As the summer wears on, it’s getting to be about that time when Little Leaguers take center stage in states across America. The good news is that Aquidneck Island has two very good teams who will be vying for a spot in the state’s final four, then perhaps a trip to Bristol, Conn., for the New England Regional.
The bad news is, only one of those teams will have a chance to make it. The 11-12-year-old All-Stars from Portsmouth and Middletown will meet tonight at 5:45 at the Aquidneck School Field in a District 2 winners’ bracket game.
Additionally, the Middletown 11-12 All-Stars have already won the District 2 title, beating Barrington 14-7 in the final, and begins the state tournament, which pits the four district teams against one another, on Saturday in Westerly. In Portsmouth, the 9-10 softball team hosts East Providence tonight for the District 2 crown.
Good luck to all the teams as they progress through their respective tournaments.
Speaking of Little League, the Fifth Ward Little League will host the national youth team from Ireland on July 24 at 11 a.m., at King’s Park in Newport. The game is in conjunction with the country’s national team playing the Sunset League All-Stars later in the day at Cardines Field.
The Irish national team is playing a number of games in New England, beginning on Sunday in Boston. The youth team is staying in Rhode Island, playing most of its games at Wilson Park in North Kingstown.
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2 comments:
Great coverage of Little League Baseball in your 7/20 sports section. Great pics by your staff photographer, and a great article (with interviews!) by your staff writer.
Now that we know what kind of coverage you can give to youth sports when you try, have you ever heard of Little League Softball? How Middletown's 11/12 girls went undefeated through the District 2 playoffs? How they knocked out Cumberland at the states? How they're one of three teams left standing alongside Westerly and Cranston who are fighting for the state championship?
I'm sure your paper has all kinds of excuses as to why you can't or won't give comparable coverage to the girls, but none of them matter. The girls, their parents, their friends, and their fans have proof in full color and above the fold that the Newport Daily News considers Little League Baseball worthy of attention, while Little League Softball is unworthy: after all, it's just girls.
Well done, NDN.
Anonymous, it turns out we have heard of Little League softball, and if you read Monday's edition of The Daily News, you would have read all about the two games they played during the weekend.
No, there weren't pictures. No there weren't interviews. The Little League baseball game we covered on Monday was a local game between two local teams with a district title on the line. Had it been the other way around, and the softball team had two local teams in a local game, you would have seen the same thing.
I received plenty of e-mails today from Middletown residents. About how our coverage of this team has been "non-existent."
Just how non-existent? Since the start of April, not one week has gone by where The Daily News hasn't printed the results of every Middletown game. From Gaudet Middle School to house leagues to district games. Every single result that has come through our desk has reached the paper.
If there's one thing I've learned from this business in 10 years, it's that you can never do enough to satisfy everyone. I understand that you likely have a daughter, or a niece on that team, and that's why you're writing - anonymously. I understand that your “Well done” remark is sarcastic, but I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that the sports section prints the names of more than 200 local athletes in any given week. Including those playing Middletown softball.
And to say the NDN sports staff doesn't care, because it's "just girls," you're simply grasping at straws. If it were true, we wouldn't have gone to great lengths to cover Middletown's high school softball team, which has experienced great success the last three seasons. Suffice to say, it might be the team we've covered the most in during the spring the last three years.
Proof, in full color and above the fold, that girls are worthy. If you’d like to talk to me about this over the phone, feel free to call 401-380-2356.
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