Little League World Series - 2010

Little League Baseball and Softball Partners With Pointstreak Sports Technologies for World Series Scoring Technology

2010-08-10T20:41:00.001-04:00

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Pointstreak Sports Technologies and Little
League International are pleased to announce they have reached a
service agreement which will see Pointstreak providing real-time
scoring, official statistics and administration services for the 2010
Little League Baseball World Series. The 64th World Series will be
played Aug. 20-29 in Williamsport, Pa.

"The online scoring system created by Pointstreak Sports Technologies
provides a presence on the Internet not previously available to Little
League fans," Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer
of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. "The GameLive in-game
scoring presents World Series games on a platform that we expect will
help to broaden the experience and bring the action over the computer
in real-time."

Pointstreak's baseball platform will streamline the process of
capturing and delivering game statistics for the World Series and
deliver those events to the Little League website in real-time for the
benefit of players, fans and media partners. A unique feature of
Pointstreak's baseball statistical solution is Game Live, a real-time
flash application that streams play-by-play baseball results over a
3-D graphical image of a baseball diamond. Pointstreak Stats for
baseball is also geared towards the needs of media sources, providing
Associated Press (AP) formatted box scores, allowing for easy
reproduction of baseball stats into print media.

"The Little League World Series is one of the biggest youth sporting
events in the World and we are extremely proud to have been selected
as the Real Time Scoring and Statistics Provider for the 2010
Tournament," Scott Secord, CEO and President of Pointstreak Sports
Technologies, said. "To have the ability to deliver scoring and
official statistics to their fans and media partners in true real-time
will be a great enhancement to the 2010 World Series' standard
operations."

To access the site during the World Series go the Little League web
page (www.LittleLeague.org) and click on the Pointstreak/Little League
World Series/GameLive logo in the top center of the front page.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the world's largest organized
youth sports program, with nearly 2.6 million players and 1 million
adult volunteers in every U.S. state and scores of other countries.

About Pointstreak Sports Technologies Inc.

Pointstreak Sports Technologies Inc.'s mission is to provide
innovative technologies to enhance the experience of the global sports
community.

Pointstreak provides innovative solutions for sports organizations
such as associations, leagues, clubs and teams that are geared towards
streamlining operations and improving the experience of the sports
participant, fan and media. Pointstreak's major brands include:
Pointstreak Stats, a real-time scoring & official league statistics
system; Pointstreak Registration; an online registration & payment
processing system; Pointstreak Sites; a website content management
system; Team Locker Room, a free team-based social network; and STEVA
Sports; sports video indexing and analysis software. More information
about Pointstreak Sports Technologies Inc. can be found at
www.pointstreak.com or through the product information website
www.pointstreaksolutions.com

For further information contact: Paul Pettipiece; Vice President of
Baseball Operations; Pointstreak Sports Technologies;
ppettipiece@pointstreak.com; (905) 731-9867.

Activision Releases Little League World Series 2008 Video Game for Wii and Nintendo DS

2008-08-12T07:33:00.001-04:00

SANTA MONICA, Calif., and WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Activision, Inc., has announced that Little League World Series 2008 is now available for Wii™ and Nintendo DS™.

The game, developed for Nintendo's platforms by NOW Production, captures the competitive fun of the most popular organized youth sport in the world.

"This is the first officially licensed Little League game for these platforms and the controls have been masterfully crafted for accessibility," Dave Oxford, Activision Publishing, said. "This is a game that can be enjoyed by the entire family."

Little League World Series 2008 features eight U.S. and eight international teams, extraordinarily deep character customization, World Series mode, and a full season mode that will challenge even the biggest Little League fan. In addition, six mini-game "Skill Challenges," stat tracking, talent power ups, and a range of collectibles, give the title variety and depth.

The game arrives just in time for the real life Little League World Series, which takes place in South Williamsport, Pa., from Aug. 15-24. The Little League World Series 2008 game will be on hand for players, fans, and press to take a crack at. Little League World Series 2008 is now available for $49.99 for Wii and $29.99 for DS, and is rated "E" for Everyone. A demonstration of the game can be downloaded here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjCRkAMVYJM.
About Now Production
Now Production is a premiere videogame developer founded in 1986 and based in Japan. It has developed games for many major publishers, including Namco, Konami and Activision, working on games such as Katamari Damacy and Dance Dance Revolution and Little League World Series 2008. In recent years, Nowpro has started creating original, independent titles and is also involved with developing mobile software and online games.
About Activision, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.
Activision Publishing maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision Publishing and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.
Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners
For more information on Activision or the Little League World Series 2008 video game, contact Shaun Norton at: 212-213-2452, ext. 226; or shaun@sandboxstrat.com. Little League's website is: www.LittleLeague.org.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the world's largest organized youth sports program, with nearly 2.7 million players and one million volunteers in every U.S. state and scores of other countries.

Maryland’s Hagerstown Federal Little League Wins Mid-Atlantic Region, Completes Field for the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-12T07:20:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Zane Schreiber was 3-for-3 with a double, grand slam and a solo home run for Hagerstown Federal Little League, which won the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship, 8-3, over Devon Stafford Little League from Devon, Pa., Monday night at Breen Field in Bristol, Conn.

Hagerstown Federal Little League's win concluded the 16 region tournaments in Little League Baseball for children league-age 11-12, and set the field for the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series. The first game of the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series is scheduled to begin on Friday at 2 p.m., and will be televised on ESPN.

Entering the title game with a 5-0 mark in the regional tournament (13-0 overall), Hagerstown Federal Little League had outscored its opponents, 48-15, with two shutouts, and already had a win over Pennsylvania to its credit.

Maryland's Andrew Yacyk struck out six and walked one to collect the mound win. He also fueled his team's offense with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Hagerstown Federal Little League hit four home runs in the game, including back-to-back homers in the fourth inning by Schreiber and Dalton Jobe.

The Pennsylvania state champions finished 3-3 in the six-team regional tournament and 16-4 overall. Kyle Stefanic was the losing pitcher in the championship game, allowing, six runs, on six hits.

Maryland has participated in the Little League Baseball World Series five times since Hagerstown made the state's first appearance in 1950. Hagerstown also made the World Series in 1968, and most recently, West Salisbury (Md.) Little League won the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Region championship. The state of Maryland has never reached the World Series championship game.

