The Start of the Little League World Series

15 Thursday Aug 2019

Posted by lionspridewi in News, Special Events

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asia-pacific, athletes, australis, baseball, canada, caribbean, carl stotz, charlie hayes, europe-africa, gary sheffield, hawaii, japan, jonathan schoop, latin america, lions pride, little league, llbws, mexico, milwaukee brewers, MLB, pennsylvania, schedule, summer, tournament, trophy, united states, williamsport, world series, world war ii

close up photography of four baseballs on green lawn grasses

Photo by Steshka Willems on Pexels.com

There’s no better time to grab some peanuts and Cracker Jack. All of you baseball fans out there know that are nearing the end of the season, but today, is the start of an extraordinary period, the Little League World Series.

From now until August 25, young athletes from all over the globe will compete to earn the coveted World Series Trophy. The tournament includes eight US teams and eight international teams. The series kicks off today with four games, featuring the following regions: Australia, Caribbean, New England, Southeast, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Midwest and Great Lakes. The remaining regions, Mid-Atlantic, Northwest, Southwest, West, Canada, Europe-Africa, Japan and Mexico will get their start tomorrow. See the complete schedule.

If you’re not overly familiar with little league baseball, you may be interested to learn about its rich history. The league was first formed back in 1938 by Carl Stotz in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Eight years later, the league had not gained a lot of traction as there were only 12 active leagues. Many believe World War II deterred its growth because many fathers had enlisted in the military. The following year, the board of directors decided to organize a tournament for all known programs and named it the National Little League Tournament. It was changed to the Little League Baseball World Series later on.

Over 2500 visitors came to Williamsport to watch young stars play in the first championship game. Its publicity spread throughout the county, and Little League Programs began forming in every US start. Today’s LLBWS includes seven tournaments played in various divisions.

Many modern-day Major Leaguers got their start in Little League Baseball; some names you may even recognize. Charlie Hayes, Jonathan Schoop and Gary Sheffield were all Little Leaguers who went on to play in the MLB with brief period as Milwaukee Brewers.

Hawaii took home the trophy in the 2018 LLBWS, so it will be interesting to see if they can do it again! Will you plan on watching the 2019 Little League World Series? Let us know in the comments below.

On behalf of Lions Pride, we’d like to wish the best of luck to all of the athletes participating in this year’s LLBWS. Let’s play ball!

Early Signs of Spring

14 Thursday Mar 2019

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baseball, birds, day, daylight saving time, equator, landscape, lions pride, march, MLB, night, rosholt, sandhill cranes, season, skeptic, snow, sparrows, spring, sun, vernal equinox, wausau, wisconsin

Do you smell spring in the air? May, not quite yet, but believe it or not, it is right around Screen Shot 2019-03-14 at 5.51.46 AM the corner. Next Wednesday, March 20, marks the beginning of the vernal equinox.

As you may already know, the equinox is a moment in time when the sun positioned directly above the equator, so night and day are of (approximate) equal length. We know that it may not yet feel like spring, but if you would consider yourself to be a skeptic, we have some additional signs to help you see the light:

The snow is disappearing slowly but surely. February brought in record-breaking amounts of snow. In fact, the city of Wausau set a new personal best with 39.1 inches of accumulation, well exceeding their previous record of 28.4 inches set back in 1964. Understandably, it will take some time to get rid of the snow banks completely, but we are making progress.
Mother Nature is celebrating with well-above average temps. Today, we are expected to reach 52 degrees here in Rosholt, which will feel like a treat. But we’ll need to stay tuned because it appears that 50-degree temperatures will become the new normal in the upcoming weeks.
The birds are back in town. Sparrows and sandhill cranes are making their way back home, and the robins will get back to their usual routines.
The days are getting longer. We may have lost an hour of sleep last week due to Daylight Saving Time, but we are now getting more sunlight. We’re looking forward to seeing a little bit more of our old friend, Mr. Sun.
It’s almost time to play ball! The 2019 MLB will open on its earliest day ever. All 30 teams will play on March 28, excluding international openers. The previous earliest opening day was only last year on March 29, 2018.

There are many ways to show us that spring is almost here. From now until June 21, 2019, we will be witnesses to the rebirth of the beautiful, Wisconsin landscape. What is your favorite part of the new season?

Happy Spring from Lions Pride!

