Little League World Series Report
Tournaments
Little League World Series Report
Murphey Candler's own Ken and Johnathan Langley were in Williamsport, PA taking care of the fields during the final days of the Little League World Series. Below is Ken's updates through the exciting end. We cannot thank all the Langleys enough for allowing us to share this great experience with them.
Sunday, August 26th – World Championship
It rained overnight, good thing we tarped the fields last night. 7am, we gotta get those tarps off the fields before the sun gets up or the grass is toast. Those things ate so heavy when water is on them that we even grabbed a few of the community service folks to add more manpower. The facility is very quiet now, like the calm before the storm. In just a few hours close to 50,000 people will descend on the complex. And we better be ready.
Our crew grabs a doughnut and some Joe and down the hill we go to Volunteer. Get out the mowers, drags, tamps, and every implement of destruction we got. The mud in the outfields has finally hardened enough to get the mower on so e get to it. An hour later and 5 dump loads of clippings later we have a field worthy of playing on. The clay on the mound must dry so we boogie up to Lamade to get r done. This one is for all the marbles so it must be perfect. We even top dress the entire infield with high dollar bagged red infield clay ( dried Ga red clay ). Cut and stripe the grass so the blimp shots look good. This field has to play great and look better.
The sun is coming out and it is feeling like a hot humid southern summer day. This has to be good for the boys from Georgia.
A quick bite of lunch and high fives with the WR parents. Johnathan dressed all week in Murphey Candler wear so they were always glad to see him.
Little League wants the field at 2:05 for a 3:30 game. Here comes the thing that gives us groundskeepers gray hairs. A fully prepped field and now we are going to put hundreds of people on it. Finally at 2:50 the teams warm up for 10 minutes each then more presentations.
Now we get 10 minutes to clean it all up to play ball. There are only 6 of us left so we groom all the dirt then spread the frozen grass clippings over the worn spots and feather them in on our hands and knees. Our DA Jeff Caldwell told me they were all laughing about us down on our knees in front of 30,000 stadium fans with our butts facing the crowd. He was proud also. There on the field for the most important Little League game of the year was an 11 year old kid wearing his “MURPHEY CANDLER BASEBALL” tee shirt.
The game started, we sat in the pit next to WR and watched a great game.
And Georgia won again.....
After the game, hugs all around with the WR parents, dinner with Jeff and Linda (the Ga Little League Director ) and off to Elmira NY to start the journey home.
Stay Tuned for the final recap and more pictures.
August 25th, Saturday,International and US championships.
Up at 7 to pull the tarps. 24 times and counting.
Thanks for sending the hot weather. No one here understands hot and humid. Maybe that is why Georgia kicked butt. These kids are so stoked they can hit anything.
Today ABC put us to the test…10 minutes to prep a field to champion TV….we did it in 6.
Working Lamade is cool..literally. We have an air conditioned lounge with ESPN and a fridge. And all the top brass begs to come and visit
After the grass on the sod farm we save the cuttings and put them in the freezer. Then we sprinkle the cuttings in front of the mound and the worn areas so they look great on TV. Tomorrow plans to be a great day.
The south will rise again.. Georgia can take it to them.
Right now I am the only one in the stadium, sitting here in the dark looking at the moon. It is probably 65 degrees with a slight breeze
August 24th, Friday, the off day…..NOT
While the teams, media, souvenirs, food stands and almost everyone else takes the day off there is no rest for the weary grounds crew. Up early and off to Lamade to pull the tarps before the sun hits them. Then off to Volunteer stadium for 9am crossover games. The crossover games are really cool. The teams who are out sign up to play a team that they have not faced….FOR FUN. The kids have a blast. They are a bit looser on the sub rules and they applaud each others great plays. There were two kids from Maryland who went back to back in the 2nd and then again in the 4th. Even the Saudis clapped and gave them high fives. And then after the game the kids from Saudi got out their little plastic spoons and scooped up dirt to take it home.
