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By Paul Lilly
For the Mirror
Trivia question: Where is the "Field of Dreams?"
A gold star if you answered Dyersville, Iowa.
But Dyersville, Iowa, isn't the "Field of Dreams" for everyone. Millions of kids around the world would give a different answer.
The "Field of Dreams" for every kid who ever put on a Little League uniform is located in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, home of the Little League World Series.
Williamsport, which reigns as capital of youth baseball for 10 days in August, has hosted the LLWS since 1947. Little League started in Williamsport in 1939.
Little Leaguers have big dreams, and South Williamsport is baseball heaven for them, but only a few ever make it to the biggest stage of their young lives.
Big money doesn't matter to these 11- and 12-year-old kids, just the opportunity to play the game they love at picturesque Lamade Stadium in front of millions of fans watching on television worldwide.
These kids are having fun and making memories. Just look at their faces and witness them scooping dirt from the infield as souvenirs.
Little League Baseball and softball boasts approximately 2.5 million players and 6,500 programs in the United States and 84 countries.
Hollidaysburg joined Little League International in 2016, giving players the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Teams from Hollidaysburg have made strides on the long tournament journey that leads to South Williamsport.
Hollidaysburg claimed district and section banners to advance to the Pennsylvania Little League tournament last month.
In the opening round of the state tournament, Hollidaysburg lost to eventual champion Upper Providence Oaks (Phoenixville), which went on to earn a berth in the LLWS.
Hollidaysburg bowed out of the state tournament by dropping a heartbreaking 8-7 decision in eight innings to Hepburn-Lycoming.
Upper Providence Oaks advanced to the Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, where it cruised past the opposition. Upper Providence Oaks outscored four opponents, 32-8, to win the regional and qualify for the LLWS.
Upper Providence Oaks twice beat perennial power Toms River, New Jersey, in the Mid-Atlantic Regional, where champions from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D. C. competed.
The LLWS was canceled in 2020 for the first time in its 73-year history because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's back but looks a lot different with no international teams and no general public admission.
The tournament started Thursday and will conclude with the championship game on Sunday, August 29. All of the games will be televised by either ESPN or ABC. It's always fun TV.
Little League officials announced earlier this year that it wasn't feasible to bring international teams to the LLWS because of the restrictions caused by the pandemic.
This is the first time since 1975 that international teams aren't in the tournament. Eight United States teams and eight international teams competed in previous tournaments.
The 16-team field remained intact because the top two teams from the eight United States regional tournaments advanced to the LLWS. In the past, only regional champions advanced.
The former United States and international brackets have been named in memory of Baseball Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Tom Seaver. The winners of the Aaron and Seaver brackets will play in the championship game on Sunday, Aug. 29.
Little League officials announced in late July that 3,000 complex access passes would be issued daily for games during the tournament. Seating would be limited to the iconic hillside at Lamade Stadium and the area beyond the outfield fence at Volunteer Stadium.
However, that policy was reversed on August 13 because of the spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the delta variant. Spectators are limited to family and friends of the 16 teams and high-level volunteers.
The fourth annual MLB Little League Classic between the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels will be played Sunday, August 22, at Bowman Field, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters, a member of the first-year MLB Draft League.
Cancellation of the LLWS in 2020 and a scaled back tournament this year is a profound punch in the gut to local businesses.
The annual tournament pumps $35 million to $40 million into the Williamsport area economy, according to Jason Fink of the Williamsport/Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce.
The LLWS is to expand from 16 to 20 teams in 2022. Expansion will add two additional teams from the United States and two international teams.
Hopefully.
Paul Lilly, who supplies the Mirror with a daily sports trivia question, grew up in Lock Haven and started attending the LLWS with his dad at the Original Little League Field in 1957.