National Division First Round
Knights at Red Wings
Sunday, June 5 2:00-4:00 PM
Eliot
If the Red Wings win...
Practice
Tuesday, June 7 6:00 PM
Eliot
National Division Semi-Finals
Hot Rods or Iron Pigs at Red Wings
Friday, June 10 6:00 PM
Eliot
If the Red Wings win...
Practice
Saturday, June 11 12:00-2:00 PM
Eliot
National Division Championship Game
??? at Red Wings
Monday, June 13 6:00 PM
Eliot
If the Red Wings win...
Practices
Two or three nights between Tuesday, June 14 and Friday, June 17 5:30-7:30 PM
Eliot
Little League AA Championship Game
??? at Red Wings
Saturday, June 18 6:00 PM
Greene's
If the Red Wings win...
March in 4th of July Parade
There will also be a AA All-Star Game Monday, June 20 6:00 PM at Greene's.
Very important note: I am putting this scenario out there only to provide some advanced notice to help families with scheduling and planning. I do not want the boys to be talking or even thinking about the AA Championship Game, the 4th of July Parade or even our first round game right now. That would be getting way, way ahead of ourselves. The Red Wings are a good team and we've had a successful regular season, but there are lots of other good teams who have had successful regular seasons. And there are always a few surprises in the playoffs--teams that did not seem very strong suddenly start to come together and play at a different level in the playoffs. We should take nothing for granted. We could very easily lose in the first round. If we do, I will be perfectly happy with the way this season has gone. We've had a lot of fun, learned a lot, made new friends--everything that Little League baseball is about. The playoffs, as far as I'm concerned, are icing on the cake. The games are more competitive in the playoffs, and the players get more intense--I won't pretend otherwise--but it still has to be about fun. That's the only reason we play this game.
So, whenever the opportunity arises, please try to manage the boys' hype and expectations around the playoffs. For example, when Tom says, "Dad, we're going to dominate the playoffs!" I usually say something like this: "There are lots of good teams just like us, some that have improved a lot since we played them, and some excellent teams we didn't play yet. We'll work hard, do our best, and have fun with it. If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose. Who cares. I'm just glad we get to play some more baseball." Mostly, I want to avoid setting the guys up for a major disappointment if we lose and keep them focused on what's most important: work hard, do your best, have fun.