Then back to work at Lamade, cutting out turf, making coaches boxes, raking, fixing until…Jeopardy shows up to film some segments for the show. With their lights, cameras, and action. Field Boss Don just cringed as they assaulted the pristine infield. See it is not just me, It is a virus all groundskeepers have. But it did give us a few hours off to wash our uniforms and relax. Then back to the field to edge, cut and wash the infield grass.
After all the work was done another excellent dinner under the trees and good times putting the tarp out again.
All the while Johnathan was riding roller coasters at Hershey Park.
Guess what is really cool? They have really big security guys that throw folks off the field.
Championships tomorrow and high 90s expected. Those Ga boys may have an edge.
Later
Ken
Semi Day at LLWS August 23rd
We awoke this morning to a wonderful treat…HOT STICKY BUNS…with lots of goo and peanut butter icing…better than Krispy Kreme.
I went off to work on Volunteer since we had the international semi finals. I did something I had never done, wash grass so it looked good on TV. And you guys think I am picky.(Editor's Note: Heaven help us all as Ken has been given a new standard)
What an exciting first game as the Latin America team who were clearly stronger committed coaching ERROR #1…To play tomorrow you must win today. The pulled dominant pitching at 19 pitches. Then the walk off by Caribbean team. But the game took a toll on the outfield and one big sloppy mess. Can you say Turface? First we poked big holes with pipes and spread over a ton of the stuff to firm it up. It did ok and the Japan / China Taipei game was a thriller. 10 big innings before another walk off. Victory sounds the same in any language.
And Japan brings their 10 yr old team to shag foul balls and homeruns on the practice field.
Johnathan spent most of the day trading pins and sliding down the hill.
Did I tell you about that Texas hurler. I sat in the well for most of his game and that kid is awesome. He locates and changes speed at will.
How bout Warner Robbins. They were stoked to see the MC here. We share a common foe.
Tomorrow there is fall ball on my field. International vs US crossover games with no scoreboard for teams that are out.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Greetings from Williamsport,
Johnathan and I arrived this morning and were met by an exhausted field crew who were looking for two things….fresh legs and sunshine.
For those of you who don’t know, LLWS has had 3.5 inches of rain since Saturday. They put the tarp out a record of 20 times! (Can you say 12 year old tournament?) They whisked us off for uniforms and credentials. Then off to Volunteer Stadium to see Warner Robbins beat Wahpole. Guess where our seats are? The grounds guys have their own dugout between first base and home plate complete with ESPN feed! The home team players keep coming into our area to watch the replays. Game over, now time to work. I have been taught a whole new level of picky. After the field is hand dragged it is manicured with a soft bristle brush, back-dragged just the right way. They have special wooden rakes that don’t dig the dirt up too deep. Chalk goes out, chalk comes back up for each game. Fresh clay is packed into the mound. We even sweep the grass to make it look just right. The crew chief gave me a big surprise today. Johnathan gets to help us on the field.
Other than work and watching baseball, there is much to do here. There are vendors with all the new cool baseball stuff and collectors galore. Jeff’s son Taylor has been showing Johnathan the ropes in pin trading. There is a collector here who has old MC pins (not Harold).
Then back to prep the fields for the night game. The crowds here are electric. Field repair afterwards. We spent an hour and a half working and cleaning the fields after the games. Hey Troby, we used the blowers to get the water out of the outfield grass just like you! And we got really messy….just like you!
Now it’s time to relax. We’re staying on the grounds just up the hill from the fields. There is a porch on one of the houses that is right where Baseball Tonight is set up. John Kruk wears jeans and tennis shoes below that suit jacket and Dusty (Baker) bopped in for a “beverage” after the show. Johnathan was thrilled with an autographed ball.
Anyway, that’s all for now…..more updates to follow.
By the way, I am trading for Atlanta weather…they need hot and dry, we need cold and wet.
