District 42 Monster Ready To Rumble

(King of Little League monsters. Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers.)

Will the three-headed monster prevail? Or, will a monster-slayer emerge? We shall soon learn the answers. This Saturday, California District 42 kicks off its Little League all-stars tournament. Eight of the Southwestern San Diego County district’s nine leagues will reportedly compete in the tourney. The teams will duel in a double-elimination format. Games will continue next week.

Three of those leagues account for the past 11 District 42 titles. They are current champion Park View Little League of Chula Vista, its Chula Vista rival Eastlake Little League, and Eastlake’s close neighbor Sweetwater Valley Little League of Bonita. Since 2013, each of them advanced to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA. Oddly, the three elite leagues border each other. As such, I refer to those powerhouses as the three-headed monster.

Let us describe the situation differently. The road to the District 42 championship leads through that trio. For another team to win the title, it must slay the three-headed beast. Doing so poses a daunting challenge even for a squad theoretically led by Captain Ahab himself. The last platoon to harpoon the monster was Chula Vista’s South Bay Little League. That was back in 2007.

Little League baseball fever.

However, that arguably happened before the beast awakened. In 2009, Park View won the Little League World Series. Then, everything changed. Baseball fever quickly ripped through that area. Enrollment at its neighborhood Little Leagues reportedly ballooned. According to multiple local sources close to CaliSports News, many children living within the monster’s geographical boundaries started playing baseball seemingly every day of the year. For hours each day.

The common pursuit became to win a world championship. Park View demonstrated reaching that goal was within local ballplayers’ grasps. “Park View winning it all started a buzz,” noted one observer. “The younger kids were like, ‘if the older kids could do it, then we can do it.'”

Because of Little League’s overlapping divisions, many Chula Vista-area children soon joined two teams simultaneously. Some kids also signed up for ball clubs organized outside of Little League in what is termed as travel ball. Playing for multiple teams year-round provided extra chances for polishing skills. As a result, that area’s young players developed faster within their sport. In addition, parents often hired private baseball tutors. What resulted from the hard work?

Well, only four years after Park View’s inspiring run, Eastlake followed suit. It too won a national title, and played in a world championship game. Just imagine that. Two adjoining leagues each won a United States crown within four years of each other. That is when the Greater Chula Vista community earned its nickname as the Little League Capital of America. It created a monster.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

Two years after Eastlake’s run, Sweetwater Valley made its own pilgrimage to S. Williamsport. In 2016, Park View reached the World Series again. Since then, baseball fever remains strong as ever. Throughout the monster’s neighborhoods, kids spend countless hours taking instruction. The young sluggers work hard on their swings. Some virtually live inside batting cages. Practice makes perfect. If that saying holds true, then many all-stars competing in District 42 flirt with perfection. To know with certainty, CSN reached out to this year’s managers for their input.

According to Sweetwater Valley Manager Ward Lannom, the above paragraph is correct. Except, he pointed out that only “perfect practice makes perfect.” Lannom elaborated: “When working on a swing, taking 500 cuts, but not taking those 500 the correct way” only creates or worsens a bad habit. Other than that, the manager agreed with CSN’s version of the monster’s history.

Fierce competition.

Park View Manager Dennis Díaz told CaliSports News that the Greater Chula Vista youth baseball community produces fierce competition. Eastlake Manager Shane Stroberg agreed.

Stroberg said, “It does not matter who you draw for that first game. In District 42, you must come to play. Top to bottom some of the best baseball in California comes out of District 42 and the South Bay. Teams down here are always strong.” Even ones outside of the monster’s borders.

Of the five District 42 leagues hoping to slay the monster, two reside in Chula Vista. They are Chula Vista American Little League and Chula Vista National Little League. South Bay reportedly withdrew from the tournament. Two more of the five reside in South San Diego. They are Luckie Waller Little League and Southwest Little League. The fifth hopeful is Imperial Beach Little League in Imperial Beach. Do any of those five competitors own a fighting chance?

Who wants to slay the monster?

Well, Chula Vista American won this month’s District 42 Tournament Of Champions (TOC). To some observers, the TOC foreshadows the all-stars tourney’s results. If they are correct, then Chula Vista American has a fighting chance. CSN sources lauded CVA’s Shane Miranda. He was reportedly a TOC standout. Miranda will represent CVA during the upcoming tournament.

However, this sportswriter learned the hard way that past results often serve as poor indicators for predicting the future. For instance, even after a league wins the District 42 title for 11-year-old all-stars. Nothing guarantees a championship when those players turn 12. Anything can happen.

“Anybody can beat anyone,” Lannom told CSN. “You gotta be good. But, you gotta be more lucky than good.” Picking the champion becomes a craps shoot. Stroberg explained, “it’s going to come down to which way the ball bounces.” Lannom and Díaz each agreed. There you go. It’s unanimous. CaliSports News will report which way that ball bounces. Until then, stay tuned !!

Returning champions.

I mentioned 11-year-old champions that return at age 12. Last year, Sweetwater Valley won the District 42 title for 11-year-olds. Now as 12-year-olds, can those same boys repeat as champs?

According to CSN sources, Sweetwater Valley features two particularly dominant players. They are Ethan Otero and Kapono Nakanelua. Both of them led last year’s 11-year-old squad. During this year’s TOC, Otero reportedly hit a baseball into outer space. CSN learned that the home run ball landed near the top of the tall hill just beyond Sweetwater Valley’s center field wall. A witness described Otero’s blast as “one of the deepest long balls I have seen hit at Sweetwater Valley.”

CSN reported that eyewitness account to Lannom. Sweetwater Valley’s manager replied with his own praise. “Ethan is probably six-foot-plus. He’s got a lot of power,” Lannom told CSN.

Rise to the occasion.

During that same TOC game, Nakanelua reportedly pitched a gem. A source told CSN: “He threw hard with pinpoint accuracy. His fastball/off speed combo yielded many strikeouts.” CaliSports News shared that info with Lannom. Sweetwater Valley’s skipper responded: “Kapono is one of our top three or four pitchers. We have a few number ones which makes it nice.” Lannom explained that time will reveal which pitcher proves to be the true number one.

“There are kids that rise to the occasion,” he told CSN. “They want to be on the big stage, in front of a big crowd, in a big situation. They enter the game, throw a bullet, and get the final out. All-stars separates that guy. When the tournament begins, we’ll see who rises to the occasion.”

Finding out should be interesting. In all, District 42 promises to entertain. As Stroberg told CaliSports News, “It should be a good tournament.” Until then, Let’s Go SoCal !!

Where are they now?

It is time for the popular segment called, Where Are They Now? As mentioned, Park View holds District 42’s current pennant. Well, congratulations to Joseph Anderson, Jordan Bleisch, Matt Bjornstad, Iván Rodríguez, and Michael Rodríguez !! The five played on District 42’s pennant winner, and Park View named each of those grads from Majors to its 2019 Juniors all-stars team!

Finally, CaliSports News’ Director of Little League thanks his many great connections made within the Little League community of Greater Chula Vista. I am blessed with fantastic people assisting me, and feeding to me information. Thanks to all. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Any way the ball bounces …

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