Sidelines
IF this is Wednesday (is this Wednesday?), then we must be due to meet another baseball team at the airport with fresh leis and congratulations for capturing the grand championship of the universe. Keeping track of
world champs no
Little taskThe Oahu Canefires, the Babe Ruth Hawaii 15-and-under team, won the title last Saturday and returned home to great applause and TV coverage. This is great!
But wait a minute.
I thought Aiea was the world champion.
A couple weeks ago -- wasn't Aiea the world champion? I know I saw it on TV. They were at the airport. With a lot of leis and applause.
But then I turn on the TV, and the Little League World Series was THIS week. Brent Musberger said so. A team from Japan was crowned world champion. I am very confused.
I still thought that Aiea was the world champion.
Well, which is it?
It seems that these days there are more youth baseball programs than beauty pageants. (Quick, please tell me the difference between Miss America and Miss USA.) There is Little League, Pony League, CABA, Babe Ruth, Dixie Youth, Dizzy Dean, AABC, USABA, USSSA, USSR (just checking), and on and on. It seems that every one of these has several age categories and each has its own world series.
There are fewer youth baseball leagues than televised awards shows --- (I'll trade you two People's Choice Awards, one of those surfboard things and whatever Britney just presented for a Golden Globe and an ESPY) -- but they're closing fast.
Evidently, they're all world champions.
And now we find out the shocking news that Danny Almonte, the 12-year-old Sandy Koufax from the Bronx who captured our imagination as a Little League fairy tale, might, allegedly, possibly, may be 14 instead.
So what.
Who, in America, at least once has not played youth sports against somebody who was 6 feet tall, had a mustache, a car, a tattoo and an ex-wife?
So he's a little advanced. I don't care if he's 30. The guy threw a perfect game!
THIS IS ALL SO crazy, anyway. Our Naalehu team never dreamed of being "world champion." We barely had enough helmets to load the bases. In practice, we slid in blue jeans, not baseball pants. During road trips, which were almost every game in the Keaau League, our highlight was seeing what Afton Tayamen had in his lunch. It was a one-man buffet line wrapped in Tupperware and aluminum foil. (His mom's favorite words: "Eat. No shame!")
Eating Afton's lunch could be an Olympic event.
There was no Brent Musberger. No mainland trips. No grand championships. Just kids and baseball. It could be why I'm still confused. I'm still sticking with Aiea as world champ. I think.
Anyway, if anybody needs me, I'll be at the airport, with leis. The TV news crews would be wise to follow.
The next set of world champions could be in any day now.
Kalani Simpson's column runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
He can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com