2007 Tournament Reports and Re-Caps
Murphey Candler had a great tournament season going a combined 27-15 (22-10 when they were not playing each other) and won 2 District Championships.
Murphey Candler wins 9 Year Old District 2 Championship!
Murphey Candler wins 8 Year Old District 2 Championship!
2007 12 Year Old Tournament Review
2007 10 Year Old Game Reports
9 Year Old Championship Game Report
The Championship game was filled with high drama, as it featured a rematch between MC Blue and Buckhead Peachtree. Peachtree had given Blue their only loss in pool play. Weatherly took the mound for Blue, as Gebhardt’s pitching had given Blue its semi-final victory just two days earlier.
8 Year Old Championship Game Report
MC Blue 7 MC Gold 6 Murphey Candler wins the District 2 Championship as the Blue team came back against the Gold team to win 7-6 in the home half of the final inning. 8 Year-Old Playoff Game Reports
MC Blue 10 Smyrna Red 5 (June 13) Murphey Candler Blue played perhaps their most balanced game of the tournament on their way to 10-5 victory over a feisty Smyrna Red team and thereby advancing to the Championship Game on Thursday.
MC Gold 5 Buckhead Peachtree 3 (June 13) The boys from Murphey Candler took the field tonight hoping to join their friends from MC Blue in the Championship Game. An Undefeated Buckhead Peachtree- that had won all of their games by the 10 run rule- stood in the way of an all Murphey Candler Final.
Little League sanctions three tournaments:
In addition to sanctioned tournaments, MCLL fields additional teams in District tournaments. Generally, Murphey Candler fields 2 teams in a District tournament for 8 year-olds and 2 teams in a District tournament for 9 year-olds. These teams are selected at the end of the regular season and the tournaments are played in June.
In 2007, Murphey Candler agreed to divide into two divisions for players ages 10, 11, and 12, where each division will field a team for tournament play. Such tournaments allow additional children to experience tournament play.
Tournament Schedule for 2007
Ga. District 2 -
2006 Scores and Highlights
1O Year Old Blue Tournament Re-Cap
Both teams had in incredible tournament by going a combined 7-3 in District 2 play at Murphey Candler Park. Both Teams went undefeated in pool play with the exception of the game they played against each other.
Both Teams also did a great job of representing the park and each other. It was great to see how the entire community supported the boys in their final Murphey-Candler experience as players.
For a review of the teams and results Please click on Murphey Candler American and Murphey Candler National.
Thank you to all the boys for the memories and we know you have great futures in baseball and in life.
WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!!
If you would like to listen to replays of the 12 Year Old games please click on Buckhead Baseball Archived Broadcasts or Murphey-Candler Archived Broadcasts to re-live exciting District 2 Action.
Thank you to Buckhead Baseball, David Wynn, Mike Zowine, Paul Noone, Richard Arno, Jim Delany, Joel Carlton, and John Forte for their help with the webcasts!
MC National 8 Buckhead Peachtree 10 MC National fell in a heartbreaker Buckhead Peachtree 10-8 after leading 6-5 going to the 6th inning. Frdrick Hart pitched a whale of a ball game and was one out away from advancing to the Championship Game. Congrats to all the boys in Gold for a great tournament.
MC National 13 MC American 3 (5) In what has become a habit in every age group, the two Murphey Candler Teams met with their tournament lives on the line.
The Nationals used the strong pitching of Tom Maguire (who threw a complete game with no walks) and defense (making 14 put-outs with no errors) to end the Americans' season after just 5 innings.
While the Boys in Blue are sorry to see their season end, they would like to congratulate the Nationals on a well played game and all the best in the semi-finals. Go Get em MC National Gold!!!
MC American 0 Buckhead-Piedmont 15 (July 1) Buckhead Piedmont played a flawless game today with the baseball exploding off of the bats. They jumped on MC American Blue for 14 runs in the first two innings. Bright spots for the Boys in Blue were, Eli Mercer's continued strong hitting, Will Varalla's strong play at 3rd base, Brendan Abernathy's great play in Left Field, and Matthew DeLorme and Alex Thompson holding Buckhead-Piedmont to 1 run in the final two innings.