Hagerstown Federal Little League completes the field for the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series which includes, Northwest Region Champion, Mill Creek (Wash.) Little League; Great Lakes Region Champion, Jeffersonville (Ind.) Little League; Canadian National Champion, White Rock-South Surrey (British Columbia) Little League; New England Region Champion, Shelton (Conn.) National Little League; Midwest Region Champion, Canyon Lake Little League, Rapid City, S.D.; Southeast Region Champion, Citrus Park Little League, Tampa, Fla.; Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles (La.) Little League; Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League, Willemstad, Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League, Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League, Tokyo.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks carried all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Little League International also formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) to televise early-round games in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

2008 Little League World Series Schedule

2008-08-12T07:02:00.001-04:00

All ESPN telecasts simulcast on ESPN360.com

Pool Play Round

DateTime (ET)GameWilliamsport FieldNetwork
Fri., Aug. 152 p.m.Midwest (Rapid City, S.D.) vs. Southeast (Tampa, Fla.)VolunteerESPN HD
4 p.m.Canada vs. Latin AmericaLamadeESPN2 HD
6 p.m.New England (Shelton, Conn.) vs. West (Waipahu, Hawaii)VolunteerESPN2 HD
8 p.m.Mid-Atlantic (TBD) vs. Great Lakes (Jeffersonville, Ind.)LamadeESPN HD
Sat., Aug. 1611 a.m.Caribbean vs. MexicoLamadeESPN HD
1 p.m.Europe vs. Asia-PacificVolunteerESPN HD
3:30 p.m.Midwest (Rapid City, S.D.) vs. New England (Shelton, Conn.)LamadeABC HD
6 p.m.Japan vs. Middle East and AfricaVolunteerESPN HD
8 p.m.Southwest (Lake Charles, La.) vs. Northwest (Mill Creek, Wash.)LamadeESPN HD
Sun., Aug. 1712 p.m.Europe vs. MexicoLamadeESPN Classic*
1 p.m.Canada vs. JapanVolunteerESPN2 HD
3:30 p.m.Great Lakes (Jeffersonville, Ind.) vs. Southwest (Lake Charles, La.)LamadeABC HD
6 p.m.Latin America vs. Middle East and AfricaVolunteerESPN2 HD
8 p.m.Southeast (Tampa, Fla.) vs. West (Waipahu, Hawaii)LamadeESPN2 HD
Mon., Aug. 1812 p.m.Northwest (Mill Creek, Wash.) vs. Mid-Atlantic (TBD)LamadeESPN2 HD
1 p.m.Asia-Pacific vs. MexicoVolunteerESPN HD
3 p.m.Midwest (Rapid City, S.D.) vs. West (Waipahu, Hawaii)LamadeESPN2 HD
4 p.m.Caribbean vs. EuropeVolunteerESPN HD
6 p.m.Southeast (Tampa, Fla.) vs. New England (Shelton, Conn.)LamadeESPN2 HD
Tue., Aug. 1912 p.m.Latin America vs. JapanLamadeESPN2 HD
2 p.m.Northwest (Mill Creek, Wash.) vs. Great Lakes (Jeffersonville, Ind.)VolunteerESPN HD
4 p.m.Canada vs. Middle East and AfricaLamadeESPN HD
6 p.m.Caribbean vs. Asia-PacificVolunteerESPN2 HD
8 p.m.Southwest (Lake Charles, La.) vs. Mid-Atlantic (TBD)LamadeESPN2 HD

Single Elimination

Wed., Aug. 204 p.m.International Semifinal #1LamadeESPN HD
8 p.m.U.S. Semifinal #1LamadeESPN HD
Thu., Aug. 214 p.m.International Semifinal #2LamadeESPN HD
8 p.m.U.S. Semifinal #2LamadeESPN HD
Sat., Aug. 2312:30 p.m.International ChampionshipLamadeABC HD
3 p.m.U.S. ChampionshipLamadeABC HD
Sun., Aug. 2412 p.m.Consolation GameVolunteer ESPN HD
2 p.m.Little League Web Gems Special ESPN HD
2:30 p.m.Little League World Series Preview ESPN HD
3:30 p.m.World Series ChampionshipLamadeABC HD

* denotes live ESPN Classic telecast; game re-airing on ESPN2 at 2 a.m. (11 p.m. PT)

ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 Combine to Deliver Every Little League World Series Game from Williamsport

2008-08-12T06:59:00.000-04:00

U.S., International and World Series Championships on ABC
All Games in High Definition; ESPN Telecasts Simulcast on ESPN360.com

            ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to present all 32 games of the Little League World Series Presented by Kellogg's Frosted Flakes from Williamsport, Pa., Aug. 15-24. ABC – entering the network's 46th consecutive year of Little League World Series coverage – will broadcast the International Championship Saturday, Aug. 23, at 12:30 p.m. ET, the United States Championship Saturday, Aug. 23, at 3 p.m., and the Little League World Series Championship Sunday, Aug. 24, at 3:30 p.m. Every Little League World Series game on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will be available in high definition for the fourth consecutive year. All ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts will be simulcast on ESPN360.com.

            Little League World Series coverage from Williamsport will begin Friday, Aug. 15, with regional winners competing in the pool-play round, including: Midwest (Rapid City, S.D.) vs. Southeast (Tampa, Fla.) at 2 p.m. on ESPN; Canada vs. Latin America at 4 p.m. on ESPN2; New England (Shelton, Conn.) vs. West (Waipahu, Hawaii) at 6 p.m. on ESPN2; and Mid-Atlantic (TBD) vs. Great Lakes (Jeffersonville, Ind.) at 8 p.m. on ESPN. ABC's coverage will include two broadcasts from the opening weekend – Midwest (Rapid City, South Dakota) vs. New England (Shelton, Conn.) Saturday, Aug. 16, at 3 p.m. and Great Lakes (Jeffersonville, Ind.) vs. Southwest (Lake Charles, La.) Sunday, Aug. 17, at 3:30 p.m.

            Coverage will continue daily (excluding an open date on Friday, Aug. 22) through the Little League World Series consolation game Sunday, Aug. 24, at 12 p.m. on ESPN and Little League World Series Championship.

            ESPN game commentators:

Pool Play – Aug. 15-19
Gary Thorne and analyst Orel Hershiser for games held at Lamade Stadium;
Karl Ravech and analyst Orestes Destrade for games held at Volunteer Stadium;
Stacey Dales and Pedro Gomez will share reporting responsibilities.

Semifinals – Wednesday, Aug. 20 & Thursday, Aug. 21
Brent Musburger, Hershiser and Dales will provide commentary for both U.S. Semifinals (Wednesday, Aug. 20, and Thursday, Aug. 21, at 8 p.m. on ESPN);
Thorne, Destrade (who is fluent in three languages – English, Spanish and Japanese) and reporter Pedro Gomez will provide commentary for both International semifinals (Wednesday, Aug. 20, and Thursday, Aug. 21, at 4 p.m. on ESPN).

International and United States Championships – Saturday, Aug. 23
Musburger, analysts Hershiser and Destrade, and reporters Dales and Gomez will call the International Championship Saturday, Aug. 23, at 12:30 p.m. on ABC;
Musburger will call the United States Championship with Hershiser and Dales Saturday, Aug. 23, at 3 p.m. on ABC.

World Series Championship and Consolation Game – Sunday, Aug. 24
Ravech, Destrade and Gomez will call the consolation game Sunday, Aug. 24, at 12 p.m. on ESPN;
Musburger will provide play-by-play for the Little League World Series Championship with Hershiser, Dales and Gomez Sunday, Aug. 24, at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

ESPN will have an on-site set in Williamsport throughout the Little League World Series, serving as a host position in providing content for studio programming. Karl Ravech will host with ESPN analysts, reporters and guests. Baseball Tonight will originate from Williamsport Tuesday, Aug. 19, through Thursday, Aug. 21. ESPN will present a Little League World Series Web Gems Special, recapping the best defensive plays throughout the tournament, Sunday, Aug. 24, at 2 p.m. (immediately following the consolation game). Additionally, ESPN will feature a one-hour Little League World Series Preview Show Sunday, Aug. 24, at 2:30 p.m. (leading into the championship game at 3:30 p.m. on ABC).

