SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT -- With the Little League World Series going on, the spotlight is shining quite brightly on Williamsport right now.
That's because millions across the country and even the world are watching the games on ESPN. This year, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will combine to televise 32 games.
"This is the coolest thing I've ever seen," said Tim Kurkjian, an ESPN analyst. Kurkjian has covered baseball for 35 years, but this is his first year at the Little League World Series. "I had no idea it was this big."
With the games just getting underway, Kurkjian said he's noticed a big difference between the culture of the majors and little league.
"With all this thought we lost a generation of kids and nobody likes baseball anymore, I tell anyone now come to Williamsport and you'll have a different look at things," exclaimed Kurkjian.
"I think it's as pure and enjoyable an event I cover," said Karl Ravech, an ESPN anchor. "There's no pressure, there's no money. There's nobody calling for your job when you're done. You just see things here you don't see at the next level."
Right next to the ballpark is ESPN's production compound, filled with trailer after trailer. Believe it or not, it only took them a week before the games to build it.
Despite the quick set up, it takes months of planning to make it all happen. But as we've learned, things can change in an instant like when it rained on Thursday, forcing eight games to be played the next day.
"It was a moment of pause looking at the rain coming," said Rick Mace, Associate Manager of Programming at ESPN. "You start planning the little league schedule a year in advance and knowing the whole day was going to get washed away but I think it led to a tremendous day the second day. What's better than setting a record and doing eight single little league games in a day?"
The Little League World Series wraps up on August 30th.
