The Little League World Series is in full-swing, and we officially have an unexpected controversy on our hands.
South Shore (Staten Island) Little League manager Bob Laterza is known for speaking his mind, and he didn’t hold back when discussing Sunday night’s MLB Little League Classic between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers.
The Staten Island-based team, the only New York squad at Williamsport, was thrilled with their 4-0 victory over Illinois to stay alive in the prestigious tournament.
However, Laterza’s excitement was dampened by what he described as a disappointing encounter with the Yankees.
Laterza’s team had been promised a special meet-and-greet with the Bronx Bombers at the International Grove, where the Little Leaguers are staying.
While a few players, such as DJ LeMahieu and Tim Hill, made an appearance, many of the Yankees’ biggest names did not.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, pitcher Nestor Cortes, and rookie Jasson Dominguez, along with manager Aaron Boone and former outfielder Nick Swisher, eventually met with the team later at Bowman Field.
However, one notable absence stood out…
“Where’s Aaron Judge?” asked Laterza, expressing frustration that the Yankees’ star player didn’t spend time with his young fans.
Despite the team’s busy schedule and focus on the pennant race, Laterza noted that his players were disappointed Judge didn’t acknowledge them, even as they sat close to home plate and called out to him from just a few feet away.
“How about turning around or wave to New York and the kids that think you’re a hero?” Laterza frustratingly stated. “They are the ones who pay your salary.” (That part might be debatable, but we get the point.)
“They were disappointed,” Laterza added. “Maybe he’ll want to make up for it and come and see them.”
Despite the disappointment caused by the Captain, Laterza acknowledged that those Yankees who did show up were “very kind and considerate,” with Gerrit Cole taking time to chat, sign autographs, and share advice with the Little Leaguers before their game.
The South Shore team later watched the MLB game at Bowman Field, a cozy ballpark that seats just 2,366 fans at full capacity, which certainly appeared to be the case on Sunday night.
The evening brought a lighthearted moment when Yankees legend David Cone greeted Laterza, who didn’t immediately recognize the former pitcher.
“He says ‘hey coach Bob, how you doing’? I didn’t know who he was, he knew who I was,” laughed Laterza. “He’s a nice man. Out of place, out of mind, I was like who are you?”
Reflecting on the experience, Laterza said, “It was nice. The stadium was good, it was electric. The game was OK.”
The game was more than “OK.” … After all, it went into extra innings and resulted in a dramatic Tigers win thanks to another blown save by Yankees closer Clay Holmes.
As for the South Shore team, they play again tonight in a must-win game against Florida.
Confident in his squad, Laterza added with a grin, “We’re playing good ball. We’re gonna win another game or two and shake ‘em up a little bit.
“After we win this thing, they ain’t taking pictures with us either. Only Aaron Boone and the guys who showed up!”
Of course, the criticism of Judge is tongue-and-cheek. After all, he did spend time with other Little Leaguers throughout the course of the day. Although you would have thought he’d make sure to check-in with the local boys.
Blame Judge. Blame the Yankees. Blame the PR department …. Either way, we all know Judge is one of the real “good guys” in baseball and certainly didn’t mean any disrespect to anyone, especially the Staten Island kids.
No one would be shocked if Judge sends Laterza’s team a nice little care package.
Having said that, what are your thoughts on Laterza calling out the Captain???