Michigan LLWS bound
Congrats to the boys from Grosse Pointe who have absolutely steamrolled their way to the World Series. Go get em boys!!
August 12th, 2018 at 9:31 PM ^
I grew up in GP, and I will be perfectly honest - I wouldn't live there again, it's just not for me. That being said, lumping the whole community together as "bad" because it's an affluent community is just as stupid as saying everyone in a poor community is a criminal. It's just dumb...
August 13th, 2018 at 12:20 AM ^
Oh, I didn't mean to imply that they were "bad" by any means. I expect that most of the kids on that team are kids of great character. But, at the LL level, I'm always torn to see kids from extremely affluent areas participate in these events. I understand that they have the skills to participate and do represent the best of the area, but the ability of their families to afford letting these kids take extra time to practice / train / play games sheds light on how much wealth can affect even kid's games.
August 12th, 2018 at 8:26 PM ^
The team appears to have at least three players who are African Americans. In the literally all-white Grosse Pointe I grew up in from 1953 through graduation in '71, the presence of black kids anywhere in GP would generally result in a call to the police. Times have changed, and for the better.
August 12th, 2018 at 11:45 PM ^
Actually, thanks to the group home further up Cook Rd, we saw black kids on the regular in grade school.
No one ever hassled them.
August 13th, 2018 at 2:40 AM ^
we saw black kids on the regular in grade school.
What years were you in grade school? What was the nature of the group home? I lived down in the Park so the only time I spent up in the Farms was when I was at school at South.
August 13th, 2018 at 7:30 AM ^
Monteith thru '76.
August 13th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^
I was GPN '78. We had one black student (great guy) whose family owned a car dealership. After moving to GP after the riots in Detroit where I was the minority it was quite a culture shock.
The "Children's home" has been torn down around 2008 and as the Rivers senior center and assisted living is there now it its place. The Protestant Orphan Asylum was established in 1950. It was called the Protestant Children’s Home until 1971, when the name was changed to Children’s Home of Detroit.
August 14th, 2018 at 12:22 AM ^
You're thinking of Cedric Patmon, whose dad owned an Olds dealership. He graduated '84 I think. Was on the wrestling team with my brother.
Mr Patmon was *very* well liked.
August 12th, 2018 at 11:19 PM ^
I played Little League in GPW in the 70's and go back monthly to visit my folks who still live in the same house today. Grosse Pointe like most areas has changed dramatically since the 20th century with the exception of GP North baseball coach, Frank Sumbera, who was just let go after coaching the baseball team since 1973! GP Blank was an LA film but the end of Gran Torino cruising down Lake Shore Drive is the real deal.
Anyone remember LL pitching phenom Danny Almonte? He was pretty big for a reason...
August 13th, 2018 at 12:18 AM ^
Actually Almonte is a great story to show how things have changed. Almonte's FB was sitting around 69. This week in Williamsport every single US team's top arm will sit 69 or better. The better US teams will have multiple arms at that velo.
The Korean & Japanese teams won't put kids below that velo on the mound until maybe the fifth kid in the rotation, if then.
Just as in MLB has seen a major increase in velo so have the youth ranks.
Though I do believe certain aspects of today's youth game is significantly worse than in my day, the strength and velo has gone way up.