OT: Grosse Pointe (Woods-Shores) qualifies for LLWS
Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores becomes the first Michigan team to go to Williamsport since 1979. Pretty great since this is not a "travel" team like most teams that qualify for the LLWS, this is a true little league team.
Edit: As others have pointed out this is the first Grosse Pointe team to qualify since 1979. The last Michigan qualifier was Jenison in 1998.
August 10th, 2013 at 3:20 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 3:30 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 3:47 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 3:53 PM ^
In power house places like Chula Vista CA, or Robert Morris GA, they have "fed ball" or other leagues where they play against other "travel teams" then when Little League starts they have an advantage.
August 10th, 2013 at 10:28 PM ^
Little League District Administrator, LL prides itself on ensuring that teams have players from the same "home town".
Travel ball (Federation, Connie Mack, and others) have no residency restrictions just as long as they meet the age requirements. So yes, this is an accomplishment for any Michigan team to win the Great Lakes Regional.
August 10th, 2013 at 10:32 PM ^
Thanks for the info. Makes it even more impressive.
August 11th, 2013 at 12:36 PM ^
I played GPWSLL from age 9-12 so I can give you some background:
The league is setup with 8-10 teams in the "Major League" division and all these kids play with their respective teams against the other 8-10 teams. At the end of the season (they play a "world series" post-season), the coaches will get together and vote for the 11-12 year old kids they think are the best for the tournament team. Then, this team practices for a few weeks before they start playing other teams from their district (Grosse Pointe Park, Harper Woods, etc). When I was involved, the Farms and the Park were powerhouses with kids like the Adam Abrahams and Chris Getzs of the world.
Fun stuff to see my old stomping grounds make it this far.
August 10th, 2013 at 3:30 PM ^
It helps having a kid 6'2, 200lbs. MY GOD, that kid is a BEAST.
August 10th, 2013 at 4:43 PM ^
Offer this kid Borges!!! Could probably grow into a dominant-sized TE by the time he's 17.
August 10th, 2013 at 5:10 PM ^
August 11th, 2013 at 12:38 AM ^
I ran into a kid from Dearborn Heights at a Ypsi tournament a couple months ago who will be classified as a 12 yo next spring that will be bigger than Lorkowski. Not as good though.
August 10th, 2013 at 3:31 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 4:47 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 3:36 PM ^
I recall a team from hudsonville, or some city around there that went to the LLWS a few years back...could be wrong
August 10th, 2013 at 3:47 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 3:48 PM ^
ok by few years I ment when I was in highschool lol. but they were who I was thinking of.
August 10th, 2013 at 3:51 PM ^
Jenison doesn't have a little league. Maybe Georgetown?
August 10th, 2013 at 4:19 PM ^
basically Jenison or Hudsonville schools. So in effect, everyone is correct
August 10th, 2013 at 4:06 PM ^
sometimes I feel a lil bad for the really big kids in youth sports. they're so big and so use to dominating at a young age, when they get to HS and everything starts to even out they become mental midgets becasue they cant play the same way when everyones the same size..
August 10th, 2013 at 4:12 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 4:13 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 5:31 PM ^
August 10th, 2013 at 4:22 PM ^
small, but a very good little league player. Could throw harder, run faster, catch better, one of the 3 or 4 best players in little league.
By high school, I was still small and everyone else had grown up, those guys blew past me.
August 10th, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^
Your description fits me exactly. I coulda been a contender if I wasn't a half a foot shorter and 75 lbs lighter than everybody else my age in HS.
August 10th, 2013 at 9:45 PM ^
Most recently on my son's varsity baseball team. The kid was 6' as a 11yo and his parents carried his birth certificate just because he got challenged so much. He skipped his 12yo year on the little field because everyone blew so much smoke up his butt telling him how good he was.
Then he hit high school where there's always a few big kids so size no longer dominated. He had moved up through the age groups so fast that he never learned proper mechanics. the HS coach tried, but the kid was a star in his own mind.
The HS coach asked him to go down to JV to pitch some games. His reply was, "I've played Varsity since I was in 9th grade. I'm not playing JV" This coach was hired the kid's Jr year.
He spent most of his JR/SR year watching from the bench because there was 9 kids better than him on the field.
August 10th, 2013 at 4:30 PM ^
Seriously though, that's awesome for those kids.
August 11th, 2013 at 12:30 AM ^
Like when was the last time a GP team other than Woods/Shores won the state title? I didn't think so.
I recognize a number of names from the GPWS roster; they're sons of guys who were youngsters themselves in GP when the 78/79 teams played - Rheaume & Cardinale to name two.
And the best GPWS team didn't even make it out of districts - '75. That team featured a pitcher who was later drafted one slot behind Tony Gwynn.
August 11th, 2013 at 1:18 AM ^
Sometime before that a Farms/City team won with Chris Getz, who now plays for the Royals. And a GP team had at least made the state semis very regularly for the past decade I'd say.
August 11th, 2013 at 11:35 AM ^
2 Years ago the Park won the state title in the 12, 11 and 10 year old divisions. 3 in one year. Not bad for the smallest of the GP LLs.
August 11th, 2013 at 1:41 PM ^
Park rules. I played on the Park all star team as a 12-year-old. Good times even if we didn't exactly make it past districts. The other two GP teams were better that year and I think we eventually got knocked out by Hamtramck. I'm really enjoying seeing a GP team make it to Williamsport - I'd enjoy it more if they were Farms-City (since they'd be future South players) and even more if it were the Park, but still. Lot of fun.