MC National 15 Milford 0 (July 1) The National Team rebounded nicely from a tough opening game and shut out the host team with 4 scoreless innings from Frederick Hart. The Boys in Gold were patient at the plate drawing 13 walks while Drew Henry went 3 for 3, Tom Maguire went 2 for 3 to lead the team in hitting.
Tuesday Night will decide which Murphey Candler Team will advance out of Pool A for the right to represent the park in playoff action. Good Luck to both teams. Please come out and support the boys.
MC National 5 Buckhead-Piedmont 15 (June 30) The National Team jumped out to a 5 run lead over Buckhead-Piedmont after one and half innings. The team from Buckhead refused to let the lead get them down and they battled back to take 6-5 lead into the bottom of the 4th inning. Unfortunately for the boys in Gold, the bats from Buckhead exploded for 9 runs and the game ended with a 15-5 score.
MCLL National Gold will get chance to rebound against Milford today July 1st at Milford Park at 5:00.
MC American 14 Milford 2 (June 30) The American Blue team opened play against home team from Milford. Milford jumped out quickly to take the lead 1-0 after a half inning of play. The Boys in Blue battled back and scored 3 runs to lead after an inning.
Milford battled back to cut the lead to 1 and loaded the bases looking for more. The American Blue team stayed poised and was able to keep the score at 3-2 behind great pitching from Joseph Farrar and strong defense, with the highlight being Charlie Trense tracking a ball down in the gap and then firing the ball into the infield keep the runners from tagging.
MC Blue added 3 more runs in the 2nd inning and then exploded for 8 runs in the 3rd. MC Blue then got Milford out 3 up 3 down to end the game after 4 innings by 10 run rule.
MC American takes on Buckhead-Piedmont today July 1 at Milford Park at 1:00.
Please come out and support the boys
Blue started off the game by hitting Buckhead’s pitcher hard and staking itself to a 1-0 lead. But Buckhead put 3 runs on MC in the bottom half of the 1st. Weatherly remained calm and quieted the Buckhead bats. Meanwhile, the Blue offense slugged its way back with solid hitting and aggressive base running, eventually going up 8-3. Buckhead would not go quietly into the night though, scoring a run in the 4th and threatening to do more. With runners at 1st and 3rd and two out in the bottom of 4, a shallow flare hit looked like it would elude the MC defense and result more costly runs. But centerfielder Ransom Klinger raced in to make a diving catch and end the threat. MC scored another run in the top of the 5th to take a 9-4 lead. But Buckhead responded, by posting another 3 runs to make it 9 to 7 after 5. In the 6th reliever Steven Etcher pitched flawlessly, holding Buckhead scoreless and even getting their star hitter to ground out to shortstop Davis Noone to end the game.
Congratulations to the Boys in Blue!
MC Gold jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning with some timely hits and aggressive base running. Some terrific plays on defense by Gold held the Blue team scoreless in the top of the first and it wasn't until the second inning when Blue finally got on the board with their first run.
In the meantime, MC Blue started to ratchet up their defense making play after play to keep the score close. After the first inning, Blue held Gold scoreless in the second and third innings and then erupted for four runs of their own on offense to take their first lead of the game at 5-4 after three innings.
At this point in the game, you could cut the tension with a knife as both coaching staffs knew that this game would inevitably go to the last inning. Both teams came into the game undefeated and during the middle innings, it became evident why, both possessed great defenses.
Gold tied the game in the top of the fourth and then held Blue scoreless in the bottom of the inning so that going into the fifth, the game was tied 5-5. The fifth inning again featured great defense by both teams as they held each other scoreless going into the final inning.
Gold jumped out to a 6-5 lead in the top of the sixth on an RBI by Connor Vierira scoring Riley Spearman. But on what might have been the most important defensive play for Blue during the tournament, William "Bonecrusher" Francis made a tag at home from an Andrew Edwards relay for the final out of the inning.
