Young Orioles Singing Praises Of Little League Experience
By Jack Danilewicz
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The win-at-all-costs mentality of sports was nowhere to be found when the Kaneohe Little League Minor “B” Orioles assembled for their first practice nearly three months ago.
That was by design, of course, since team members were only 6 to 8 years of age. Indeed, longtime basketball coach-turned-baseball manager Chico Furtado was more focused on learning the names of his players and his coaching staff in the early days.
“We never knew each other until we got to the first practice,” said Furtado. “It was a different experience (from coaching high school), but definitely enjoyable.”
As is often the case with youth sports — or should be - Furtado and his staff, which included coaches Shaydon Marumoto, Kenny Risso, Kalani Perry, Ace Yonamine and R.J. Uyehara, made having fun the priority, in addition to developing the kids. (Coaches and players are assigned to teams, rather than selected.)
The Orioles recently completed a 15-0 season, which included a 13-game regular season and two more games as part of the Kainalu Minor “B” Goodwill Tournament.
The results of their games, however, were secondary to learning the game itself, according to Furtado.
“One thing about this age group, you really see skill growth over three months that you don’t always see with high school kids,” he said. “That was most satisfying - whether in fielding, throwing or hitting.
“There were games when we knew we were ahead, but rarely did we know what the score was. Most kids didn’t know (the score) or care. (Going 15-0 is) just the way it worked out. There was no league title, no playoffs, but the league was run really well. It was a nice change of pace.”
What is unique about Kaneohe’s Minor “B"League is that coaches pitch to their own players to help facilitate the game. When a pitch is thrown, the coach removes himself from play, allowing the fielders to do their jobs. One half of an inning ends when either a third out is recorded or when nine hitters have had an at-bat.
“The key at this age, offensively, is teaching kids how to run the bases aggressively. Defensively, getting outs is very important.”
The Orioles’ roster included Caleb Mercado, Logan Larkin, Rocket Uechi, Sonny Apilando, Christian Kuwaye, Solomon Kaonohi, Tiger Yonamine, Aliyah Perry, Blayze Simon, Matthew Risso and Noah Furtado. Logan Albinio played with the team at the Kainalu Minor “B” Goodwill Tournament, but wasn’t in the fold during the Orioles’ 13-game regular season.
As is perhaps to be expected, the older of the Orioles’ players - Noah Furtado (7), Tiger Yonamine (7), Blayze Simon (8) and Aliyah Perry (8) - “carried us for most of the year,” Chico Furtado said.
“We had some key players in key spots,” he added. “Noah pitched (for fielding purposes), Blayze played shortstop, Tiger played first base and Aliyah played third base. We rotated kids at all the other spots. As the season progressed, everyone got better.”
While “B” level Little League may be about development, Furtado’s staff sought to teach them to play the game the right way.
“We had a good balance on the staff of guys who are mellow and guys who are competitive,” he said. “You want to make it a positive experience for the kids, but it’s not day care. Mainly, we wanted to teach them the fundamentals of the game and increase their skill set. The kids all had a good year. In talking to the parents, they were all appreciative of the season we had and of the efforts of the kids.”
A team that started as strangers saw its cohesiveness build daily.
“Over the past three months, we’ve all become friends, and we’re looking at the possibility of coaching together,” he said.
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