How did the Mercer Island Little League All-Star team achieve success. What are the key components of Little League All-Star tournaments. How can young players participate in All-Star competitions. What is the structure of Little League post-season play.
The Rise of Mercer Island’s Little League Champions
In a stunning display of talent and teamwork, the Mercer Island Little League All-Star team clinched the state title, marking a significant milestone in their journey to baseball excellence. This achievement not only highlights the dedication of the young players but also sheds light on the intricate world of Little League All-Star competitions.
Understanding Little League All-Stars: More Than Just a Game
Little League All-Stars represents the pinnacle of youth baseball competition, serving as the gateway to the renowned Little League World Series. But what exactly are All-Stars, and how do they fit into the broader Little League structure?
Defining All-Stars in Little League
All-Stars is the colloquial term for Little League International’s series of post-season tournaments. These competitions showcase the best young talent from local leagues, culminating in the Little League World Series, which captures global attention through ESPN broadcasts.
The Tournament Structure
Little League International supports multiple levels of post-season tournament play, each with specific age restrictions and unique playing rules. The tournament structure typically includes:
- 8-9-10 Tournament
- 9-10-11 Tournament
- Majors Tournament
- Intermediate Tournament
- Junior Tournament
- Senior Tournament
Each level offers young players the opportunity to compete against top talent from other leagues, fostering skill development and sportsmanship.
The Path to All-Star Selection: A Season-Long Journey
Contrary to popular belief, All-Star selection isn’t based on a single tryout. Instead, it’s a comprehensive evaluation process that spans the entire regular season. Why do leagues opt for this approach?
Many leagues, including Kirkland National Little League (KNLL), believe that the entire season serves as a tryout period. This method allows for a more accurate assessment of players’ abilities, as it evaluates performance across multiple games against various levels of competition. It’s considered more reliable than a one-hour test or single-day tryout.
Player Eligibility and Commitment
To be eligible for All-Stars, players must meet specific criteria:
- Fall within the age range of an All-Star level for which their league is registering a tournament team
- Have played at least 60% of their team’s games during the regular season
- Submit an All-Star commitment form by the league’s deadline
- Provide an original birth certificate to verify age
- Offer additional documentation or a School Enrollment Affidavit to verify residency after team selection
Is there a significant time commitment for All-Stars? Indeed, selected players must commit to attending all practices (often held 5-7 days a week) and all tournament games throughout the entire tournament season for their All-Star level. Exceptions are made only for illness, injury with a doctor’s note, or funeral attendance.
The Financial Aspect of All-Star Participation
While the honor of being selected for an All-Star team is priceless, there are some financial considerations for families. How much does All-Star participation typically cost?
Many leagues, like KNLL, do not charge an additional fee for players selected to All-Star teams. The league often provides an All-Star jersey and hat for each team member. However, parents are responsible for acquiring the proper colored pants, socks, and belts to ensure all players have matching uniforms. In some cases, a player’s regular season gear may already meet the requirements, eliminating the need for additional purchases.
It’s important to note that State, Regional, and World Series tournaments are frequently held in locations outside the local area. In such cases, parents are expected to cover travel, food, and lodging expenses for the player and any family members wishing to attend the tournament.
The Role of Districts in Little League All-Stars
Little League operates on a hierarchical structure, with local leagues grouped into districts. For example, Kirkland National Little League is part of District 9. But what exactly is a Little League district, and how does it impact All-Star competitions?
A Little League district is a geographical grouping of local leagues. District 9, for instance, encompasses 14 total charters, including leagues from areas like Bellevue West and Mercer Island. Each charter within the district fields its own All-Star teams to compete in district tournaments.
This district-level competition serves as the first step in the All-Star tournament progression. Winners at the district level advance to sectional, state, and potentially regional competitions, with the ultimate goal of reaching the Little League World Series.
Preparing for All-Star Success: Tips for Young Players
For young baseball players aspiring to make their league’s All-Star team, preparation is key. What steps can players take to increase their chances of selection?