Big Blue led off the inning with a hit by Jack Bennett to deep left field. The next batter, Will Benston flied out to center setting the stage for Alexander "Hollywood" Bryant, arguably the most prolific hitter in this year's District 2 Tournament. Alexander delivered in heroic style as he nailed the pitched ball over the right center field fence for a walk-off home run to win the tournament for MC Blue 7-6.
Many in attendance were in agreement that both teams played as well as any 8 year olds could be expected to play. Their maturity, focus and effort resulted in Murphey Candler locking up the Championship and Runner-Up spots in games that many of us will remember for a long time. And the best part is that these talented boys from both teams will be playing at Murphey Candler for many more seasons and are sure to leave us with many more thrills.
Congratulations to MC Blue and MC Gold for a great season and District Tournament- The Park could not be prouder of all the players and the coaches!!!!
Big Blue came out with an offensive explosion in the first inning scoring four runs on timely hits by Conner Whitley, John Knight and Andrew Edwards. The defense was again superb during the course of the first several innings. In what has become a trademark for this team, MC Blue held Smyrna scoreless during the first three innings. Shortstop Will Benston made some terrific plays in the second inning and his buddy Danny de Quesada helped the cause with a scoop of a throw to him at first base.
Smyrna was not about to roll over however and came up with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game. The visiting Blue team scored two runs in the top of the fifth when William "Bonecrusher" Francis, Andrew Robertson, Paul Gies, Alexander Bryant and Taylor Potts all singled with two outs. Smyrna though scored one in their half of the fifth inning to make the score 6-5 heading into the last inning.
Since Big Blue seems to thrive on the one run nail-biters, the coaches were confident that their boys would hold that one run lead. What happened next though made everyone breath easier as the boys came out in the sixth inning and pounded the ball for four more important runs. With solid play from pitcher Jack Bennett and third baseman Davis Smith, the Blue defense once again buckled down and shut down the opponent in the sixth. The team took pride all tournament long in holding opponents scoreless in the sixth and last night they did it again to seal the 10-5 victory.
Smyrna Red proved to be a formidable opponent and they should be congratulated for having advanced to the semi-finals.
On to the Championship Game for Big Blue!
Buckhead jumped out quickly on MC Gold and scored the first run in the top of the first. Buckhead was looking for more when the outfield made a great throw to the plate to cut down the next Buckhead runner looking to score. MC Gold tied the game up at 1 in the bottom of the second as Cameron Self slid just outside the throw to the plate. The score remained tied until Grant Summers led off the third inning by hustling out an infield hit. He then pressured the strong Buckhead defense on the bases and eventually ended up safely at third base. MC Gold, led by Jace Kenesa, pounded out 4 runs to lead 5-1 after 3 complete innings. MC Gold would need their gloves and arms to carry them the rest of the way as they would not score again.
Buckhead came out in the final 3 innings with big bats and great gloves knocking nearly every ball into the outfield. In the final innings the "No Ball to the Wall" outfield came up huge! They caught fly balls, made multiple outfield assists, and also got a few force outs at second base! Buckhead scored 2 runs in the 5th to cut the lead to 5-3 and then blanked the Gold team to head to the 6th inning with the top of their order coming to bat. MC Gold quickly got the first out and then Buckhead got back to back hits to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. The next batter hit a laser to center field that was snatched from the air by Grant Summers. With two outs, Riley Spearman caught the final ball hit to seal the win and the first ever District 2 All Murphey Candler Final.
Buckhead Peachtree is a great team and they played hard with great sportsmanship. They should be congratulated for a great tournament and they are a credit to their Park and their families.
