Taiwan mercy-ruled Texas for third place. Finally, the total delay that all 16 challenges did in the games totaled up to just 52 seconds.

What?
Just over 3 seconds per review?
How is that possible?

I think the moment the coach asks for a review and the time it takes an umpire to process that information would have to be more than 3 seconds.

There must be some sort of bizarre timing system for the review process.

the total delay that all 16 challenges did in the games totaled up to just 52 seconds.

That seems impossible. It must be impossible. It would take more than 3 seconds for the manager to relay his intentions to the umpire and then onward to the ESPN guy. Let alone give anyone time to actually watch even a single slo-mo replay from just one angle.

Hell, it took me two minutes to write that little paragraphlet.

I saw one of the appeals, of a close play at 1st base. I would guess it took a minute. 10 to 15 minutes would be credible for 16 appeals. 52 seconds is not credible. 52 minutes would be more credible.

Nationally broadcast little league is just about the nadir of baseball experiences for me.

I bet they meant average delay, not total delay.

Nationally broadcast little league is just about the nadir of baseball experiences for me.

Too bad for you.

A big Aloha for Hawaii baseball.

They were quick -- I think they probably mean the average was 52 seconds, which is great.

Wow. I still can't believe anyone beat Taiwan.
They were EASILY the best hitting team, and pummeled everyone (but Japan).

Wow. I still can't believe anyone beat Taiwan.
They were EASILY the best hitting team, and pummeled everyone (but Japan).

it was a very very good game, Taiwan was leading into the final inning before being tied on a one hoper past the 3B, a error on a catcher pickoff, and a single .

The Japanese pitchers were exellent, and their timing in changing pitchers were great, Taiwan managed to get 2 runs off their ace but then they changed to a side winder and then finally a slower control guy, really mixing it up well, I was surprised that they couldn't score off the final pitcher, who was only throwing in the mid 60s most of the time, I guess it's the different styles that really messed them up.

Nationally broadcast little league is just about the nadir of baseball experiences for me.

Really? My kids and I reckon it's heaps good to watch. The 4-6-3 and 6-4-3 double plays these kids turn are unreal. The hitters can really scamper that 60 feet and to turn the DP at this age is quite an achievement.

Taiwan was brilliant the whole tournament. Trying to pick off that runner from 1st, though bold, was an ill advised play that cost them the game. The Taiwanese pitcher who took over from the starter threw a fantastic game.

Does anyone else agree with me that the notion of a US bracket and a World bracket in Williamsport is dated? I think, this year, for example, the second best team was Taiwan. But they were forced to play Japan in the World final, allowing Hawaii (who probably was not as good as Taiwan) to take "second place."

Were it up to me, all of the teams (from whatever country or US region) which make it to Williamsport would be placed randomly in slots and those teams would play either a double elimination tournament or some sort of pool play leading to a tournament of the best teams from the pool play (as happens with Olympic team sports and the World Cup).

Some years that might result in two U.S. teams playing in the final. Other years no U.S. team would make it to that game. That might hurt ABC's ratings. But I think it makes sense, given that we are not dominant enough to deserve an automatic finalist every year.

Does anyone else agree with me that the notion of a US bracket and a World bracket in Williamsport is dated?

Yes.
I don't even pay any attention to the LLWS, but this seems pretty stupid.

Yeah, I agree with Rich. Furthermore, I'm not convinced that it helps TV ratings when we are talking about markets like Taiwan and Japan.

Really? My kids and I reckon it's heaps good to watch. The 4-6-3 and 6-4-3 double plays these kids turn are unreal.

Eh, I guess it's my "get off my lawn" moment. I love watching little league games in my hometown, or in any town, but the level of attention the LLWS gets now is just unseemly to me personally for a myriad of reasons that all make me sound old. (I at least managed to make sure that was my point, not that is sucks empirically, but that I personally don't like it.)

Does anyone else agree with me that the notion of a US bracket and a World bracket in Williamsport is dated? I think, this year, for example, the second best team was Taiwan. But they were forced to play Japan in the World final, allowing Hawaii (who probably was not as good as Taiwan) to take "second place."

on the other hand though, the world bracket have some really REALLY weak teams, aka pretty much everyone else that's not from Japan / Asia pacific / Latin america. it kinda balance out but I'd personally like to see the US bracket eliminated as well.

As long as they don't go back to banning international teams (see 1975 LLWS) ....

the advantage of mixing up the bracket though is that ABC can air more of the earlier games, since I'm assuming right now that in the earlier rounds they air more US games and less international onces.

As long as they don't go back to banning international teams (see 1975 LLWS) ....

Wasn't that because the international teams were cheating? Basically sending over national all-star teams instead of a local team that won a national tournament, IIRC. I remember one Taiwan team from the early '70s with every kid over 6'1".

Thoughts on the Japanese team stealing location? I've never seen it done so blatantly (no doubt because they're kids).

I absolutely HATE the coaching from Taiwan. Absolutely shameful.

They've got them in this military mindset (Win or die), and then when the kids lose the coaches come out to the media and say "the kids couldn't handle the pressure."

Of course, these are the same asshats that decide it was a good idea to suicide squeeze up by double digits and (reports of player abuse).

"I remember one Taiwan team from the early '70s with every kid over 6'1"."

I remember one Dinka team from the early '90s with every kid over 7'1".

Does anyone else agree with me that the notion of a US bracket and a World bracket in Williamsport is dated? I think, this year, for example, the second best team was Taiwan. But they were forced to play Japan in the World final, allowing Hawaii (who probably was not as good as Taiwan) to take "second place."

Eh, the two best major league teams this year are both in the AL East. These things happen from time to time.

Eh, I guess it's my "get off my lawn" moment. I love watching little league games in my hometown, or in any town, but the level of attention the LLWS gets now is just unseemly to me personally for a myriad of reasons that all make me sound old. (I at least managed to make sure that was my point, not that is sucks empirically, but that I personally don't like it.)

I'll throw my support your way. There's a whole lot I don't like about the LLWS and very little I do: Watching 12-year-olds throw breaking balls; the event's role in the growth of youth baseball as the province of pint-sized diamond mercenaries with rich parents who can afford the ridiculous travel expenses; the legion of coaches who are willing to sacrifice the future health of their kids; the idea that this is baseball at it's purest; ESPN's strange decision to list the players' hometowns when they presumably all come from the same place, etc.

That said, like Hugh, my 8-year-old son likes watching it, so I'm usually subjected to a little of it each year.

Headline writer passed up the opportunity to write "Japan Bombs Hawaii Again".

My 5-year-old son and I really enjoyed watching this. I was hypnotized by Ryusuke Ikeda's ultra-slow windup. I mean, I kept thinking I had to be watching a slo-mo replay, how can he keep his balance doing that pitch after pitch?