- Consistent Performance: Maintain a high level of play throughout the regular season
- Versatility: Develop skills at multiple positions to increase value to the team
- Positive Attitude: Demonstrate good sportsmanship and teamwork
- Physical Conditioning: Stay in top shape to handle the rigorous All-Star schedule
- Mental Preparation: Work on focus and resilience to handle high-pressure situations
By focusing on these areas, players can not only improve their chances of All-Star selection but also become better overall baseball players.
The Impact of All-Stars on Youth Development
While winning championships like the Mercer Island team is exciting, the All-Star experience offers benefits that extend far beyond the baseball diamond. How does participation in All-Stars contribute to a child’s overall development?
- Leadership Skills: Players learn to step up in high-pressure situations
- Teamwork: Collaboration with top players from across the league fosters advanced team dynamics
- Time Management: Balancing intensive practice schedules with other responsibilities teaches valuable life skills
- Resilience: Facing tough competition helps players develop mental toughness
- Sportsmanship: Interacting with diverse teams promotes respect and fair play
These experiences can have a lasting impact on a child’s character and personal growth, extending well into their adult lives.
Innovations in Little League All-Stars: Adapting to Modern Times
As youth sports continue to evolve, Little League All-Stars has also undergone changes to stay relevant and enhance the experience for players and families. What are some recent innovations in the All-Star program?
Technology Integration
Many leagues now use online platforms for All-Star registration and commitment forms, streamlining the process for families and league administrators. Additionally, some tournaments incorporate advanced statistics tracking and video analysis tools to aid player development.
Expanded Tournament Options
Little League International has introduced new tournament levels and modified existing ones to provide more opportunities for players of various skill levels. This includes the addition of the Intermediate (50/70) division, bridging the gap between traditional Little League and Junior League play.
Enhanced Safety Measures
In response to growing concerns about youth sports safety, Little League has implemented stricter pitch count rules and equipment standards for All-Star tournaments. These measures aim to protect young players from overuse injuries and ensure a safer playing environment.
Inclusion Initiatives
Efforts to make All-Stars more inclusive have led to the expansion of softball tournaments and increased support for adaptive leagues, ensuring that more young athletes have the opportunity to experience high-level competition.
These innovations demonstrate Little League’s commitment to providing a modern, safe, and inclusive All-Star experience for young baseball and softball players.
The Future of Little League All-Stars: Trends and Predictions
As youth sports continue to evolve, what does the future hold for Little League All-Stars? While it’s impossible to predict with certainty, several trends suggest potential directions for the program:
Increased Global Participation
The Little League World Series has already showcased talent from around the globe, but efforts to expand international participation in All-Star tournaments at all levels are likely to continue. This could lead to more diverse competition and cultural exchanges among young players.
Technology-Enhanced Training
As sports science advances, we may see more integration of technology in All-Star preparation and competition. This could include virtual reality training tools, advanced biomechanics analysis, and AI-assisted coaching strategies.
Flexible Tournament Formats
To accommodate changing family schedules and reduce travel burdens, Little League may explore more flexible tournament formats. This could involve regional round-robin events or hybrid online/in-person competitions for certain age groups.
Mental Health Focus
Recognizing the pressures faced by young athletes, future All-Star programs may place greater emphasis on mental health support and stress management techniques. This could include dedicated sports psychologists and mindfulness training as part of the All-Star experience.
Sustainability Initiatives
As environmental concerns grow, Little League may implement sustainability measures in All-Star tournaments. This could involve eco-friendly equipment, reduced travel through virtual events, and partnerships with environmental organizations.
These potential developments could shape the future of Little League All-Stars, ensuring its continued relevance and positive impact on young athletes worldwide.
All-Stars – Kirkland National Little League
At the beginning of May, all coaches of record at Coast and above will be notified that they are eligible to apply for an All-Star manager or coach position and the process for completing that application. Families for all players from Coast and above will receive a direct email for an on-line application to formally state their intentions for All-Stars (yes or no, all eligible levels or some, etc.).
