The Little League World Series is wrapping up this weekend, with the championship game set to start at 3:00 p.m. on ABC. As always, the parents are cheering and the siblings are sliding down the dirt outfield. While these are two things that make the Little League World Series unique and special, they are not the only two things that make it an 11-day spectacle.
Three days ago, Wednesday, August 21, Elmora Youth Little League of New Jersey fell to Eastbank Little League of Louisiana 4-1 for their second loss of the double elimination tournament. But what stood out from that game was not necessarily the loss itself, but the postgame speech Elmora Youth Little League Head Coach Jairo Labrador gave his team following their loss.
"Isn't it enough to say you had a city behind you," Labrador asked.
The Little League World Series currently features 16 teams from around the world, eight from different US regions and eight from different regions around the world. With that in mind, Labrador knows how much it takes to earn a position in the Little League World Series and how much it takes to win.
He comforted his saddened team as they were facing the reality of being knocked out after making it so far. After going through months of games trying to reach this point, they fell in the later rounds of the double elimination tournament. However, it does not mean they did not accomplish something special.
"Elizabeth, New Jersey is now known in the best light because of this group of boys, OK," Labrador said. "Because of you guys and all the work you did."
The Little League World Series gives teams from all around the world a chance to showcase their talent and show that they are the best group of players from their age group. On top of that, there is usually a lot of turnover, as not many cities make it back-to-back seasons on a year-to-year basis. Because of this, the players get to showcase their city's name and show what they are all about.
People can look back at the run that the team from Elizabeth, New Jersey made and have a new respect for a new city. People will remember the name of this city because of what the team did in their 2019 Little League World Series run. And more than that, people remember the cities of different teams who have made runs in past Little League World Series because they are unique and magical runs.
"You got to say you guys played with the best group of baseball players on the planet," Labrador said.
The Little League World Series is an opportunity for some of the best preteens to show off their skills to the world and face off against other top-caliber players nationwide. They are the best of the best, and they have faced off against other great teams along the way for the opportunity to get to hold up the banner at the end of the tournament.
Not only is the Little League World Series a great opportunity for the best players in little league to face off, but it also gives viewers the opportunity to see some players who could potentially be stars at the high school level, and maybe even make it to the MLB some day. People will get the opportunity to say, "I saw him ten years ago in Williamsport and now he is at the biggest stage in baseball."
On top of getting to face off against other skilled players from around the world, the Little League World Series also gives these players an opportunity to make their town, and especially their parents, proud. No matter if they win the whole tournament or go 0-3 (including the consolation game), they can say they were there and they tried their best. They made it that far and have a lot to be proud of.
The speech Labrador made also comes five years after David Belisle made his famous speech to his team from Rhode Island, and the speeches are very reminiscent of each other. Belisle's speech landed him a gig with ESPN, but only time will tell if Labrador's will do the same, though neither of these coaches were making these speeches for the fame or potential fortune.
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