Little League World Series 2012: Previewing Day 4 Baseball Action

Every year around this time, the baseball world and sports fans everywhere engulf Williamsport, PA, for the annual Little League World Series, and 2012 has been no different.

With the standard double-elimination format, the excitement around this tournament makes it one of the best parts of every summer. Beside the legitimately great baseball action on the field, seeing the excitement in the faces of these young children makes it worth the watch every time.

If you want to see what unbridled joy looks like, look no further than the little league fields of Williamsport.

All of the action continues Sunday with an amazing array of games with teams from around the world. If you love baseball or you just love watching children’s dreams come true, don’t miss a second of the Day 4 action.

Where: South Williamsport, PA

When: Sunday, Aug. 19 (exact game times below)

Watch: ESPN and ESPN2

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

Full Day 4 Schedule

12 p.m. ET: Canada (Vancouver, British Columbia) vs. Latin America (Aguadulce, Panama)

2 p.m. ET: West (Petaluma, California) vs. Southeast (Goodlettsville, Tennessee)

5 p.m. ET: Southwest (San Antonio, Texas) vs. Great Lakes (New Castle, Indiana)

7 p.m. ET: Japan (Tokyo, Japan) vs. Asia-Pacific (Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei)

What To Keep an Eye On

The History

While many fans don’t think about the history of a league during the actual games, those that have been to Williamsport to view the Little League action know you can’t help but be engulfed by the majesty of the tradition.

Little League baseball was born in Pennsylvania in the 1930s, and with the help of the great people of Williamsport, it has remained a Mecca for everything Little League. Now the sport is as international as any other sport on earth, and that shows through every game.

While you’re watching the action on TV or on your computer, notice the structures and the fields they play within and realize that the main field (Howard J. Lamade Stadium) has been in use since 1959.

It is the Little League equivalent of Wrigley Field or Fenway Park.

Future Sports Stars

While the names and faces change every year, an emphasis on getting to know the young players now is something most fans of the sport want to do. The reason is simple, too: A few of the young players you see on the field today will grow up to be major sports stars.

Don’t believe me?

Look at some of baseball’s biggest stars like Jason Varitek and Gary Sheffield who started on the fields of Williamsport before taking their prowess to the majors. With that said, many young Little Leaguers also become pros in other sports like Chris Drury in the NHL or Matt Cassel in the NFL.

With so much physical skill at such a young age, getting to know the names of these young players will pay off when one of them turns into a major sports star in just a few years. When that happens, you can turn to your loved ones and tell them all about how you saw them play Little League when they were a kid.

Check back for more on the Major League Baseball as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s MLB page to get your fill of all things baseball.

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