Top 5 Moments of August

September was a month to remember. The Super Series, Micheal Vick and a lot of other things make up the top 5 moments of August.

Number 5 - Phil Rizzuto Dies at 89. The former player and announcer died at 89 year early in August. He was one of the best shortstops in Yankee history, and was a fun announcer known for his catch phrase "Holy Cow".

Number 4 - Little League World Series. It was Georgia and Japan in the final of the LLWS late in August. It was a close game that went into extra innings. When Dalton Carriker came in the 8th, he blasted a ball to right, clearing the fence to win the Little League World Series.

Number 3 - MLB History. In the month of August, lots of stuff happened in the MLB. Tom Glavine got his 300th win of his career, Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th homer, and Barry Bonds hit broke the all-time home run record.

Number 2 - Canada/Russia Super Series For the anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series, Canada and Russia decided to do a series with their juniors. It was supposed to be a close Series, but Canada took the 1st 4 games of the Series and will play in Canada on Tuesday.

Number 1 - Micheal Vick and Dog Fighting. After months of investigations and controversy, Micheal Vick finally pleaded guilty to charges of dog fighting. He will face a minimum of 1 year in jail.

Georgia Wins Second Straight LLWS

My 1st post since last week is definitely an exciting one. Japan and Georgia were playing in the final of the Little League World Series.

The game was very exciting the entire way through. The Japanese got got 2 quick runs during the 1st 2 innings, but Georgia came back getting a 2-run double courtesy of Keaton Allen. From then on, the pitchers took over. Not a run was scored for the rest of regulation, so the game had to go into extra innings.

The 1st 2 1/2 innings of extras were also scoreless, until Georgia's Dalton Carriker came up to the plate in the bottom of the 8th. . The slugger, hitting .769 entering Sunday's game, was 0-for-2 with a walk when he came up in the eighth.

He said a little prayer before settling himself in the batter's box. "God, please give me the strength to get a hit and help my team out," Carriker said in recounting his prayer. He did more than just get a little single or double though. He blasted a pitch to right field that easily cleared the 225 foot fences. As he was rounding the bases, Carriker said he couldn't feel his legs. "I felt like I was flying, like Peter Pan," Carriker said. "I didn't know what I was doing."

It was a bitter end for the Japanese team though, who had ironacly gotten to the big game off a walk-off home run yesterday againstCuracao. Japan manager Youichi Kubo, who managed Japan to the 2001 Little League crown, tried to console his pitcher afterward.

"I told Junsho that when you are a reliever these things can happen," Kubo said through a translator. "I told him that he has a bright future and not to let this homer affect that."

Well no matter how any of this will affect these little leaguers careers, both teams can hold their heads high. Playing in the LLWS Championship Game is a huge accomplishment.

Canada Wins It's LLWS Opener

The Little League World Series started out with a bang yesterday with one of the most dramatic games in recent memory. By today, many people were still buzzing about the play that Michael Rando made, but for a lot of the LLWS teams, they had games to play. One of those teams were Canada, who were playing their 1st game of the tournament against Saudi Arabia.

The Canucks sent 6 foot 2, 200 pound Shaylen Buis to the mound, and started off smoking. His 1st 6 outs were all off strikeouts and took a 5-0 lead into the 5th. But the Saudis equaled Canada's 5 to tie it up and chase Buis out of the game. But Canada's bats were not fazed by the shaky inning.

Parker Stefaniuk and Jackson Temple both homered in the inning, which highlighted the 8 runs the Canucks scored. Canada then shut down Saudi Arabia for their 1st win of the tournament. Temple said his players weren't discouraged despite blowing a five-run lead.

''These guys have been in this position before,'' he said. ''They knew what had to be done. There was no panic. We weren't heading for the lifeboats.''

Canada's next game is Monday afternoon against Japan (1-0), the favourites in Pool D. The Japanese pounded the Caribbean 10-3 in their tournament opener Friday, and if they are not careful against them, they may be heading for the lifeboats after all.

Walpole Wins Little League World Series Opener

When your 12 years old, most kids are getting ready for high school, hanging out with their friends and just being kids. Things are much different for the kids who play sports at a high level.

If you play baseball or hockey at Triple A level, then a lot of pressure is thrust upon you. It becomes more than just a game. Parents and coaches are focused more on winning than their kids, and many kids do this and end up hating the sport. Many of the kids who don't end up hating the sports won't make it in the professional ranks. But there are a select few who fight through the tough times and get a future in their sport. It was obvious to the crowd at the Little League World Series Opener yesterday that Michael Rando is one of those kids.

The Walpole Americans were facing the Great Lakes regional representative West Side of Hamilton, Ohio yesterday. The Americans were down 1-0, heading into the top of the sixth. Through five innings, Great Lakes starter Kyle Cotcamp had allowed just two hits and struck out nine.

But Walpole’s Matt Bender hit a one-out single to right, with P.J. Hayes pinch-running for him. A wild pitch moved Hayes to second, then Great Lakes decided to intentionally walk Adams. Another wild pitch then put both runners in scoring position for Johnny White. White fell behind in the count before working it full. He then stroked one over the left fielder’s head for a double that scored Hayes and Adams. Mike LaVita greeted new pitcher Tyler Richards with a single to move Adams up a base before Sam Falkson laid down a bunt for a base hit that scored White for a key insurance run and a 3-1 lead.

Then, in the bottom of the 6th, John Cornett came up with 1 man on and 2 out. He hit a 226 foot blast to centre fielder Micheal Rando. Rando tracked it and came to the wall. He jumped and stuck his glove out, hoping he would catch it. He did. Before he even touched the ground, he had the ball in his hand, showing it to the amazed crowd. His teammates mobbed him at centre. "I thought I had a chance to rob it," said Rando, still clutching the ball in his hand during postgame interviews. "I knew it was going out, but I thought I had a chance to rob it - so I went back to the fence and I caught it."

"I couldn’t believe it," said Rando.

The victory gives Walpole American (20-1), the New England representative, a 1-0 record in Pool A play - while also handingWest Side its first loss of the summer. Walpole has today off, returning to action tomorrow.

For more on the Little League World Series, see ESPN Little League World Series 2007