Little League vs. MLB

It's that time of the summer again, the Little League World Series is back on ESPN and the nation is drawn to watching little kids play America's pastime. MLB should take notice of the Little League's successes because that's where the big boys are failing.There are two aspects in particular where Little League has done better than MLB - umpiring and broadening the game internationally.

This year, Little League officials have decided to institute expanded replay, with coaches given challenges to decide close plays. It has been used a few times so far, averaging less than one minute to decide the call. Little League has proven usage of replay does not add significantly to the length of game. The officials would rather see the calls made correctly even though coaches rarely argue.

As I've said before, MLB needs to expand replay to encompass other close plays besides only home run calls. It will not ruin the game, it will make it better. Coaches won't be able to argue for minutes, as the replay, as proven by Little League, will take less than one minute. Coaches and players can't argue video evidence. If there is enough evidence in the video footage, the umps can reverse certain calls. If the play is crucial to the outcome of the game, players, umpires, coaches, and fans should want it to be correct.

In addition to umpiring, the international expansion is paramount to the success of Little League. Little League truly has a "World Series" every summer, whereas MLB just holds a league championship. Little League has 80 countries competing for the crown, while MLB has one. Sure, MLB began the World Baseball Classic, but that is slow to gain attention as teams are worried their star players will be injured. Plus, since it's during spring training, players aren't fully ready to play competitively. I still think it would be great to see the "World Series" winner play the Japanese champion.

The Little League definitely has faults though. The most glaring is ensuring players are the age that's listed on their birth certificate. It is clearly difficult to prove a players age from countries where birth certificates can be easily forged. Having older players ruins these games, as skill levels of children just a year or two older are vastly superior.However this does not even compare to MLB's biggest problem, which is PED's.

Overall though, it is fun to watch these Little League games. Even in blowouts, the losing team, while surely disheartened, is seen smiling. MLB should really use some of the finer points of Little League to improve. Obviously MLB is doing good financially, even the Pittsburgh Pirates make money, but change is necessary and could make "The Show" even better.