The deadline for coaches and players is May 19th as we need time to process the information with our potential partner for combining teams at All-Stars, Kirkland American and then get our final projections into the District.
2023 All Star FAQ Final
2023 Baseball All Star Selections CLICK HERE
Every year, Little League International concludes each Spring season (Baseball and Softball) with a series of post-season tournaments often referred to as All-Stars. This FAQ covers the most common questions regarding Kirkland National’s involvement and process surrounding All-Stars.
What is All-Stars?
All-Stars is the colloquial term for Little League International’s (LLI) series of post-season tournaments. The Little League World Series, which you may have seen televised on ESPN is one piece of the entire post-season tournament structure.
What is the post-season tournament structure?
Little League International supports many levels of post-season tournament play, each with its own age restrictions and often with different sets of playing rules. The following chart shows which All-Star levels KNLL is eligible to submit tournament teams and their respective tournaments supported by LLI:
| Baseball Tournament | District 9 Start Date | Location (Host) |
| 8-9-10 | June 24 | Hidden Valley (BWLL) |
| 9-10-11 | July 1 | TBD (Issaquah) |
| Majors | July 1 | Everest (KALL) |
| Intermediate | June 10 | Redmond Ridge (RNLL) |
| Junior | June 17 | Island Crest Park (MILL) |
| Senior | June 17 | TBD (TBD) |
District 9 All-Stars – https://www.
llwadistrict9.org/?page_id=3397
What is District 9?
District 9 (D9) is the Little League district into which the KNLL Charter reports. There are 14 total Charters in D9 (i.e Bellevue West, Mercer Island, etc.) and each will field their own All- Star Teams to compete within the district tournament.
Does KNLL Participate in all All-Star levels every year?
KNLL must register and pay tournament fees for each team at each level. In March, KNLL reviews its player registration numbers to determine for which All-Star levels there are a sufficient number of players. The Baseball Division historically registers for all three All-Star levels each year.
How does my child participate in All-Stars?
Each eligible player must submit an All-Star commitment form; DUE BY MAY 16th
Eligible players must be within the age range of an All-Star level for which KNLL is registering a tournament team AND must have played at least 60% of their team’s games during the regular season.
Once they have submitted their form and it is confirmed by the Player Agents that they are eligible for All-Stars, they will be put into the selection pool.
Players shall be able to provide an ORIGINAL birth certificate to verify age. No Copies, No exceptions. Players will be required to provide 3 additional items of documentation or a School Enrollment Affidavit to verify residency after selection to team. No exceptions.
Where do I get a commitment form?
The Commitment form is now an online form – Click Here
When are commitment forms due?
The commitment form must be completed by May 16th.
What is the commitment to All-Stars?
If a player is selected for All-Stars, they must commit to attend all practices (often held 5-7 days a week starting right after roster announcements) and all tournament games throughout the entire tournament season for that All-Star level.
Players are excused for illness, injury with a doctor’s note, or funeral.
What does All-Stars cost?
KNLL does not charge an additional fee if your child is selected onto an All-Star team. However, while KNLL provides an All-Star jersey and hat for each All-Star team player, parents are responsible for acquiring the proper colored pants, socks, and belts such that all players have matching uniforms. In some cases, a player’s regular season pants, socks, and belt may already be the proper color and no additional purchase is necessary.
State, Regional, and World Series tournaments are most often held in locations outside of our County. In such cases, parents are expected to pay for travel, food, and lodging for the player and family members that wish to attend the tournament.
Why doesn’t KNLL hold try outs?
KNLL believes that the entire season is a try out and we assess a player’s performance in real games against other top players across a season of games.
We believe this to be a more accurate assessment than a 1 hour test in an artificial game setting where a child could have one off day remove them from consideration.
Who votes for All Stars?
The managers and coaches of the appropriate aged League vote on the top players within that League based on a set of criteria. The process and criteria for selection are stated in detail within the KNLL Local Rules found on this website.
