Little League, Big Dreams
Inside the Hope, The Hype, and the Glory of the Greatest World Series Ever Played
About the Author
Charles Euchner is the author and editor of seven books, a former college professor, city planner and journalist. His books include: The Last Nine Innings, Playing the Field: Why Sports Teams Move and Cities Fight to Keep Them and The Umpire's Handbook. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.
“Even those with only a passing interest in baseball will be intrigued by this fascinating look at Little League… its unsparing look at the harsh reality of youth sports just might pique the interest of parents…”
Publishers Weekly Review
In 2001, the scandal surrounding Danny Almonte—the champion Little League No-hit pitcher, who was exposed as a cheater for lying about his age—captured national attention and struck a chord in American society. Since then, Little League baseball has become a multi-billion dollar national and global phenomenon. But is that a good thing?
Commercialism, exploitation, corporate interest, and national media pressure are stark realities in the NFL, NBA and MLB…should they be realities in Little League baseball too?
Little League, Big Dreams, by Charles Euchner, is an intimate and surprising look at what has become the
world's most famous youth sporting event: The Little League World Series. Its portrait is woven into the backdrop of the most dramatic Little League World Series
in its 60-year history: The 2005 Championship between Hawaii and Curacao, which ended with an internationally-televised, walk-off homerun in extra innings.
One part Spellbound and one part Friday Night Lights, Little League, Big Dreams is not only relevant for parents and kids involved in Little League, it’s relevant for anyone who has ever watched children’s sport, and equated it to the joy and innocence of childhood in America.
Just a kid’s game? Did you know…
- An estimated 400,000 spectators watched the Little League
World Series Tournament live.
- Corporate sponsorships now run into the TENS OF MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS, rivaling that of professional sports.
- An estimated 5 million households watched the 2005 Little
League World Series on TV, surpassing the Nielsen ratings
for Major League Baseball games airing the same week.
- The players are between 10 and 12 years old.
Notable Little League Quotables
“Years ago, when I was playing on those dusty Little League Fields in west Texas, I never dreamed I’d be President of the United States…One of the things I did dream about, though, was making it to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the Little League World Series…I equate Little League Baseball with good families.”
President George. W. Bush
Little League World Series Remarks
Aug., 2001
“I’ve always marveled at how Little League is America’s great ambassador of good will.”
Former President George H.W. Bush
“Little League was my first, and best, exposure to organized sports. I learned a lot: What it feels like to have to perform under pressure; how to be part of, and have obligations to, a team; how to win and how to lose."
Dave Barry
Pulitzer Prize Winning Columnist
“Little League was a great period in my life. We never won a championship, but we tried real hard. I guess that’s what Little League is all about: Trying"
Nolan Ryan
Hall of Fame Pitcher
"Over time I learned if I wanted to play, I had to go to practice and practice on my own, and do all the things I needed to be successful. I’ve got to believe that the young people today are learning that.”
Marine Gen. Peter Pace
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
“Probably the most important lessons I learned in Little League were to be a good loser and a graceful winner; to put the team effort ahead of personal goals; and to put 100 percent of myself into every game and practice.”
Bill Bradley
Basketball Hall of Famer
Rhodes Scholar
Former US Senator
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