Rice starts off LLWS with major blasts
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Jim Rice criticized today's major leaguers as too individualistic, then offered Little Leaguers some old-school tips: Respect your opponents, don't showboat and stay off performance-enhancing drugs.
To stress his point at a news conference Friday before the start of the Little League World Series, the new baseball Hall of Famer flexed the muscles in his right arm and said, "That's all the steroids you need. ... It's called God-given talent."
Rice said today's major leaguers fraternize with each other too much on the field, adding that while today's ballplayers might be in better shape than his generation in its heyday, they get injured more frequently.
"You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez), you see (Derek) Jeter ... Guys that I played against and with, these guys you're talking about cannot compare," Rice told the Little Leaguers.
Nick Pucciarelli — all 5-foot-4 and 122 pounds of him — put on a hitting display in South Williamsport that would have made Rice proud.
The 12-year-old outfielder homered and tripled as Staten Island, N.Y., beat Mercer Island, Wash., 10-2.
The other winners Friday also put on shows at the plate.
Taoyuan, Taiwan, routed Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, 16-0, in a contest shortened to four innings because of the 10-run rule. Yu Chieh Kao had a three-run homer as Taiwan scored 12 times over the first two innings.
Later Friday, Warner Robins, Ga., beat Urbandale, Iowa, 11-3, while San Antonio, Texas, used a six-run fourth to defeat Peabody, Mass., 10-1 in the nightcap.
Rice got the day started with a resounding criticism of the current generation of big leaguers while giving a talk to Little Leaguers in a cafeteria. There's too much focus on individual goals and getting big contracts, he said.
The outfielder played 16 seasons in Boston, batting .298 with 382 homers before retiring in 1989.
"We didn't have the baggy uniforms. We didn't have the dreadlocks," Rice said. "It was a clean game, and now they're setting a bad example for the young guys."
When asked later about Rice, most of the Little Leaguers said they were only vaguely familiar with the outfielder. "He went back to old school and how he played," said Trey Maddox, Georgia's 12-year-old third baseman.