Eye Donor Awareness Month

22 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by lionspridewi in Holidays, News, Special Events

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age, baseball, blindness, cataracts, conversation, cornea, corneal diseases, donation, eye donor awareness month, family, gift, lions pride, march, national eye institute, poor vision, president reagan, recipients, spring, st patrick's day, transplants, visual impairments

When you think about the month of March, several topics probably come to mind. You may think about the first day of spring, St. Patrick’s Day and the start of baseball season, but did you know that March is also Eye Donor Awareness Month?

In 1983, President Reagan established the first National Eye Donor Month as a way to recognize its donors, celebrate the recipients and bring awareness to eye donation.

Approximately ten million people around the world are affected with corneal diseases that have resulted in blindness or other visual impairments. Corneal transplants have become one of the most frequently performed transplant procedures. According to the National Eye Institute, doctors perform approximately 40,000 corneal transplants each year.

Have you ever considered becoming an eye donor? Regardless of whether you have thought about donating in the past, or this is the first time you’ve carefully considered the idea, here are a few areas of to note that may help you make your decision:

Currently, only the cornea is used in transplants, but the entire eye can be used for research and other educational purposes.
More than 90 percent of all corneal transplant operations successfully restore the recipient’s vision.
Anyone can become a donor – cataracts, poor vision or age does not prevent anyone from donating.

There is just no substitute for human corneal tissue. If you have considered becoming an eye donor, you can rest assured knowing that your donation can make a world of difference for someone in need. Just think your gift could help restore someone’s vision, support the advanced treatment of blindness or other vision impairments – and beyond.

To get started, be sure to discuss your wishes with your loved ones, and thank you for your precious gift.

Happy Eye Donor Awareness Month from Lions Pride

End of the Summer Bucket List

24 Thursday Aug 2017

Posted by lionspridewi in Giving Tips, Special Events

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barbecue, baseball, bonfire, bucket list, cookout, end, family, fishing, friends, hike, lions pride, marshmallow, park, s'mores, summer, sunrise, sunset, time, weather, wisconsin

The end of the summer is quickly winding down. We’re not sure where June, July Bonfire and August went, but we don’t have much time to left to take advantage of the beautiful Wisconsin weather. But you can complete the unofficial summer season on a high note by accomplishing the following bucket list:

Take a hike at a state park
Roast a marshmallow and make a s’more
Throw out a line at your favorite river or lake
Catch a ballgame
Watch a sunrise or sunset (your preference!)
Host a summer cookout with family and friends
Visit a state fair and indulge in a deep-fried goody
Pack a picnic and enjoy lunch in the lush, green grass
Remember Lions Pride

All good things must come to an end, right? If we had summer all year round, we definitely wouldn’t appreciate the beautiful weather like we do now. Just keep in mind; it will be back again this time next year.

What items have you already checked off your bucket list, and what else would you still like to complete? The clock is ticking, but there is still time to have the best summer ever! From all of us at Lions Pride, we’d like to wish you a happy end of the summer!

Signs of Spring

23 Thursday Mar 2017

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baseball, basketball, birds, break, college, crocuses, flowers, hyacinth, irises, lions pride, longer days, march madness, mexico, MLB, robins, sandhill cranes, signs, snow, song sparrows, spring, sunlight, trees, vernal equinox

Ahh… spring is in the air, right? Well, not quite. Sitting Robin Monday may have marked the first day of the vernal equinox, but it doesn’t exactly feel it’s time just yet. Fortunately, there are signs that warmer days are ahead.

Spring flowers are beginning to peek through the soil. You may have already seen crocuses, crested irises and hyacinth. We hope they make it through the next few chilly nights.
Flowering trees are budding and beginning to show new life.
The birds are back and ready to sing their hearts out. Robins, sandhill cranes and song sparrows are becoming old regulars.
College basketball has taken over all of the TV stations. There’s a reason why they call it March Madness, but we’ve already made it to the Sweet 16.
The days are getting longer. We have lost an hour of sleep on the night of March 11, but we are now getting more sunlight. We can’t wait to spend more time with Mr. Sun!
The snow is disappearing. We do not see the large snow banks that we saw only a month ago. Now, all that’s left are the dirty piles on the sides of roads.
In many cities, school is out for the week. Our office intern is off and enjoying a much-needed break in Mexico for Spring Break.
It’s time to play ball! Baseball season is only a week and a half away. The official MLB 2017 Opening Day is next Monday, April 3.

There are so many ways that spring is right around the corner! Now we want to hear from you – what is your favorite sign of spring?

Happy Spring from Lions Pride!

Lions Pride Endowment Fund of Wisconsin

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Tag Archives: baseball

The Start of the Little League World Series

Early Signs of Spring

Eye Donor Awareness Month

End of the Summer Bucket List

Signs of Spring