How children’s sports should be played

Over the weekend, the Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, hosted the oldest baseball championship for boys aged 11 to 13 years old, the Little League World Series. Japan, the international bracket champion, came from behind to overcome Chula Vista, California (the United States Bracket champion), 6-4, to win its ninth title since 1967.

With its nine titles, Japan is second to Taiwan with the most championships won by non-US team. The Taiwanese have won the series an amazing 17 times since the World Series was first held in 1947. Other international teams that have won the championship are Mexico (3); South Korea (2); Venezuela (2) and Curacao (1).

The Little League World Series consists of 16 teams: eight from the United States, which comprise the US Bracket, and eight international teams from Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia/Far East, which make up the International Bracket. The winners of the two brackets meet in one game for the Little League World Series which is held in South Williamsport.

In August 1992, the Philippines, the International Bracket champion and represented by Zamboanga City, defeated the US bracket winner, Long Beach, California, 6-0. Zamboanga was however later stripped of the title, in favor of Long Beach, after it was revealed that the Filipino players failed to comply with age or residency requirements.

While the 1992 episode was a dark chapter in Philippine sports history, a Filipino-American did emerge as one of the heroes of the 2013 Little League championships, some 21 years later.

Renato Lorenzo Liboro Llamas or Tatin, son of former Philippine national football team goalkeeper, Eduardo (Eddie), proved to be one of the vital cogs of the Westport, Connecticut team which rallied from seven runs down in the fifth inning to beat Sammamish, Washington, 14-13. With the victory, the Westport boys earned a shot at the US bracket title against Chula Vista, California. Westport, which had a 21-1, record going into the game versus Chula Vista, is the first team from Connecticut to play for the US title since 1989.

Right fielder Tatin hit, in the second inning of the game against Washington, the first of Westport’s five home-runs to set the tone for the cliff-hanger on Saturday. Washington was ahead 12 to 5 in the fourth until Westport scored in the fifth and six innings to draw even, 13 all. Westport then scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to earn the right to meet Chula Vista.

Westport however failed to make it against California on Sunday, losing 12-1. The Californians were crowned US Bracket champion and later lost to Japan, 6-4, for the world title.

Despite the loss, there is no reason to be disappointed, especially not Eddie, who was goalie also for La Salle Grade School in the Boys Football Association (BOFA); La Salle High School in junior competitions in the NCAA (when La Salle was still competing in the league); and San Beda in the NCAA seniors division.

Eddie, against whom we played during our basketball intramural days in high school at La Salle emphatically says, “Make no mistake about it, Westport won 21 games and lost only two for the whole (summer) season from District, Sectional, State and Regional (competitions), winning 18 games straight. In the World Series, Westport played five games, won three and lost two and is the number two team in the whole US. This is definitely an achievement for the town of Westport, CT. We are very proud of Tatin”.

Yes, there’s every reason to be proud of the 13 year-old, 110-pound, 5’5” Tatin who started playing baseball when he was seven years old. Ironically, baseball is not Tatin’s number one sport – it is basketball. Tatin’s sports schedule is well rounded and full as can be: basketball during winter and spring and baseball during summer.

Tatin was fortunate to have made it to the Police Athletic League (PAL) for basketball which is the number one team for 12 year-olds. A point guard in the PAL, Tatin is known for his speed, an asset he uses in baseball as pinch runner who is assigned to steal bases when the opposing team commits an error.

Now in eighth grade at Bedford Middle School, Tatin has gained the respect of young and old alike for his skill and his attitude toward sports amidst misplaced pressure exerted by other parents on their children especially in Little League.

Dan Wong who’s also from Westport wrote the team: “Thank you for never giving up. Thank you for representing your town, your families – and yourselves – astonishingly well. You carried yourselves with amazing poise and grace. Countless college and pro athletes should take their cues from you. You played for all the right reasons, including the most important: to have fun. Thanks again. You rock your world.”

Need we say more?