Rapid City Little League

By Chad Hollingsworth
Love of Sports Correspondent

How many readers could find Rapid City on a map of the United States in less than five seconds?

Ten seconds? I’m assuming South Dakota could be found because … well … it’s directly south of North Dakota (OK, no more hints).

Still, in the vast territories of the Midwest, the state borders all blur together according to the rest of the nation. For example, there are people who assume Mount Rushmore is in North Dakota (as David Letterman once did). Well, as the unofficial ambassador for all things Rapid City, South Dakota, let me list a few things to do if you’re in the area (and didn’t miss a flight or pop a tire while driving through).

Historical national monuments like Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse (which is still being built) are within driving distance. Tourist spots like Reptile Gardens and Bear Country showcase wild animals and let visitors get closer to them than they likely ever would.

Ever watch Deadwood on HBO? The actual town is about 30 miles away, so head up for some legalized gambling in a historical setting. If you play golf, go play 18 holes at Meadowbrook Golf Course on Jackson Boulevard.

However, Rapid City got some publicity of different sorts this weekend when the Little League World Series was going off. For the first time ever, South Dakota was represented by the Canyon Lake All-Stars of Rapid City.

Last week, Rapid City earned the World Series berth by defeating Coon Rapids, Minnesota, by a score of 7-1. The victory was particularly sweet because Coon Rapids was the Midwest Region representative in last year’s LLWS.

Cale Fierro set the tone in the victory by striking out 12 Coon Rapids batters and allowing only one run in 5.1 innings. The offense was paced by two hits each from Tanner Simons, Bill Hendricks and Matt Minnick.

These players, and the rest of the Canyon Lake All-Stars, have already made history by just getting to the World Series. However, while making the journey to Williamsport will be an experience in itself, the goals are set much higher for the team. While they faced teams from Florida, Connecticut and Hawai’i in their first games, the team was hoping to face some international competition to prove they’re more than underdogs from the Midwest.

Rapid City Post 22, an American Legion baseball team in the area, has won many state titles and even won the American Legion national title in 1993. A member of that championship team, Mark Ellis, currently plays second base for the Oakland A’s.

Other major leaguers have roots in Rapid City as well. Kerry Ligtenberg, Keith Foulke and Brandon Claussen were all born in Rapid City. In terms of big time performances, Ligtenberg was a closer for the Braves during a couple playoff runs in the late 1990s, and Foulke was on the mound for the final out in the 2004 World Series when the Red Sox won their first title since 1918.

Basically, these are likely continue to improve when they eventually reach the American Legion level and maintain the winning tradition established by Post 22. And, perhaps, a couple of them might even have what it takes to reach the major league level someday.

So, let’s give the Canyon Lake All-Stars some love for reaching the LLWS. While Rapid City, South Dakota might not instantly jump out at people on a map, these guys certainly did their part to make it a bit more noticeable.

OTHER TOP STORIES

--Top 10 Things NFL Holdouts Do With Their Time Off

--The Monday Mixtape - All the Tsingtao You Can Drink

--Old School Love for the Single Bar Facemask

--Understanding the FedEx Cup Race

--TLOS Preview - #10 Missouri Tigers

--TLOS Preview - #11 Auburn Tigers

--Coach Bracketology - Who’s The Best in the NCAA?

--The Huddle: Why College FB Trumps the NFL

(We love baseball as much as you do, and we love drinking some adult beverage when we do it! Check out our sister site, The Love of Beer, to see what we’re drinking today!)