Colonie and Rotterdam Little League to Battle in NYS Championship

Ever since I was a kid, I had a fascination with the Little League World Series.  I remember being around 11 or 12-years-old and playing for the National Little League All-Star team thinking that maybe we had a chance to play in Williamsport, PA in front of 30,000 fans and a national TV audience.  But it wasn't meant to be; our hopes and dreams squashed by a much better Colonie team.  Still though, I would watch as many of the Little League World Series games on TV as I could, rooting for the American squad, but jealous that my Albany crew wasn't there.

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While my time came and went decades upon decades ago, my mini-obsession with local little League All-Star teams hasn't waivered all that much and this time of year, I start looking  for local Little League teams that are still playing for their shot a World Series stardom later this summer.

Two area 12U All-Star teams still have hopes of playing in Williamsport, each team a handful of wins away from doing so, but the path to glory won't be easy.  Standing in each other's way, ironically enough, is each other.

Of the eight teams remaining with a chance to represent New York in the Mid-Atlantic Championships, Carman-Rotterdam and Colonie Little League are two of them.

Both teams will be rested and ready to roll when they play one another in the first round of the double-elimination tournament held in Penfield, NY.  Gametime is set for 5:30PM on Tuesday.  

While facing one another might not be optimal, a loss by either team doesn't necessarily mean doom and gloom. This is a double elimination tournament meaning that a  team must lose twice in order for their season to be over.

Before that happens, let's hope that one of our area teams makes it out of the tournament as New York Champions, one step closer (and one more regional away) from playing in the real-life "Field of Dreams" at the Little League World Series.