In celebration that baseball is back...post your favorite Little League pic/stories

[OldSchoolBaseball]

Thought it would be fun to get some baseball excitement back in our lives and reminisce as most us played tee ball/Little League/Babe Ruth leagues, etc. some time ago.

Let see how many posts/pics/stories we can get....

Mine:
1981 (age 14). Scandinavian League (Fresno, CA) which is now defunct. Sweet uniforms that were recycled each year for All Stars. Played with at least 4 guys who advanced through the minor leagues (none made the show) and one good friend who played 11 years in the NFL. Great times but the seasons were always so short (April-June) and long before year round ball as we know it today.

[LuckyLarry]

United California Bank Tigers 1964 (Lancaster California) with my Ed Mathews model bat. The Little League field was just around the corner and I bought many baseball cards there. Of course thanks to my coaches who I still remember. Dwayne Murphy was on my Pony League team he was one year younger than me and had a great MLB career mostly with the Oakland As.
Larry

[Bigdaddy]

The first ball team I ever played on - The 1972 Orioles of Poquoson Little League. We had an orange 'O' ironed on our hats, provided the team mom with white t-shirts that she dyed black and played in our most expendable pair of jeans. If you were lucky, you had a pair of cleats. That's me in the middle.

[Eggoman]

My Pa played First Base for St. Joe's Church League. That's him at the arrow in the back!

He taught me and my 3 brothers how to play THE GAME on our Whiffle Ball Field that we kept groomed next door! It was aptly named Ruthole Park before we moved on to Little League.

He was a GOOD MAN!

RIP, Pa Z!

[skil55voy]

My team from 1968. We were undefeated and getting ready to play an all star team from our league. It was our last game. I'm in front row with the cast on my arm. I broke it 3 days before the game playing football.

1975 American Blacks - City champs and regional runners up.
I'm second from left on the bottom row. Played third base.
1976 Pony League Pirates - City champs (a lot of the same players from my 1975 team) and regional runners up. Played second base. I'm third from the right on the bottom row. Some of my happiest times growing up were on the ballfield. My Dad was a little league coach for 25 years and won several state championships. Baseball lived at our house.

[mattsey9]

1978 - Central Federal Savings & Loan. Champions of the Clinton, Indiana Pony League. My first season of playing baseball.

Nothing compares to being the manager for my son's Little League team 40 years later as they captured the Natomas, CA crown!



Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

[egri]

I don't have any pictures, but the last year I played in Little League (2007), my team went undefeated in the regular season (our pitcher threw a no-hitter on Opening Day). We steamrolled the team that had won the championship the year before, beat a pitcher who later went on to play DI baseball...and then were bounced in the first round of the playoffs. We lost the first two games, won the next two, and were eliminated on tiebreakers.

[kmac32]

No little league but how about Cubs Fantasy camp?

[OldSchoolBaseball]

Originally Posted by kmac32

No little league but how about Cubs Fantasy camp?

Definitely counts + bonus points!

[vthobby]

I had just returned from Afghanistan with the US Army.

It was August 2013.

My son's team was 2 wins from Williamsport (no Vermont team has EVER been to LL WS). We played a RI team that we had beaten a few days prior. Our best pitcher got tired and we gave up a 3 run blast and we then had to drive home! Ughhhhhhh..... some of the best memories I've ever had and such an amazing week! This pic was taken by a NESN photographer of my son "in action". Reminded me of my little league days but honestly was way more exciting!

13221694_280096459003882_1064392549770066975_n.jpg

[tedzan]

Before moving to Pennsylvania in 2002, we lived in Toms River, NJ for 20 years.
In 1998, the excitement in this town was unbelievable.

Toms River won the L-L WS ! ....Toms River won the L-L WS ! !









TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[Exhibitman]

here's Hank Aaron's little league photo:

[triwak]

Me as a Firebird, c. 1968 (not Facebook)! With Trixie.

[GaryPassamonte]

No team pictures, but still have this PONY League memory.

[AustinMike]

The 1965 Pirates at Anderson AFB Guam. I'm on the front row, far right. Middle of the pack finish with no famous people. We had to run a lap around the field after practice. The manager and coach thought it was a good idea that I run with the shin guards on since I was the catcher. The only problem was that whoever finished last had to run again. Since I've never been accused of being "fleet of foot" in my life and having to run with the shin guards on after catching a full practice, guess who almost always came in last. This was my last year of catching.

[carlsonjok]

All these league champions here. Let me tell a story from the other end of the standings.

I started out playing youth soccer (specifically Little Guy Soccer in Chili, NY) back in the early to mid 1970s when leagues were just starting upin the US. I was a horrible soccer player, so after 6 years I finally convinced my mother to let me play baseball. I wasn't very good at that either. My first year, I was on the worst team in the league. I mean really bad. We would lose by scores considered blowouts in football. There was one game where we were down by something like 24-0 after 4 innings. After our turn at bat, I grabbed my glove and headed out to my position at first base. After I got there, I turned around and realized I was the only one out there. All my teammates were sitting in abject misery on the bench. They did eventually take the field, but the game didn't get any better afterwards.

Also, in one of the games I actually got on base, I managed to get fooled by the hidden ball trick. 40 plus years later, I still remember it was Tim Abel that got me.

Thankfully, high school was just around the corner and I got involved in track and cross country, which I had some success at.

[OldSchoolBaseball]

Originally Posted by AustinMike

The 1965 Pirates at Anderson AFB Guam. I'm on the front row, far right. Middle of the pack finish with no famous people. We had to run a lap around the field after practice. The manager and coach thought it was a good idea that I run with the shin guards on since I was the catcher. The only problem was that whoever finished last had to run again. Since I've never been accused of being "fleet of foot" in my life and having to run with the shin guards on after catching a full practice, guess who almost always came in last. This was my last year of catching.

That’s funny and cruel at the same time. Sweet, giant LL logo on those shirts

[OldSchoolBaseball]

Originally Posted by GaryPassamonte

No team pictures, but still have this PONY League memory.

That’s a lot of Ks....great memory as few could top that

[OldSchoolBaseball]

Originally Posted by triwak

Me as a Firebird, c. 1968 (not Facebook)! With Trixie.

The dog and sweet ride across the street are bonus features of the shot!

[triwak]

Originally Posted by oldschoolbaseball

the dog and sweet ride across the street are bonus features of the shot!

+1000!!

[jpop43]

So, here is a pic from when I was in Little League (wearing Mattingly's # of course), then one from my high school team, later on playing as an adult, and most recently...coaching my sons' State Championship Little League Team.

Posting this was like listening to the radio..."playing the hits from the 80's, 90's, 2000's, and today!"

Great thread...this is what its what its all about...what its always been about.

Jon
www.dugouttreasures

This is a signed ball from my entire pony league Pirates championship team. The glove trophy we received for the tournament inspired me to get the ball signed. I'm glad I did. I cherish this ball as three of my best childhood teammates and one coach have passed on. Bobby Norch was my best friend, best teammate and fellow baseball card collector up until we graduated high school together. He was killed in a car accident traveling back home from college not long after we graduated. His favorite player was Freddie Patek. I left a Patek card on his gravestone the last time I visited his resting place. RIP Bobby.