An Iowa pitcher had a colorful explanation for a walk that brought the tying run to the plate in a Little League World Series game on Saturday.
Colin Townsend said ESPN — which was broadcasting the game — was behind a questionable ball call in a seeming conspiracy, speaking to manager Dave McFate and his teammates during the bottom of the final inning.
According to Mediaite, McFate was wearing a live microphone during a conference on the pitcher’s mound, catching Townsend’s conspiratorial allegation.
“This is for ESPN. It’s for ESPN so they can come back. Because ESPN likes this. It’s all ESPN,” the youth said.
ESPN hot mic catches Little Leaguer blaming bad call on ESPN fixing the #LLWS ? pic.twitter.com/svPSWfroul
— Brandon Contes (@BrandonContes) August 22, 2022
It’s very difficult to imagine a scenario in which ESPN rigs ball and strike calls in the Little League World Series for ratings, and probably much more likely that the umpire made a questionable call.
(Keep in mind, Townsend was 12 years old. Most adults are lucky to have avoided being broadcast to millions of people on a hot mic when they were that age — or even 10 years older.)
McFate reassured his team after his pitcher’s bold claims, urging them to focus on securing the final out of the game.
“Nothing we can do about that,” he said of the umpire’s call. “We gotta shake that.”
Little League baseball used to be about learning how to throw a two-seam fastball.
Has it become another excuse in American culture to blame sinister actors for any inconvenience or personal failing instead of honestly assessing one’s own actions and taking responsibility?
If anything, Townsend’s claims go to show that ESPN has even lost its credibility with 12-year-old boys.
The ESPN announcers calling the game didn’t react to the pitcher’s accusations against their network.
In the end, McFate’s advice served his team well.
Iowa held on to its lead, going on to defeat Washington 6-3 in the contest.
The team defeated Utah before losing to Texas in an elimination game on Tuesday, according to the Des Moines Register.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.