Japan and California have fought their way valiantly to the 2011 Little League World Series Championship, but Mexico and Montana have a reason to cry foul.
Japan and Mexico have each beaten each other once, as have Japan and California. That should mean that a tie breaker is in order, right? After all, in a double-elimination tournament, the format should remain consistent up until the championship, right?
Such is not the case. There is no reward for going undefeated up until the semifinals of the tournament. One game didn't strip Japan or California of a chance to go to the Championship, but Mexico and Montana are sent packing.
It's not fair. If the LLWS is going to be a double-elimination style tournament, it needs to be so up until the Championship. Mexico and Montana got robbed. They've split the series with the teams that have knocked them out of contention, but because of the timing of their losses they are punished.
The whole purpose of a double-elimination format is to ensure that the best team wins. One game shouldn't bar a team from competing. Sure Mexico and Montana dropped the ball in the semifinals, but how do we know that a playoff between both sides would render the same result?
The winner of the loser's bracket on the American and International side should have to beat their opponent twice. Under the current rules, the teams that emerge from the winner's brackets are not properly rewarded for making it to the semifinals unscathed.
California and Japan could still prove to be the best teams to emerge from their brackets, but we'll never know for sure. Two great teams had their LLWS dreams stripped away by one outing.
The championship will crown a winner, but with all four teams who played today having one loss apiece, it's impossible to say that the eventual winner is without a doubt the best team.
Brittany Murphy Brittany Snow Brittny Gastineau Brody Dalle Brooke Burke
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