How are the All-Star team Manager and Coach selected?
Like players, eligible managers and coaches fill out a Manager and Coach Commitment form, sign it, and turn the form into their Division VP. Eligible managers and coaches are those who were entered into the KNLL league management system as one of the three coaches of record for a regular season team AND who have worked in their team’s dugout for at least 60% of the regular season games.
When are All-Star player announcements?
Baseball All-Star announcements will be made at Big Finn Hill Park on May 20th during Fan Fest.
The selections will also be posted at www.kirklandnational.com within 24 hours of the announcement.
Where do I find more information on the Player and Manager Selection process?
You will find all the details on our current selection process for Players, Manager and Coaches in the Kirkland National Little League Local Rules.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to send your questions to [email protected]
Alumni Spotlight
Jim Webster ’70
On April 13th we honored another MIHS alum that has contributed to the program’s success.
From the class of 1970 is Jim Webster!
Jim grew up on MI –playing baseball at age 7 through Little League, Babe Ruth and Senior Babe Ruth league. Jim a catcher from day one and was coached by his Dad until High School. At MIHS he was a 3-year starting catcher under the great MIHS coach, Bernie Averill. Jim was a decorated athlete at MIHS, earning the following awards:
’70 – All Kingco first team, MVP, All-State, Team Captain
’70 – MIHS Hall of Fame – baseball (& football)
’70 – MIHS – Voted “Star Athlete of the Year”
’71 – ’73 – Played baseball and football at Claremont Men’s College
’71 – Coached baseball (called honkball) in the Netherlands
’72 – Coached the MIHS summer league baseball team
And the best is for last from ’76-’87 played for the Roanoke slow pitch team!
Jim continued his sports legacy by having two kids that played lacrosse, football and Cross Country for MIHS.
We are grateful that Jim was able to join us to throw out the first pitch!
Scalzo’s Throw Out First Pitch
Anthony ’16, Grandpa Don, Joe ’08 & Gerry Scalzo ’72 (photo: Debbie Conder)
On March 31st before the Juanita game, we honored several MIHS alumni that have contributed to the program’s success. The cool thing is that they are all from the same Family!
Class of 2016 – Anthony Scalzo
Anthony started off his championship career by being of member of the infamous Little League Northwest Champions that represented Mercer Island in Williamsport at the Little League World Series. He continued playng both baseball and football and capped off his high school career as a valued member of the 2015 State Championship team, the first State Championship baseball team in Islander history.
Anthony is a 2 two time All-Kingco selection as well as All-state in his Junior season for his clutch hitting in the State playoffs.
He is currently attending Gonzaga University and studying business.
Class of 2008 – Joe Scalzo
Joe was a 4-year varsity player for the Islanders from 2005-08. The speedy second basemen led the Kingco league and set the school record in stolen bases in both 2007 and 2008. He hit .500 his senior year, which at the time was the school record as well. Joe was a unanimous All-Kingco selection and selected All State his senior year. He was also selected as the 3A Kingco league representative in the prestigious All-State Baseball Tournament held in Tri-Cities. Joe attended the University of Washington and currently resides in Seattle.
Class of 1972 – Gerry Scalzo
Gerry was from the MIHS class of 1972 and played catcher for three years for the great coach Bernie Averill. He continued to the University of Washington where he caught for the Huskies for three years. Gerry now lives with his family in Snoqualmie.
“Grandpa” Don Scalzo
Grandpa Scalzo sent 7 kids and 7 grandkids through MIHS sports programs.
His grandkids account for 16 All- Kingco Awards, multiple All-state awards, several Kingco and State team title appearances, MIHS Sports Hall of Fame entry, with a few more yet to graduate. If there is a High School game, match or meet Don is probably there.
We thank you guys for the contributions you’ve made to the Mercer Island sports and the community, we were honored to recognized them as part of the MIHS baseball alumni family.