Hawaii’s Waipio Little League Wins West Region Championship, Advances to 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-11T09:41:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Aug. 10, 2008) – Waipio Little League collected only four hits in its 4-3 win over Paseo Verde Little League from Henderson, Nev., on Saturday night, but three of the hits cleared the fence as Hawaii earned its 10th berth in the Little League Baseball World Series by winning the West Region Championship at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino, Calif.

Kahiau Winchester highlighted a three-run first inning for Hawaii by hitting a two-run home run. In the bottom of the fourth inning, with the scored now tied 3-3, Winchester again touched up losing pitcher Michael Blasko, hitting a solo home run to left field.

In the top of the third inning Paseo Little League had squared the game on James Anderson's two-run home run to center field and a Griffin Kelly solo home run to center of relief pitcher and mound winner Tanner Tokunaga.

After surrendering the back-to-back homers to the first two batters he faced, Tokunaga settled down and shut down the Paseo Verde Little League bats. For the game the combination of starter Khade Paris and Tokunaga allowed five hits and struck out 11.

Blasko was equally dominant in the loss, throwing a four-hitter with 14 strikeouts. In a 4-1 win over Hawaii earlier in the regional tournament, Blasko recorded 15 strikeouts.

Waipio Little League finished the West Region tournament with a 5-1 record, and overall is 12-2 in 2008 Little League International Tournament play. Paseo Verde Little League also posted a 5-1 record in the regional tournament, and finished its tournament season with an overall record of 14-1.

Teams from Hawaii have participated in the Little League Baseball World Series nine times, and reached the World Series championship game twice. In 1988, Tai Ping Little League of Chinese Taipei defeated Pearl City, Hawaii, 10-0; and in 2005, West Oahu Little League from Ewa Beach, won the World Series Championship, defeating Curacao's Pabao Little League, 7-6, in 7 innings.

This appearance by Hawaii will be the first representing the West Region. In previous appearances, Hawaii had played through the Northwest Region.

The other teams that will be participating in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series are: Northwest Region Champion, Mill Creek (Wash.) Little League; Great Lakes Region Champion, Jeffersonville (Ind.) Little League; Canadian National Champion, White Rock-South Surrey (British Columbia) Little League; New England Region Champion, Shelton (Conn.) National Little League; Midwest Region Champion, Canyon Lake Little League, Rapid City, S.D.; Southeast Region Champion, Citrus Park Little League, Tampa, Fla.; Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles (La.) Little League; Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League, Willemstad, Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League, Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League, Tokyo.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

The final berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided Monday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, when the Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament in Bristol, Conn., is due to end.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

Former MLB Relief Pitcher Kent Tekulve to Receive Bill Shea Distinguished Little League Graduate Award

2008-08-11T09:31:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Over a 10-year span from the late-1970s to the late-80s, Kent Tekulve, the a former all-time leader in Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitching appearances, was one of the marquee names for the "We Are Family" Pittsburgh Pirates. Now a color analyst for Pirates telecasts on Fox Sports Net (FSN) in Pittsburgh, Mr. Tekulve, will be presented the 2008 William A. "Bill" Shea Distinguished Little League Graduate Award during the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa., Aug. 15-24.

The award was established in 1987 to serve a two-fold purpose. First, and most importantly, the award is presented to a former Little Leaguer in Major League Baseball who best exemplifies the spirit of Little League Baseball. Consideration for selection includes both the individual's ability and accomplishments and that person's status as a positive role model.

"Kent Tekulve has been in baseball a long time, but his first years were spent as a Little Leaguer," Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. "Mr. Tekulve played the game for its enjoyment and had the talent to make baseball his career. Now as a baseball commentator and community liaison with the Pirates he has come full circle with his experiences and enthusiasm for Little League, which makes us proud to honor him with this award."

Playing for Lindenwald Little League in Hamilton, Ohio, Mr. Tekulve, 61, participated in the Little League program for four years, pitching and playing third base, shortstop and centerfield. As a 12 year-old pitcher and shortstop, he played in the Little League International Tournament and his team reached the quarterfinals of the Ohio state tournament.

"I loved playing baseball as a kid, and Little League was my first opportunity to play organized ball," Mr. Tekulve, a studio analyst for FSN's Pirates post-game studio show, said. "At that age it was the anticipation of the next game that got me excited. I could not wait for the next game, because it was so much fun. My dad was a semi-pro baseball player and he had a great love for the game. He was my coach and he made Little League fun because the two of us, my younger brother, and my mother were all able to share time together at the field."

Mr. Tekulve was not drafted by a Major League team out of Marietta (Ohio) College and signed an amateur free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1969. At the age of 27, and after spending six years in the minor leagues, he made his Major League debut on May 20, 1974. In eight games that year, he posted a 1-1 record with an ERA of 6.00 in nine innings of work.

By 1977, the lanky 6-foot-4, 180-pound right-hander had established himself as an effective set-up man for closer, and 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Rich " Goose" Gossage. After going 10-1 that year, and following Mr. Gossage's departure to the New York Yankees via free agency, Mr. Tekulve became the Pirates' bullpen ace.

In his third Major League season, Mr. Tekulve's trademark "submarine" pitching style was baffling hitters. He appeared in 91 games, posting an 8-7 record, and set a team record with 31 saves for the '78 Pirates.

"I've always looked forward to the next game," Mr. Tekulve said. "For me growing up, life revolved around the next game and that didn't change from when I was nine, playing Little League, until I retired from Major League Baseball at the age of 42. Actually, I still feel that way and I think I'll take that mentality to the grave with me.

"In the beginning, when you first start in Little League you learn from playing," Mr. Tekulve said. "You learn about sportsmanship, teamwork, and respecting your teammates, your opponent, and the game. Those were the roots that kept growing throughout my baseball life. The more technical stuff would not have grown if those seeds had not been planted. Little League gets kids off to good start."

One year later, he again logged 31 saves in a team-record 94 appearances, as the Pirates won the 1979 World Series in seven games over the Baltimore Orioles. In the Series, Mr. Tekulve earned a record three saves, as he struck out 10 Orioles in 9.1 innings. In his postseason career, Mr. Tekulve pitched in nine games, amassing an earned run average of 3.29 in 13.2 innings, while allowing five runs on nine hits, and striking out 14.

During the 1980 season, Mr. Tekulve was selected to the National League all-star team, his only all-star selection, but he did not play in the game. In 1982, he led the National League in appearances (85) and relief wins (12).

After 10 years in Pittsburgh, Mr. Tekulve was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he proceeded to break Spark Lyle's MLB record for career games pitched without a start, finishing with 943. While with the Phillies in 1987, he became the first National League pitcher to have three 90-appearance seasons, and at age 40, he was the oldest pitcher to lead the National League in appearances.

He pitched four seasons for the Phillies, before being released in December of 1988. At the age of 42, he pitched his final season in 1989 for his home state Cincinnati Reds.

In a 16-year Major League career, Mr. Tekulve appeared in 1,050 games, all in relief; a record that stood until 1999 when the New York Mets' Jesse Orosco eclipsed the mark. He compiled a record of 94-90, with 184 saves, a 2.85 earned run average and 779 strikeouts in 1,470 innings of work. His 94 wins in relief places him seventh on the all-time list.

"It's amazing watching the Little League World Series games on TV," Mr. Tekulve said. "It's been 50 years since I played Little League, but when I see those games, I become like a kid again. I can imagine the same feelings those kids have.

"I always remember the anticipation about the tournament," he said. "I remember getting to the field a couple of hours early to work on fielding. It was great that my family was all together because of baseball. I was a third generation baseball player and playing was a family tradition. I loved playing the game and wanted to get better. In playing all-stars you were doing things to get yourself better at playing the game. It was fun to be better at it."

Retired as a player for 19 seasons, Mr. Tekulve has worked as an advance scout for the Pirates and currently is active in several of the Pirates' community outreach programs, along with his time spent on the FSN sportscasts.

The Distinguished Little League Graduate Award was established in honor of the many contributions made to Little League Baseball by Bill Shea, former President of the Little League Foundation. Mr. Shea is credited with bringing National League Baseball back to New York in the early 1960s, while also working diligently for the advancement of Little League Baseball.

Past recipients of the award include: 2007 – Torii Hunter, National Little League, Pine Bluff, Ark.; 2006 – Mike Flanagan, South Little League, Manchester, N.H.; 2005 – Larry Bowa, Land Park Little League, Sacramento, Calif.; 2004 – Billy Connors, National Little League, Schenectady, N.Y.; 2003 – Shawon Dunston, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Youth Services Little League; 2002 – Tommy John, Terre Haute (Ind.) Little League; 2001 – Orel Hershiser, Southfield (Mich.) Little League and Cherry Hill (N.J.) Little League; 2000 – George Brett, El Segundo (Calif.) American Little League; 1999 – Robin Yount, Woodland Hills (Calif.) Sunrise Little League; 1998 – Don Sutton, Cantonement (Fla.) Little League; 1997 – Ken Griffey, Sr., Donora (Pa.) Little League; 1996 – No award; 1995 – Rick Monday, Sunset Little League, Santa Monica, Calif.; 1994 – Len Coleman, Montclair (N.J.) Little League; 1993 – Gary Carter, West Fullerton (Calif.) Little League; 1992 – Steve Palermo, Oxford (Mass.) Little League; 1991 – Dave Dravecky, South Youngstown Optimist Little League, Boardman, Ohio; 1990 – Jim Palmer, Beverly Hills (Calif.) Little League; 1989 – Tom Seaver, Spartan Little League, Fresno, Calif.; 1988—Steve Garvey, Drew Park Little League, Tampa, Fla.; 1987 – Bobby Valentine, Mickey Lione Little League, Stamford, Conn.

The Little League Baseball World Series is the culmination of the world's largest sports tournament, with more than 16,000 games played in six weeks on six continents. The Little League International Tournament ends with 16 teams advancing to Williamsport for the World Series. Information for the public on attending the Little League Baseball World Series is available at: http://www.littleleague.org.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the world's largest organized youth sports program, with nearly 2.7 million players and one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and scores of other countries.

Washington’s Mill Creek Little League Powers to Northwest Region Championship, Secures Spot in 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-10T13:49:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Pitcher Jason Todd picked up a complete-game victory, scattering five hits and striking out 10, in a 10-1 Mill Creek (Wash.) Little League victory over Murrayhill Little League from Beaverton, Ore., in the Northwest Region Championship game Saturday night at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino, Calif.

Todd's performance on the mound capped a dominant tournament for the Mill Creek Little League pitchers, who collectively walked just one batter en route to the team posting a 6-0 record in regional play. Equally impressive was the offense, which outscored its six opponents, 80-8.

In this game, both teams tallied runs early, but Mill Creek Little League began to pull away in the fourth inning, compliments of Derrick Mahlum's three-run home run. With a 6-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning, Mill Creek Little League put the game away, as Alec Kisena hit a towering grand slam to conclude the scoring.

Murrayhill Little League was looking for a return trip to the Little League Baseball World Series, having won the Northwest Region Championship in 2007. On this night, the lone offensive highlight for the Oregon State Champions was a solo home run by Connor Shaw in the second inning.

Teams from the state of Washington have participated in the Little League Baseball World Series six times, most recently in 2004, when a team from Redmond qualified. In 1982, National Little League from Kirkland, Wash., made the state's only championship game appearance, winning the World Series, 6-0, over Pu-Tzu Town Little League, from Chinese Taipei.

The other teams that will be participating in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series are: Great Lakes Region Champion, Jeffersonville Little League, Jeffersonville, Ind.; Canadian National Champion, White Rock-South Surrey Little League, White Rock, British Columbia; New England Region Champion, Shelton National Little League, Shelton, Conn.; Southeast Region Champion, Citrus Park Little League, Tampa, Fla.; Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles Little League, Lake Charles, La.; Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League, Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League, Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League, Tokyo.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television. All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Little League International also formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) to televise early-round games in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided Sunday at 10 p.m. on ESPN2, when the U.S. West Region Tournament in San Bernardino, Calif., is due to end.

The last U.S. region final will be televised live on Monday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, when the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship is to be decided.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

Jeffersonville, Ind., Little League Needs 11 Innings to Win Great Lakes Region Title, Reach 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-10T13:43:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Hayden Robb had struck out four times in the game, but his fifth official at-bat produced an RBI single that broke open a 4-4 deadlock, and sent Jefferson (Ind.) Little League on its way to an 11-4 win in 11 innings over Mt. Vernon (Ohio) Little League in the Great Lakes Region Championship game Saturday night at Stokely Field in Indianapolis.

Leading off the top of the 11th inning, Jeffersonville Little League's Drew Ellis reached on an infield single. Chandler Dale followed with a base hit to center field. Both runners moved up one base on a passed ball, and Ellis would break the tie as losing pitcher Alex Arck threw a wild pitch. Robb followed with his single to center that scored Dale for a 6-4 lead.

Ben Shahroudi slapped his fourth hit of the game into left field, moving Robb to third base. Shahroudi reached base six times in the game after spending much of the previous night in the hospital after suffering a facial injury. Robb scored on a passed ball, followed by RBI singles by Josh Burke and winning pitcher Dalton Duley.

Austin Hines highlighted the seven-run rally with a three-run home run that caromed off of the top of the center field fence. Jeffersonville Little League finished with 17 hits.

Tied since the top of the fifth inning, both teams were shut down by superior pitch efforts. Dale started for Jeffersonville Little League and faced 27 batters in seven innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits, with six strikeouts and one walk.

Mt. Vernon pitchers, Jayben Martin and Josh Edwards combined to surrender 10 hits and five walks, while striking out 18 as each reached the pitch count limit in the game. Edwards accounted for 11 strikeouts and did not give up a run in 5.2 innings in relief of Martin.

The win marks the second consecutive year that Ohio will represent the Great Lakes Region at the Little League Baseball World Series. Since 1949, teams from Ohio have reached the Little League Baseball World Series eight times, but have never played for the World Series championship. Jeffersonville Little League had never reached the Little League Baseball World Series.

The other teams that will be participating in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series are: Northwest Region Champion, Mill Creek Little League from Mill Creek, Wash.; Canadian National Champion, White Rock-South Surrey Little League, White Rock, British Columbia; New England Region Champion, Shelton National Little League, Shelton, Conn.; Southeast Region Champion, Citrus Park Little League, Tampa, Fla.; Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles Little League, Lake Charles, La.; Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League, Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League, Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League, Tokyo.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Little League International also formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) to televise early-round games in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided Sunday at 10 p.m. on ESPN2, when the U.S. West Region Tournament in San Bernardino, Calif., is due to end.

The last U.S. region final will be televised live on Monday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, when the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship is to be decided.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

Canada’s White Rock-South Surrey Little League Earns Final International Berth in 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-09T23:06:00.000-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Aug. 9, 20 – White Rock-Surrey Little League from White Rock, British Columbia, defeated Nova Scotia's Glace Bay No. 1 Little League, 11-4, to claim the Canada Region championship, and secure the final international berth in the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series.

Played in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, White Rock-South Surrey Little League finished the six-team tournament, with a 7-0 record, having outscored its opponents, 58-12.

Teams representing Canada have participated in 51 Little League Baseball World Series since 1952, but have never won the championship. The country's only appearance in the World Series championship game came in 1965 when Windsor Locks, Conn., defeated a team from Stoney Creek, Ontario, 3-1.

The other teams that will be participating in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series are: U.S. New England Region Champion, Shelton National Little League, Shelton, Conn.; U.S. Midwest Region Champion, Canyon Lake National Little League, Rapid City, S.D.; U.S. Southeast Region Champion, Citrus Park Little League, Tampa, Fla.; U.S. Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles Little League, Lake Charles, La.; Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League, Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League, Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League, Tokyo.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Little League International also formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) to televise this year's early-round games in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN, when the U.S. Great Lakes Region Tournament in Indianapolis is due to end.

The other U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Saturday - Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday - West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); and Monday - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries

Two Home Runs Earn Shelton National Little League New England Region Title, Berth in 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-09T18:29:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – In the top of the sixth inning, Shelton National Little League's Tyler Tice and Marcelo Ursini each hit solo home runs to propel the Connecticut state champions to a 2-1 win in the New England Region championship on Saturday at Breen Field in Bristol, Conn.

Trailing 1-0, in a pitcher's duel between Shelton National Little League's Robert Moretti and Carmen Giampetruzzi from Manchester (N.H.) North Little League, Tice hit a one-out, 1-0 pitch over the center-field fence to tie the game. Following a Moretti groundout, Marcelo Ursini hit a 0-1 pitch for home run to left field that set the final score.

Moretti struck out 10, while allowing three hits and two walks. One of Manchester North Little League's hits accounted for its only run, as Nick Makris blasted a solo home run in the second inning. Giampetruzzi scattered four hits and struck out nine in taking the mound loss. Manchester North Little League was 3-2 in regional play.

Shelton National Little League, which had scored 46 runs in its first four regional tournament games, finished the six-team tournament with a 5-0 record. Last year, Shelton National Little League, which has never participated in the Little League Baseball World Series, lost in the 2007 New England Region Championship game to a team from Walpole (Mass.) Little League.

The last team from Connecticut to qualify for the Little League Baseball World Series was Trumbull National Little League in 1989. Teams from Connecticut have won the Little League Baseball World Series four times, the most recent in 1989, when a team led by current National Hockey League player Chris Drury defeated Kang-Tu Little League from Chinese Taipei, 5-2, in the world championship game.

The other teams that will be participating in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series are: U.S. Midwest Region Champion, Canyon Lake National Little League, Rapid City, S.D.; U.S. Southeast Region Champion, Citrus Park Little League, Tampa, Fla.; U.S. Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles Little League, Lake Charles, La.; Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League, Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League, Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League, Tokyo.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Little League International also formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) to televise early-round games in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided tonight 7 p.m. at on ESPN, when the U.S. Great Lakes Region Tournament Indianapolis is due to end.

The other U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Saturday - Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday - West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); and Monday - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

South Dakota Pulls Away Late to Win Midwest Region Championship, Reaches Little League World Series for the First Time

2008-08-09T18:14:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Rapid City, South Dakota's Canyon Lake National Little League scored three runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth inning to pull away for a 7-1 win over Coon Rapids National Little League from Minnesota, in the Midwest Region Championship game Saturday afternoon at Stokely Field in Indianapolis.

The victory secured the first Little League Baseball World Series appearance for the states of North and South Dakota, which combine its pool of players for Little League Baseball International Tournament play.

Winning pitcher Cale Fierro was dominant on the mound for Canyon Lake Little League, striking out 12 and scattering five hits, before giving way to Bill Hendricks, who recorded the final two outs of the game. Fierro allowed three hits in the first inning, as Coon Rapids National Little League scored its lone run on a Seth Johnson RBI single.

The 1-0 lead held up for Coon Rapids National Little League until there were two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. After T.J. Nolan reached base, Jonah Hanson lined a double to center field, scoring Nolan with the tying run. Matt Minnick, who was 14-of-17 at the plate in the regional tournament, singled to left field and an error by the left fielder allowed Hanson to score. Tanner Simons made the score 3-1 in favor of Canyon Lake Little with a double to left-center field.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, three consecutive two-out hits, highlighted by a two-run single by Minnick, gave Canyon Lake Little League a comfortable margin of victory, and a measure of redemption after losing to Coon Rapids National Little League in the 2007 Midwest Region Championship game.

Canyon Lake Little League finished the six-team region tournament with a 5-1 record, while Coon Rapids Little League was 3-3 in regional play.

The other teams that will be participating in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series are: U.S. Southeast Region Champion, Citrus Park Little League, Tampa, Fla.; U.S. Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles Little League, Lake Charles, La.; Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League, Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League, Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League, Tokyo.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Little League International also formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) to televise early-round games in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided today at on ESPN, when the U.S. New England Region Tournament in Bristol, Conn. is due to end.

The other U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Saturday - Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday - West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); and Monday - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

Citrus Park Little League From Tampa, Fla., Uses the Long Ball to Win Southeast Region, Make 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-09T06:34:00.002-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Wyatt Reid hit two home runs, including the blast that capped an 11-0 Southeast Region Championship game victory for Tampa, Florida's Citrus Park Little League over Westside Little League from Mobile, Ala., Friday night at Arnold S. White, Sr. Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Reid tallied six runs batted in on the night, and was equally impressive on the mound in relief of Citrus Park Little League starting pitcher Michael McGuire. Taking the mound in the second inning, Reid faced the minimum nine batters through the next three innings.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, after teammates Danny Lastra, Brett Wilkosz and Kevin Merrill had all homered, Reid launched a solo shot to left field to finish off a six-run inning, and end the game by way of the 10-run rule.

Citrus Park Little League surrendered only four earned runs, with four shutouts, in five games at the Southeast Region Tournament. In the eight-team tournament, the Florida State Champions posted a record of 5-0, and improved to 12-0 in the 2008 Little League Baseball International Tournament.

Westside Little League, which also was undefeated entering the region title game, had tallied 45 runs on 49 hits, highlighted by 20 home runs in its first four regional games, but the combination of McGuire and Reid allowed only three hits to the Alabama State Champions.

Teams representing the state of Florida have never won Little League Baseball World Series, but have played in the World Series 20 times and reached the World Series Championship eight times. The most recent occasion came in 2003 when East Boynton Beach Little League was defeated by Musashi-Fuchu Little League of Tokyo, Japan, 10-1.

Citrus Park Little League will be making its first appearance in the Little League Baseball World Series. The Southeast Region Champion is the second U.S. team to earn a berth in the 2008 World Series, joining U.S. Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles (La.) Little League.

The other teams that will be participating in this year's World Series are: Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League of Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League of Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League from Tokyo.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Little League International also formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) to televise early-round games in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided tomorrow at noon on ESPN, when the U.S. Midwest Region Tournament in Indianapolis, is due to end.

The other U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Saturday - New England (Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN); Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday - West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); and Monday - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

The Newberry World Series Run Of 1969

2008-08-08T16:36:00.001-04:00

At a Cutters game one night, I turn my head and see Bob Smith, Herb Cohick and Don Cohick. Smith is the long time Williamsporter who has had a great high school baseball coaching career in Naples, Florida. Herb Cohick is the father of Don Cohick and Don was the pitcher/shortstop on the Newberry Little League team that played their way from the Little League field on Arch Street all the way across to Lamade Stadium for one of the eight spots in the 1969 Little League World series.

After his world series experience, Cohick went on through Williamsport Area High School, the Air Force Academy and into the United States Air Force as a pilot.

" I am still flying. We live in San Antonio, Texas and I fly for Southwest Airlines", said Cohick. Then slapping Smith on the back, he chuckled and said, "I might move back when Newberry is ready for its next world series run. Maybe Bob and I could be coaches."

From here it is all Herb Cohick and his memory books he had not opened for some years.

He said, "You have really made my day. I have wanted to get these down for some time just to review what that 1969 team accomplished during that season."

What they accomplished was to become only the second Williamsport based All Star team to play in a Little League World series. The first was the Maynard Little League Midgets in 1947. That team played in the first ever series known then as the National Little League Tournament.

Managed by the late Fred Heaps and coached by Jim Hamilton, Newberry swept every level of the Little League playoff format in that year to become one of the eight world's finalists in the 1969 series.

Who were these "kids"? In that era of Little League All Star play the pattern was to have two strong pitching starters. Newberry had fast balling Steve Carney and the breaking ball Cohick. Both were very capable of pitching strikes to their catcher Mike Prowant. It was a 1-2 pitching punch and which ever one was not on the mound they could be found at shortstop and hitting in the second (Cohick) and third (Carney) slots in the batting order. Joe Zaboski (2B) was the lead off hitter and Randy Vaughn (CF) batted in the cleanup spot. Steve Kramer (1B) was next followed by Doug Cline (LF). Prowant was in the Number 7 hole with Allen Reed (RF) and Rusty Sechler (3B) rounding out the order.

Heaps and Hamilton could then choose from reserves Brian Nasdeo, Scott Peterson, Steve Salvatore, Tom Green and Jim Hamilton. Joe Eck was also a player but did not get any playing time due to an injury.

"It is hard to believe," said Herb Cohick, "that these guys are all about 51-52 years of age now but when I look at my books they are still those 11-12 year olds who took all of us on a wonderful run. Fred had managed the All Star teams of 1965 and 67 and had the team in the playoffs. Carl Hunter took them in 1968 but in every year they would get a good start but then get defeated once out of this area. But not in 1969. They had the good start and then were able to play past those teams out west of here."

He added, "We opened with wins over District 12 Area One teams Loyalsock (6-0), South (18-0) and Montoursville (11-1) . Then beat Flemington (4-1) and Bellefonte(7-0) in two games played at Lamade Stadium. Now the Sectionals "on the road" at DuBois where it was a pretty tense two games as Newberry defeated Huntington 2-0 and then bested Latrobe 3-2."

The Newberry All Stars had seen their seasons end in 1965 and 1967 with losses to Latrobe and came home as Sectional runners up in those years.

On to Kittaning for the Pennsylvania state championships. Herb then remembered, "two things I had not ever seen before in Little League baseball. The kids defeated St Theresa of Pittsburgh 4-1 and, I kid you not, their pitcher, remember now, was to be not older than 12, had a light mustache and beard. The next day we did a great job in beating Levittown by a 6-2 score. When the game ended their coach ran out to the mound, picked Don (Cohick) up and swung him around in congratulating him for the way he pitched against his kids. You don't see that too often."

The Eastern Regionals were played in Belleville, NJ. After shutting out Connecticut, "a kid by the name of Hunter Brett from Smithtown, New York had the kids down when a hard thunder storm stopped the game for some time. It was the first time they were ever behind so it didn't look good. But when the storm passed, Fred and Jim had the kids ready to play and they came back to win it 8-4 to get into the world series! Later we learned that Brett's mother had already booked rooms in Williamsport for the series. She was, of course, very upset."

"We will never forget the great reception given to the team on coming home! City fire trucks and hundreds of fans greeted them out on the (Montgomery) Pike and escorted them to the field on Arch Street where they were given a great greeting!. The people of Holy Rosary Church took care of feeding them. It was a not to be forgotten evening!"

Newberry was rained out of their Tuesday opener and became part of a rare four game schedule the next day. They played at 9 A.M. and dropped a heart breaking 2-0 game when they were no-hitted by California's Santa Clara whose lineup included future major leaguer, Carney Lansford. Cohick took the loss on a day when he allowed just three hits while striking out out 11 including Lansford.

That put Newberry into the loser bracket games with no chance of winning the world series. But in their two remaining games, the team came back to defeat Weisbaden, Germany 4-0 and closed out with a 2-1 win over a team from Puerto Rico to give them a 13-1 run as All Stars and 5th place in the world.

One added note. The radio voice of this team was Vince Campana on WLYC. He was with them every step of the way and did games from some very "hand made" broadcast locations to bring the games back home.

THAT'S 30

Emilia Little League Wins 2008 Europe Region Championship, Is First Native Team from Italy to Reach Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-08T15:57:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Aug. 8, 2008) – Emilia Little League from Emilia, Italy, became that county's first native team to qualify for the Little League Baseball World Series by defeating Windmills Utrecht Little League, Netherlands, 8-1, in the Europe Region Championship game played on Friday in Kutno, Poland.

Emilia Little League finished the 14-team tournament with a 7-1 record, suffering its only loss, 1-0, to Kirovograd Center/Nove Celo Little League, from Kirovograd, Ukraine. Windmills Utrecht Little League finished the tournament with a 6-2 record, with its only losses coming to Italy.

Italy has been represented in the World Series one other time, when a team from Aviano Air Base, with children of U.S. Air Force personnel, qualified for the 1979 Little League Baseball World Series. That team finished 1-2 in World Series play.

The Europe Region Champions join U.S. Southwest Region Champion, South Lake Charles (La.) Little League; Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League of Curacao; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League of Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League from Tokyo, as participants in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Little League International also has formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) to televise the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn. Each network is televising early-round games today at 3 p.m. (NESN) and 6 p.m. (MSG) respectively.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided tonight at 8 p.m. on ESPN, when the U.S. Southeast Region Tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla., is due to end.

The other U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Saturday - Midwest (Indianapolis, noon, ESPN); New England (Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN); Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday - West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); and Monday - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

Parents of Detroit Tigers’ Pitcher Justin Verlander Chosen as Little League Parents of the Year

2008-08-08T07:27:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Aug. 7, 2008) – Pitching for the Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander has experienced much success on the field, including an appearance in the 2006 Major League Baseball World Series and throwing a no-hitter in 2007. Although displaying grit, intensity and competitiveness on the mound, his compassion and grounded persona away from the field remain a tribute to his parents, Richard and Kathy.

In recognition of the Verlanders enduring support and commitment to their children and the Little League program, they will be honored as the 2008 George and Barbara Bush Little League Parents of the Year at the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series later this month in Williamsport, Pa.

"Justin's work ethic and competitiveness come naturally," Mr. Verlander said. "Early on he showed he had the athleticism and intangibles to be a special player. None of us really knew however he'd become a Major Leaguer, we just hoped he be successful at whatever he did."

Describing his son as a "late bloomer," Mr. Verlander said that Justin threw his first pitch at age six, and since he was 10 his first love has been baseball.

The Verlanders encouraged their son to try baseball after taking a walk near a pond one day when Justin was young. As Mr. Verlander tells the story, "We were at a park one day. Walking along a trail, I picked up a rock and threw it half the way across a pond. Justin then picked up a rock and threw it all the way across the pond. At that point we knew he had a special arm."

Playing in the Tuckahoe Little League in Virginia, Justin was coached by his father and made the league's major division when he was 10. Tuckahoe Little League has produced many quality players and teams over the years, highlighted by three trips to the World Series in Williamsport (1968, '76, and '93).

Certainly the league's winning reputation motivated Justin, but his time for success would come later in life since his Little League all-star teams never got out of district play.

In Tuckahoe Little League, Justin played shortstop, third base and pitched. His dad said he was a pretty good hitter in Little League. Despite his youthful prowess with the bat, Justin did not have to step into the batter's box during his college days at Old Dominion University (2001-2004); and at the Major League level, he is a career 0-for-12 at the plate.

"Justin worked very hard to get from one level to the next," Mr. Verlander said. "As a parent you tell your child it's great to have a dream, but you should always have a 'Plan B.' In Little League, Justin always went out to the mound to be successful, and to this date when he's throws he likes to be in charge. That attitude and his expectations of himself come from his Little League days."

As the Tigers top pick, second overall in the 2004 player entry draft, Justin quickly established himself as player to watch. He debuted in the Majors on Aug. 4, 2005 going 0-2 that year. In 2006, he secured a spot on the Tigers' pitching staff out of spring training and compiled a 17-9 record with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.63 in 30 starts as the Tigers reached the World Series.

With a full year of Major League experience behind him, Justin pitched the Tigers to 18 wins in 2007. Posting an 18-6 record, with 183 strikeouts, and an ERA under 4.00 in more than 200 innings of work, he was selected as an American League All-Star, and was rated as having the best fastball and second-best curveball in the American League by Baseball America.

On June 12, 2007, Justin struck out 12 en route to pitching the first no-hitter in Comerica Park history and the first Tigers' no-hitter since 1984, in a 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Not getting too high or too low is a life lesson stressed by the Verlanders. After Justin's no-hitter, his boyhood hero Nolan Ryan called to congratulate him. Looking back on the no-hitter and that conversation with the Hall of Fame pitcher, Mr. Verlander remembered telling Justin, "Those are moments you hold on to, because there will be days when you have to hold it together, adjust and believe you belong there."

Through the first week of August, the right-hander had a record of 8-12 with an ERA of 4.56 in 24 starts.

"Some of our fondest memories are of traveling with Justin's Little League teams," Mr. Verlander said. "The time we spent together as father and son, and as a family, were just as special as any accomplishments on the field. That's what makes Little League great, because the most rewarding thing about the program is parents can get just as much out of the experience as the kids do."

Mr. Verlander and his wife of 33 years, Kathy, reside in Goochland, Va., but the Verlanders talk with their son a couple times a week. The conversation is typically not a critique of the day's performance, or full of coaching tips. For Mr. Verlander, it is his time to encourage his son to do his best and remind him that he has earned his success.

"I always call him after games," Mr. Verlander said. "We don't talk about mechanics. My role is to be supportive and tell him to keep his chin up. Ever since he was a Little Leaguer he's been competitive when the game was on. Within a half an hour later you wouldn't be able to tell if he won or lost, because he learned early on that this game will humble you in a minute."

The George and Barbara Bush Little League Parents of the Year Award was established in 1980 and is presented annually to the parents of a Major League Baseball player who were actively involved in their son's Little League experience. The award is named in honor of the 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, and former First Lady Barbara Bush. Both were Little League volunteers during their children's early years in Midland, Texas, and continue to support Little League today.

"For a person to achieve and excel, often the support from their family has comforted, educated or motivated depending on the person and situation," Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. "As Justin Verlander has shown, becoming a Major League Baseball player is an attainable dream, but during his time in Little League what was important was playing baseball and having fun. Mr. and Mrs. Verlander were there for Justin when he faced such challenges. They nurtured the balance between work ethic, the will to succeed and enjoying the game, and they did so in support of Little League. We are proud to present them with this award."

More than recognition of one set of parents annually, the George and Barbara Bush Parents of the Year Award is designed to be a symbolic recognition of the millions of mothers and fathers who each year respond to the call of parental duty and help to provide a wholesome healthy arena for leadership training for the children of their respective communities.

Some of the past recipients of the award include: Mr. and Mrs. Jack Schmidt, (parents of Mike Schmidt, 1981), Mr. and Mrs. Carl Yastremski (parents of Carl Yastremski, 1989); Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Mussina (parents of Mike Mussina, 1996), Dr. and Mrs. Charles Jeter (parents of Derek Jeter, 2000); Mr. and Mrs. Joe Varitek (parents of Jason Varitek, 2003) and last year's recipients, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Bonderman, the parents of Justin's teammate with the Tigers, Jeremy Bonderman.

Little League Baseball and Softball is the world's largest organized youth sports program, with nearly 2.7 million players and one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and scores of other countries.

Louisiana’s South Lake Charles Little League Wins Southwest Region in Extra Innings, Qualifies for 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-08-08T07:08:00.000-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. –South Lake Charles (La.) Little League become the first United States team to earn a berth in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series by rallying to an 8-7 extra-inning win over Lamar American Little League from Richmond, Texas, in the Southwest Region Championship game played Thursday night at Marvin Norcross Stadium in Waco, Texas.

Peyton McLemore scored the winning run from third base on a wild pitch by losing pitcher Reid Garrett in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Trailing 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, South Charles Little League's Kennon Fontenot tied the game, 6-6, with a solo home run over the center field fence off of eventual winning pitcher Gunner Leger. The towering home run was enough to send the game to the extra frame.

In the top of the seventh inning, Lamar American Little League reclaimed the lead, 7-6, on a bases-loaded walk to Grant Page that scored Carlos Elizondo, Jr.

Nick Abshire tied the score at 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning with a lead-off home run to center field. McLemore followed with a walk. He was moved to second on a groundout and took third on a single to left field by Colton Hunt. A Garrett curveball that kicked off of Lamar American Little League's catcher scored McLemore with the game winner.

In a losing effort for Lamar American Little League, Duncan McNair hit two home runs and Kyle Owen had a solo home run.

South Lake Charles Little League finished the eight-team tournament with a 5-0 record, while Lamar American Little League, representing Texas East, was 4-1 in regional play.

This year's appearance in the Little League Baseball World Series will be the fourth for South Lake Charles Little League, and the league's third since 2001. Louisiana has been represented five times in the World Series, but has never played in the World Series Championship game.

The U.S. Southwest Region Champions join Mexico National Champion, Matamoros Little League; Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League of Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League from Tokyo, as participants in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks is carrying all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997. Little League International also has formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden network (MSG) to televise the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn. Each network is televising four early-round games.

The next berths in the Little League Baseball World Series are expected to be decided on Friday, when the Europe Region Tournament in Kutno, Poland, and the Southeast Region Tournament in Gulfport, Fla., are due to end.

