Coach shares heartwarming mid-match moment with son

What makes the Little League World Series great isn't necessarily the baseball.

What makes the Little League World Series great is the humanity. On that field, it's still a game of kids enjoying the biggest moments of their life and of fathers and sons chasing their dreams together.

We got a heartwarming reminder of that on Tuesday when Joel Jensen, manager of the Oregon team representing the Northwest, went out to the pitching mound for a visit. His son Isaiah was pitching. Jensen wasn't there for a strict strategy session. Instead, he wanted to tell his son that he loved him.

"Hey, I just came out to say how much I love you — as a dad and a player. OK?" Jensen told his son. "You're doing awesome out here."

It's a tender moment that probably doesn't happen enough in the increasingly pressure-filled world of youth sports. Fact was, Oregon's run in the tournament was ending soon. This was a consolation game. And despite the fact that Isaiah had been throwing a shutout against the team from Italy, this was the end.

Years from now, Isaiah's memory will be even better because of this great moment with this father. It sounds cliché to say, but that really is what youth sports are all about.

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