An American teenager figured out the phone number of the head of the Pentagon and interviewed him
Komsomolskaya Pravda
Search results
The young journalist turned out to be very observant, and the Minister of Defense – chatty [transcript]
High school student Teddy Fisher from the American town of Mercer Island got through to the head of the Pentagon, James Mattis. Photo: screen shot of KING-TV 9 video0003
James Mattis recently gave perhaps the most non-standard interview of his life. For 45 minutes he spoke with a correspondent from The Islander newspaper.
What is unusual here is that this media is produced by a simple American school in Washington, and the journalist himself is a middle school student.
An American boy, Teddy Fisher, who was the interviewer, once saw a photograph on the website of the Washington Post newspaper, which showed a bodyguard of President Donald Trump with a sheaf of papers. On one of them, an attentive teenager saw the name of the US Secretary of Defense and his telephone number. The picture was published in May, and later the newspaper deleted it. But Teddy managed to write down the cherished figures and sent an SMS to the head of the Pentagon asking for help in preparing an article on American foreign policy. The minister agreed to give an interview to the school newspaper and, having agreed on a time, he called Fischer himself, answering his questions.
Teddy Fisher first wrote a message asking for an interview with the school newspaper. Photo: video screenshot KING-TV
The interview itself looks somewhat naive in the style of “a little son came to his father”, but there are several passages in it that well reveal the style of thinking of the head of the Pentagon.
Komsomolskaya Pravda cites some excerpts from the conversation between Mattis and Fischer.
Fisher:
– In your opinion, what subjects should high school students study in order to better understand politics?
Mattis:
– Well, I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’ll say that whether you want to do business, international relations or domestic politics, I think it doesn’t hurt to study history anyway. I say this because there is nothing new under the sun.
Human aspirations, dreams, living conditions and problems are connected with the fact that we are social animals, not hermits, but beings interacting with each other, no matter where – in the school, neighborhood, district, state, country, on a global level. History will not give all the answers, but it will prompt the right questions, show how other people successfully or unsuccessfully coped with the same problems. If I knew, looking back now, what awaits me in life, I would pay more attention to history.
Fisher:
– What advice would you give to today’s schoolchildren who are scared by what they see on TV and worried about the future of their country?
Mattis:
– The most important thing is to be involved, to participate. You will be brave when you start participating. You will become confident, make acquaintances with people, some of whom will agree with you, and some of them will not, and as a result, it will expand your perspectives. Having done this, especially if you study history at the same time, you will realize that our country has gone through the worst times and you will understand how our predecessors did it.
Fisher:
– What will be the future of American military power and conflict for my peers who enter the military?
Mattis:
– I think there will be two important points. On the one hand, it will be more difficult for them. The fundamental foundations of the war were described by Thucydides, who wrote the first historical work on the war.
He wrote that war is fear, honor and interest, and all this is still the same. What Thucydides wrote about 3,000 years ago is still relevant to people. That’s what I said, referring to the study of history.
But technology and the way wars are fought are like chameleons, they are constantly changing. But wars are also filled with fear and courage, cowardice and duplicity, betrayal and frankness, honesty and confusion. It’s underlying and predictable. So mix new technologies and mass consciousness and the result is victory or defeat.
Definitely in the wars of the future there will be such aspects as near space and cyberspace, which were not there before. We fought on our planet mostly on the ground until war fleets came into power about a hundred years ago. Then came the Air Force’s turn, and in the last 10 years we’ve added space and computers. So it will be a very difficult situation. The Americans will no longer have superior weapon accuracy due to the spread of technology, so we will operate in a very competitive environment and see if we can grow enough Americans to take risks and inconvenience.
For now, we don’t have to lower our selection standards for military service, because many volunteers continue to join our ranks even without a draft system.
Pentagon chief James Mattis agreed to be interviewed by the school newspaperPhoto: EAST NEWS
Fisher
– When you were a candidate for secretary of defense, you said that the military should be “more deadly”, but what role does diplomacy play in the matter relations with foreign powers?
