Voices of Miller and Morgan

Ahhh, it has begun! With ESPN's broadcast of the MLB season opener tonight, and the familiar and comforting voices of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan coming from our TV, I know the sweetest time is upon us.

Never mind that we have had some hail and snow all week, Spring Break no less. Our son attended a two-day baseball camp held at the high school, with most of it indoors. This is baseball in Oregon. And next week begins our local Little League season!

ESPN broadcasted tonight from the new Washington Nationals' ballpark, and it looked spiffy, especially with our new HDTV we splurged on over Christmas :)

Speaking of new ballparks, I wanted to pass on info about the 2008 Diamonds in the Rough contest. The Diamonds in the Rough youth baseball program wants to make sure their baseball fields are in all-star shape too! Former MLB great Tino Martinez, along with Briggs & Stratton, is asking kids ages 7-14 to share how playing baseball or softball has helped them overcome challenges on and off the baseball field.

While I am painfully late in posting about this contest, I still wanted to pass on the website because I just think this is a great promotion. The lack of serviceable ballfields for youngsters is a major problem in many areas. We have also seen a significant increase in the use and cost of fields in the Portland area, and wonder if you are experiencing this where you play?

Good luck to all the teams next week, in new ballparks or treasured, worn-in fields. I honestly believe the memories made in that dirt will last a lifetime!

Little League 2008 -- Let's Get the Party Started!

We are knee-deep in baseball, and mud and even some snow in the metro Portland area today. And yet baseball and softball practices are taking place all around us!

Hello, and welcome to the 2008 version of the Little League Mom. Sadly, my son's LL days are behind us, but not for several of my favorite kids from the neighborhood and from his former teams. So, I plan on plugging away with this blog until I no longer find my car drifting to a ballfield to watch a game of baseball or softball... And I can't see that happening for a while :)

Just a quick recap: I am not affiliated with Little League International. I am happy to report on games I watch, as well as teams and tournaments I hear or read about. I have fun and cheer for both teams. I appreciate your feedback!

Our LL story is a simple one -- the blog was set up to let our out-of-town friends and relatives know about our son's games, and it evolved from there. Readers discovered our struggles during regular season and All-Starts. I shared our local 9-10 All-Stars' run to the State Championship a couple of years ago -- those kids are all 12 years old now. Will they make a run to Williamsport this summer?

I grew up playing Little League Softball at Alpenrose where the LL Softball World Series currently takes place. It is an amazing facility devoted to the pastimes of local children. And yes, it is a working Dairy, but no, the cows are no longer there. But ESPN is there every summer, and girls from all over the world fly in for this simple reason: to play Little League softball.

Hope you are getting some practices and games in where ever you are! Thanks for reading and stay tuned -- the Little League season starts next week around here. Oh yeah, the big boys start next week, too!