That Should Ruin An Entire Summer For Little Leaguers ?

SILIVE.com - BEVERLY, Mass. -- South Shore Little League had to share the East Region 11-year-old Baseball Tournament crown with Fairfield National LL of Connecticut after the championship game was never played Wednesday at Beverly LL.

The tourney director declared both teams champs after morning rains soaked the field. However, the rains stopped way ahead of the 1:30 p.m. start time and when no workers showed up to clean the fields, the teams were told they would have to share the crown.

I should start off saying this is not a Little League issue as this tournament is not sanctioned by Little League. Which is a bizarre situation itself in that teams are playing for the Little League Regional title but it's not sanctioned by Little League. The 10 and 11 regionals are a new event and somehow it's not under Little League's umbrella. Normally I love to crush Little League and it's corrupt practices, like their corrupt umpire practices. 

Or their asinine batting rules 

But since they don't run this tournament, they are technically off the hook, but someone still needs to answer for the travesty that occurred yesterday. 

Long story short, both teams show up to play and decide the Regional champion. It's the highest honor in that age bracket as teams across the country compete for regional titles but don't go to Williamsport at this age. When they show up at the field, they are told the field is unplayable but it's worth noting no one shows up to work on the field. So whoever ran this event not only screwed up the staffing, but decided instead of putting in just a little bit of work to make it playable, they packed up and declared both teams champions. Absolute joke. 

I'll ask you again … does this look like a puddle worth ruining an entire summer over? 

You are telling me some quick dry and a rake and that couldn't be fixed? It's also worth noting there wasn't a cloud in the sky when the teams took the "championship" photos after the disgrace of a decision came down. 

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Now you may ask why am I so bent out of shape over 11 year old baseball, it's because these kids worked all summer to get toc this point at just when it matters the most it's ripped away. Not to mention parents spending thousands on travel, taking off work, buying new bats, driving to practice twice a day, and all the other stuff that went into this summer. The tournament directors decided giving the kids a real life lesson that you play the big games and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose was too much for them. They decided raking a little bit was too much, instead they did the SOFTEST thing possible and gave both teams trophies and cementing that they would never really get to know who was the best in the age group. An absolute JOKE of a process. Disgusting behavior. 

If it was a rainout legit or they didn't have permits that's one thing. The directors owed it to these kids to fix the field, owed it to them to staff it properly and owed it to them to get to decide a champion in a summer they worked hard trying to achieve. They did none of that and for that they should be ashamed. It was a puddle that could have been fixed … anyone with a brain knows that … except the people in charge. Disgrace.