The five most Little League things that you can still see during a Major League game
Sunday marked one of the most special events on the Major League calendar: the Little League Classic, bringing the Mets and Phillies to Williamsport, Pa., to hang out with the stars of the Little League World Series (and play a game of their own). From impromptu instructional clinics to as much Big Al as you could possibly handle, this year's edition did not disappoint.
But the Classic isn't the only place where Major Leaguers pay homage to their junior counterparts. They may be fully grown men at the very highest level of their profession, but really, baseball makes us all kids at heart. And so, in an effort to make the LLWS last forever, we're counting down all the ways in which the big leagues and Little League aren't so diffferent after all.
5. Losing the ball in the sun
No matter how old you are or what size field you play on, it's important to remember one simple rule: The sun comes for every outfielder.
You may still be scarred by that time you lost track of a fly ball in second grade, only to watch it land 10 feet over your head. If it helps ease the pain at all, just know that even Kevin Pillar himself has been there:
4. Eating stuff in the dugout
Sure, mom can no longer sneak you a little snack over the dugout fence in between at-bats, but that doesn't mean that even the biggest, scariest sluggers in the Majors get hungry from time to time:
3. Expressing themselves
One of the most rewarding things about Little League baseball is the purity of it all, the ways in which a bunch of 12-year-olds don't know any better than to let everyone know how much fun the game is -- all of the time. Even when, say, you've just allowed an admittedly monstrous grand slam.
The stakes are a little bit higher in The Show, but the expression remains the same, whether celebrating a dinger of your own ...
... or trying to figure out how an opponent's curveball can move like that:
2. Playing all sorts of pranks
Let's face it: Baseball comes with a good bit of downtime baked in. Combine that downtime with a bunch of kids, and there's no telling what might happen. Of course, combine that downtime with a bunch of professional athletes, and there's ... also no telling what might happen:
1. Drawing in the dirt
Is any image more synonymous with Little League baseball than the infielder, standing alone, passing the time between pitches by drawing stuff in the dirt with their feet? We're very pleased to report that this isn't limited to kids: