Little League a major hit

Torii Hunter forgot about the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox for a couple of hours Thursday. He wanted to catch the Little League World Series.

The Little Leaguers are a hit in major league clubhouses.

“I tell you in Major League Baseball, Little Leaguers are like heroes. We watch these games faithfully,” the Minnesota Twins Gold Glove outfielder said Thursday during a brief late-morning visit to South Williamsport, Pa.

“Some of these guys have the major-league demeanor down pat,” Hunter said.

Hunter and Orioles reliever LaTroy Hawkins took a short flight from Baltimore, where the Twins and Orioles were playing a midweek series, to promote “The Torii Hunter Project” and the Little League Urban Initiative, programs designed to encourage more children in urban areas to play baseball.

For at least a couple of hours, they felt like kids again.

“When we drove up to the complex, we were like, ‘Man, wow.’ ” Hunter said. “Both of us couldn’t believe we were here at the Little League World Series.”

Same thing

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, on sprinter Justin Gatlin’s agreeing to an eight-year ban on doping charges to avoid a lifetime penalty: “Bulletin: To a 24-year-old sprinter, an eight-year ban is a lifetime penalty.”

Not a good sign

Of equipment manager Tony Eques, who is sometimes pressed into service by the Miami Dolphins to run routes in practice, coach Nick Saban told the Miami Herald: “He’s the only guy that some of our guys can cover.”

The last word

The Chicago Cubs played their first game in Wrigley Field in 1916. The St. Louis Cardinals played their first game in the new Busch Stadium this year.

Quipped Cardinals broadcaster Al Hrabosky: “The Cubs and the Cardinals do have one thing in common: Neither team has won a World Series in their new ballpark.”