2007 8 Year Old Game Reports
MC Blue 8 East Marietta 7 (June 11) The game was everything you would have expected from two undefeated teams. MC Blue fell behind early 1-0, when they brought out the big sticks to storm back score 4 runs with Alexander Bryant adding the exclamation point with cannon shot over the left field wall. East Marietta fought back to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the next inning and held the lead until the bottom of the 4th when great hustle and smart base running led to the final 4 runs that MC Blue would score on the night. East Marietta pulled to within 8-7 with strong hitting and great defense. MC Blue took the field in the 6th inning and with 3 consecutive stellar plays in the infield managed to remain the only undefeated team in their pool. Both teams played extremely hard and literally a bounce of the ball one way or the other could have reversed the outcome of the game. MC Blue would like to congratulate East Marietta team for a well played hard fought game. Please come out and support MC Blue Wednesday night at 6:00 in the Semi-Finals.
MC Blue 11 Ben Hill 0 (June 10) Another defensive gem turned in by Big Blue in an 11-0 win over Ben Hill Blue. The bats came alive scoring four runs each in the first and fourth innings. MC Blue is now 2-0 in pool play and faces an undefeated East Marietta team Monday night at 6:00 for the right to advance out of pool play.
MC Gold 14 Symrna Red 4 (June 10) The Gold team came out smoking with 4 runs in both the first and second innings. The top 3 hitters for the Gold were Conner Viera, Ryan Durham and Andy Wilson as they each went 3 for 3 to lead the offensive juggernaut. The Defense was both excellent and exciting as catcher Jack O'Keefe stood tall at catcher to get two runners out at the plate and Grant Summers, Ryan and Jack O’Keefe combined on one of 3 double plays turned by the Gold. The boys in Gold have assured themselves of a spot in the semi-final game Wednesday, June 13th at 6:00.
MC Gold 9 Milford Blue 8 (June 9) MC Gold led until the 5th inning when the Milford Blue’s bats came alive for 4 runs in the bottom of the 5th to take a 8 - 5 lead. MC Gold would not be denied as Conner Hughes hit a bases clearing double to tie the game. Dylan Cooper drove Connor home to take the lead. The MC Gold "D" came up big to preserve the win, Pitcher Ben Altman was in on two outs to help keep Milford scoreless in the bottom of the 6th.
MC Blue 3 Buckhead Piedmont 2 (June 9) In what was a terrific game for both sides, MC Blue scored a go-ahead run in the third inning and held a good hitting Buckhead team scoreless throughout the final five innings to take the first game of pool play today 3-2. MC Blue's defense was stellar throughout the day with contributions from every position.
For a review of the 8 Year Old Tournament, please check out the Championship Game Edition
Check out Tournament Game Reports for a recap of Semi-Final action!
For a preview of the play off games and pictures from Pool Play, please click on MC Blue Playoff Edition and MC Gold Playoff Edition.
For Team Rosters- Check Out Murphey Candler Blue and Murphey Candler Gold.
Summer Tournament Teams are selected from among Spring season players in accordance with procedures established by either Little League Baseball or the Murphey Candler Board of Directors. To be eligible for a Little League sanctioned tournament, players must live within the league boundaries and be a regular member of a team during league play.
1)
11-12 year old Tournament – team selection in mid-June with the District tournament held in early July. The District winner goes on to the State Championship with a chance for the Southeast Regionals and the Little League World Series.
2)
11 year old Tournament - team selection in mid-June with the District tournament held in early July. The District winner goes on to the State Championship.
3)
10 year old Tournament – team selection in early-June with the District tournament held in late June. The District winner goes on to the State Championship.
7&8 Year Old June 9, 2007 East Marietta
9 Year Old June 16, 2007 Smyrna
9 & 10 Year Old June 30, 2007 Milford
10 & 11 Year Old June 23, 2007 Buckhead
Little League (11/12) July 7, 2007 Murphey Candler Park
State Tournaments
9 & 10 Year Old July 14, 2007 District 2 - Milford
10 & 11 Year Old July 14, 2007 District 8 - Columbus
Little League (11/12) July 21, 2007 District 4 - Brooks