Mattis:
– In our imperfect world, you can make your country’s diplomats listen by backing them up with brute force. But it must be clearly stated that foreign policy is carried out by diplomats, not by the military. I meet Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for breakfast once a week to advise him on military matters, but I don’t think defense should take precedence over diplomacy.
Fisher:
– How will the US help rebuild the Arab countries after the “Islamic State” (banned in Russia) is defeated? How will Washington avoid a power vacuum?
Mattis:
– Let’s talk about your thesis first, Teddy.
Secretary Tillerson participated two months ago in a conference in Washington on defeating ISIS, where I spoke on military aspects. It was attended by representatives of 65 countries, Interpol, the EU, the League of Arab States. The point is that Americans don’t have to do everything alone. There are many countries that say: if you lead this process, then we will participate. For example, we have funds allocated by the Sunni Arab states in the amount of several billion dollars.
Americans can lead in the organizational realm because many countries don’t trust each other the way they trust America, no matter what the papers say now. Nearly 85 percent of our time in counter-IS meetings is not spent discussing military issues, but talking about how to prevent new groups from emerging. And this will be an international effort, and we will join in, as it was after the Second World War under the Marshall Plan, when America, three years after we defeated the Nazis in Germany and Japan, helped to rebuild the affected countries.
Look at us today, when Berlin and Tokyo are our two strongest allies in the UN, NATO and the Pacific.
Fisher:
– How can the US defeat ideology?
Mattis:
– I think education is the most important thing in this process, although economic opportunities are also needed. On education, I sometimes think how much better the world would be if we invested in education in countries where there are ideological problems, where ideologies are saturated with violence. I wonder what will happen if we pay for schoolchildren in such countries to come to the US for one year, and not just once, but 10 years in a row. From any school, whether it’s in Afghanistan or Syria or anywhere else that could send a girl or boy for a year to Mercer Island (the Washington county where Teddy Fisher lives), Tapeka, Kansas, or somewhere else. anything.
Fisher:
– Are there any players in Syria who support Assad?
Mattis:
– No.
The only reason Assad is still in power is Russia’s diplomatic veto, Iran’s military power, and now the Russian military presence. Without these two components, the Syrian people would have overthrown him five years ago.
Fisher:
– Why do they support him?
Mattis:
– There are many reasons. One is that Russia has military bases in Syria and a defense relationship that has been going on for 30-40 years. The other is that Russia has now chosen the path of strategic rivalry with NATO and the United States, and the region where they can compete quite openly between the Russian and American military spheres, although we maintain contact with each other and try to avoid clashes during operations.
Full interview
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Star Ratings
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Review score
Excellent: 9+
Very good: 8+
Good: 7+
Fairly good: 6+
Our recommendations
Lowest price at the beginning
Number of stars and price
Rating + number of reviews
Bellwether House
org/PostalAddress”>Savannah City Centre, Savannah (0.3 miles from The Mercer Williams House Museum)
Located in Savannah, 400 meters from Monterey Square and 400 meters from the centre, Bellwether House provides air-conditioned accommodation with free WiFi, and a terrace.
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9.6
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€ 192
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The Inn on West Liberty
Savannah City Centre, Savannah (0.3 miles from The Mercer Williams House Museum)
The Inn on West Liberty is located 300 meters from Madison Square. The property offers a shared lounge, a garden and room service.
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9.5
Superb
170 reviews
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€263
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The Gastonian, Historic Inns of Savannah Collection
org/PostalAddress”>Savannah City Centre, Savannah (0.3 miles from The Mercer Williams House Museum)
This 4-star bed and breakfast is located in Savannah, 2 blocks from Forsyth Park.
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9.5
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174 reviews
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€259
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McMillan Inn
Savannah City Centre, Savannah (0.3 miles from The Mercer Williams House Museum)
McMillan Inn B&B is located in Savannah, 600 meters from Lafayette Square and 600 meters from Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
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9.4
Superb
309 reviews
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€196
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Perry Lane Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Savannah
Hotel in Savannah City Centre, Savannah
(0.
