In case you didn’t hear, it’s that time of year again: The Little League World Series is underway (raise your hand if you had Uganda beating the Dominican Republic). The event always brings back memories for Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop. A native of Curacao and one of at least 11 current big leaguers that are LLWS alums (including Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier, St. Louis’ Randal Grichuk, and Houston’s Colby Rasmus), Schoop and his team made it to Williamsport in 2003 (they lost in the semis), and again in 2004, when they won the whole thing. Earlier today, I caught up with Schoop in the O’s clubhouse to get his thoughts and reflections on all things LLWS.
Q: Now that you’re in the big leagues, do you still keep track of what’s going on with the LLWS?
A: Yeah, I pay attention to it. In fact, I just finished watching Australia beat the Dominican. (Jimmy) Paredes and Manny (Machado) watched it with me. I watch at home too -- as many games as I can.
Q: Who’s your favorite team this year?
A: To be honest with you, I don’t have a favorite team. I just watch all the games. Even if Curacao’s in it, I’m cheering for all the teams. I like the little kids. It’s really fun to watch when they hit a home run and see how excited they get. It brings back a lot of memories.
Q: What position did you play?
A: I batted third, and played shortstop and pitcher. I wasn’t big. I was 5’2” the first year, and maybe 5’3” the next year. But I had a really good curveball.
Q: What’s your best LLWS memory?
A: In the semifinals in 2004, we were losing to Chinese Taipei 8-4 in the last inning, and came back. I got a base hit to tie the game. Then I came on in extra innings to pitch. I struck out all three batters, and then the next inning I got another base hit to win the game. That was the best.
Q: What’s your worst memory?
A: I don’t have a worst memory. You’re a little kid. Nothing bad can happen. I enjoyed everything. Actually, that’s not true. The worst was in 2003, when we lost to Chinese Taipei. It was a close game, and then they blew us away. I had a good game, but we lost.
Q: What’s the hardest thing about playing in the LLWS?
A: The pressure. You want to do so good for your country but you know everybody’s watching. In Curacao, we never played on TV like that, or had to speak to the media like that. I didn’t speak much English, and there was no translator. I was nervous. I’m still nervous a little bit, even in the big leagues. That first at bat, that first pitch, your heart’s beating a little harder. It goes away, but that’s part of baseball. You have to feel a little bit of butterflies in there. It makes you a human being.