It’s that time of year again, and the 2009 Little League World Series is in full swing.  As usual, the event is receiving huge amounts of television coverage from ABC/ESPN.  All-Star teams from all over the world faced overwhelming odds to make the annual pilgrimmage to Williamsport, PA.  Most of these kids are eleven and twelve years old, and are the best baseball players representing various regions of the world.  The LLWS enjoys a large viewing audience, many of whom aren’t necessarily big baseball fans.  The big attraction is the joy and curiosity of watching these young kids deal with all sorts of competitive adversity on a world stage.  It’s great to watch the coaches work with the players to keep it fun.  Win or lose, it’s an amazing accomplishment to make it to Williamsport.  Wouldn’t it be great if ESPN were to provide at least some modest coverage for boys’ gymnastics?  Every year the best club gymnasts in the country, ages 11 through 18, qualify for and compete at the JO Nationals.  We’re willing to bet this event would draw a surprisingly sizable viewing audience, tuning in for many of the same reasons people watch the little leaguers.

We got a big kick out of a recent post over at the Live Fit Blog. Entitled "The Bar-Barian Bodyweight Workouts, the post links to some cool YouTube videos of guys doing some impressive workouts on playground equipment in Brooklyn, NY.  The group was founded by a group of five men who call themselves the "Bar-Core."  Anybody who wishes to be a Bar-Barian must advance through a rigorous ranking process where the ruling Bar-Core must unanimously agree on their ranking status.  The Bar-Barians have their own impressive website. Obviously, their workout routines are heavily influenced by gymnastics.

We’re beating a dead horse here, but what’s it going to take to webcast future JO Nationals and VISA junior competitions?  The technology is cheap and available, and there would be no problem finding volunteers to man the cameras and to provide commentary.  Let’s do it!

A true giant in the sport of men’s gymnastics, Mark Williams, passed away at the age of 59 on August 22 after a long battle with cancer.  Williams’ prolific coaching and judging career spanned four decades.  He was a National Apparatus Leader on pommel horse, vault and parallel bars.  It was a shame that he wasn’t able to judge pommel horse at the recent U.S. Championships, which were held for the first time in his hometown of Dallas.

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