I've Officially Seen It All

Thanks to the Wall Street Journal's Daily Fix for this incredible news story. Apparently during one of yesterday's Little League regional championship games, Colchester (Vermont) led Portsmouth (NH) 9-7 as the game entered its sixth and final inning, with the losing team (Portsmouth) leading off the sixth trying to tie the game.

Normally, the winning home team would try to force three outs and end the game, advancing then to Williamsport to participate in the glorious Little League World Series. However, as Colchester took to the field, their manager realized that one of his players had not yet taken his mandatory turn at the plate, and if the game ended after the top of the sixth with his team winning, then the game would be over, his kid would not bat, and they would be eligibile for a forfeit loss for violating the rules of the game. What transpired, I'll leave to the guys at the Daily Fix to describe, and I can honestly say that I never in my wildest dreams envisioned such a bizarre scenario.

When you are done, consider whether Phil Garner's true calling may eventually be in the upper echelons of Little League, where he would be required to tinker and tweak with his lineup or else be in violation of the rules of the game.