Local coaches share thoughts on LL World Series

While there are no local teams in this year’s Little League World Series, that doesn’t mean North Shore coaches in both baseball and softball have stayed away from watching the games.”I’m watching, I’m loving it,” Swampscott coach Lou Olivieri said. “It’s pretty cool.”The US and international finals will take place on Saturday and the world championship is set for Sunday at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pa. There have been plenty of memorable teams and moments leading up to the last few rounds.”It’s awesome baseball, just awesome,” Olivieri said. “Anytime the Pennsylvania team plays, they come right at you. They play hard.”Pine Hill/West Lynn softball manager Dom DiCenso was watching on TV when Pennsylvania defeated Warner Robins, Ga., Tuesday (“pretty impressive”) and also had high praise for the team from Huntington Beach, Calif.”They’re pretty tough,” he said. “They look like the best team.”California will play Montana in the US final.In the international final, it will be Hamamatsu City, Japan, going up against Mexicali, Mexico. Wyoma softball manager Don Hamill saw the teams’ first go-round, a 3-2, 7-inning Mexico win on Sunday. He was intrigued by the use of instant replay in that game.”I wonder if the major leagues will use it (for things) more than home runs,” he said.Olivieri also marveled that the ace of the Mexicali, Mexico team “threw 70-some pitches through seven innings pitched.””I like Little League baseball because they play in 2-hour chunks,” Olivieri said. “You play at this level of the game, you’re real efficient. Kids are making plays, 1 through 9, 1 through 13. It’s almost the perfection I like.”The struggle to make the perfect play can cause some pressure, as can the tournament play in general. DiCenso, however, said that in his experience, it’s the grownups who suffer more than the kids.”When we got into the tournament in girls softball this year, the girls seemed to be relaxed,” he said. “They would forget the results quicker than the coaches or parents. They would be thinking about whose house to sleep over and what to do tomorrow.”Of course, he noted, “(Tuesday) night in Pennsylvania there were 30,000 people. We were in front of 75, and 74 are parents. I’m sure it’s a little different on a large stage.”Oliveri said that there is also an element of hope in tournament play in general.”Al Duratti (the late Swampscott Little League coach who died in July) said, ‘Why not us?'” Olivieri recalled. “You’ve got a ticket in the game, essentially ? We could do it if we keep winning.”Earlier this month, the Little League softball World Series wrapped up with Illinois being crowned as the champion in Portland, Ore. Hamill, whose Wyoma team reached the East Regional round in Bristol, got to see another World Series team play.”I knew at Bristol that they were the team to beat,” Hamill said. “They did not have as much luck in Portland.”He added, “Knowing how good they were, and how good they needed to be to compete in Portland ? there’s a lot of good teams out there then. You go from being a good team in the regionals, you go out to Portland and everyone’s top-notch out there.”