The U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Friday - Southeast (St. Petersburg, Fla., 8 p.m., ESPN); Saturday - Midwest (Indianapolis, noon, ESPN); New England (Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN); Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday - West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); and Monday - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

Video Replay to be Used at 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-07-30T18:07:00.002-04:00

Williamsport, PA – Video replays will be used under limited circumstances for the first time at the Little League Baseball World Series, it was announced today. The 62nd annual tournament for 11-12-year-olds is scheduled for Aug. 15-24, the culmination of more than 16,000 games played worldwide to determine the World Champion. The use of video replay will be limited to the case of a batted ball that leaves the field of play at or near the outfield fence, or should have been ruled out of the field of play at or near the outfield fence. Some examples of these types of batted balls are a home run, a double by rule, a ball that goes under the home run fence, and fan interference at the home run fence. “We are able to do this because all 32 games are televised on the ESPN family of networks,” Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. “As we have seen even in the professional ranks, these calls are among the most difficult for umpires to make, for a variety of reasons. Using video replay, in very limited situations and on an experimental basis for one year, simply gives us a better chance to get these calls right. In 2009, we will evaluate the program and decide if it will be used again.” When a play occurs that fits the criteria, a “Replay Team” composed of a Little League International Tournament Committee member (the Game Operations Replay Official) and a volunteer Little League Baseball World Series Umpire, will review the play on video provided by up to 12 camera angles from ESPN. If the Replay Team believes there is clear and convincing evidence to reverse the call made on the field, the decision will be relayed to the Umpire-In-Chief. If there is not enough evidence to reverse the decision, or if evidence shows the correct call was made, the play will stand as called on the field. “From the beginning, we wanted our volunteer umpires, who pay their own way to come to the Little League World Series from all corners of the globe, to be involved in the decision-making process,” Dennis Lewin, Chairman of the Little League International Board of Directors, said. “Our volunteer umpires are second-to-none, so this simply provides them with another tool.” Little League International will not extend the use of instant replay to calls of out/safe, ball/strike and fair/foul on plays inside the fence, nor for any thrown ball. No player, manager or umpire can request that video replay be used under any circumstance. That decision rests solely with the Replay Team, which will be located in an office at Howard J. Lamade Stadium, where most of the games are played. A second Replay Team, also located at Lamade Stadium, will be used for games originating at Little League Volunteer Stadium. The Replay Team will view every play via a live feed from ESPN on a monitor. ESPN will provide the equipment that makes reviewing the plays possible. “We applaud this move by Little League Baseball,” said Len DeLuca, ESPN Senior Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. “Replay will be appreciated by our fans and the many participants of this world class event.” After the Umpire-in-Chief announces the decision by the Replay Team, it will be relayed to fans in the stadium by the Public Address Announcer. “On these specific types of plays, there is usually a delay of a minute or more before play resumes,” Mr. Keener said. “Our Replay Team should have ample time to review all the angles and make a decision in that time. We really don’t expect there to be any significant delays.” Should the schedule of games require adjustment because of weather delays, and if a game is not televised, video replay will not be used for that game. “We want to thank our broadcast partners for offering to assist us on this initiative,” Mr. Keener said. “It only underscores once again how cooperative our friends at ESPN and ABC have been over the years.” Discussions on the possibility of using video replay at the Little League Baseball World Series began at Little League International in late 2005, and did not involve ESPN until earlier this month. In the 1980s, ABC first introduced the “umpire cam” at the Little League Baseball World Series. Starting in 2002, all 32 games of the Little League Baseball World Series have been televised by the ESPN family of networks nationally and internationally. Last year, Little League International and ESPN signed an eight-year contract that calls for at least 49 games to be televised nationally every August, not only in the Little League Baseball Division, but in all its divisions of baseball and softball. Here is the Video Replay Rule: Video Replay: At the Little League Baseball World Series level only, video replays may be used to reverse the decision made on the field, provided each of the following situations are in place:1. The game is being televised or taped for televised replay.2. The Replay Team must be at the replay facility, and must be able to review replays of the play in question from all camera angles available, through voice contact with the television producer.3. The decision whether to use video replay rests solely with the Game Operations Replay Official and the Umpire Liaison, as the only two components of the Replay Team. Players, managers, coaches and umpires are not permitted to call for a video replay.4. After the play in question, the Game Operations Replay Official will communicate to the Umpire-in-Chief that a play is under review, whereupon the Umpire-in-Chief will call “time.” The game will not resume until the Game Operations Replay Official informs the Umpire-in-Chief of the decision.5. If another pitch or play takes place before the game operations official informs the Umpire-in-Chief that the play will be reviewed, video replay cannot be used. 6. For the purposes of this rule, the play in question will be considered as one continuous play, which may actually consist of multiple actions by players on defense and offense.7. To reverse the decision on the field, the Game Operations Replay Official must determine that there is clear and convincing evidence to overturn the call on the field of play. In the absence of clear and convincing evidence, the decision of the umpire(s) on the field stands.8. The only plays on which video replay may be used are those in which a batted ball leaves the field of play over the outfield fence, or if the Game Operations Replay Official believes there is a possibility that the ball should have been ruled that it left the field of play over the outfield fence, but is ruled otherwise on the field. 9. The outfield fence at both stadiums is defined as the fence or wall (including padding and signage) that extends in an arc from foul territory on one side of the field, into fair territory, then to the other side of the field in foul territory.10. In no event will the decision on any batted ball that is declared “foul,” “dead,” “double by rule,” “home run,” or otherwise called out of play, be reversed so that the ball is live again.11. This rule in no way restricts the traditional ability of the umpires on the playing field to gather to discuss a play, if the umpire who originally made the call wishes to do so. Example 1: A fly ball near the foul pole is nearly caught by the right fielder, and the ball falls to the ground in the field of play. The umpire erroneously rules that the ball is in play. Upon review, the Game Operations Replay Official determines that there is clear and convincing video evidence that the ball struck the foul pole before touching the ground, and before it returned to the field of play. Ruling – The Game Operations Replay Official, through a Little League official at the field, instructs the Umpire-in-Chief that the call is reversed. The Umpire-in-Chief then awards a home run to the batter. Example 2: A fly ball near the foul pole is nearly caught by the right fielder, and the ball falls to the ground in the field of play. The umpire erroneously rules that the ball is fair, and in play. Upon review, it is determined by Game Operations Replay Official that the ball was actually foul. Ruling – Because the ball did not leave the field of play, even though the incorrect call was made, the call cannot be altered using video replay. Example 3: A fly ball near the foul pole is nearly caught by the right fielder, and the ball falls to the ground in the field of play. The umpire erroneously rules that the ball touched the foul pole in flight, and awards a home run (which is a dead ball) to the batter. Upon review, it is determined by the Game Operations Replay Official that the right fielder deflected the ball, and it did not touch the foul pole. As such, the ball should have been ruled in play. Ruling – Because there is no way to assume how the play might have progressed had the correct call been made, the call cannot be reversed, even if video evidence shows that the incorrect call was made. Example 4: A fly ball near the outfield fence appears to have been caught by the outfielder, and the umpire erroneously rules the batter is out. Upon review, it is determined by the Game Operations Replay Official that the outfielder trapped the ball against the padding on top of the fence, and the batter should have been permitted to continue running at his/her own risk. Ruling – Because the ball did not leave the field of play, even though the incorrect call was made, the call cannot be altered using video replay. Example 5: A fly ball near the right field fence at Lamade Stadium appears to have been caught by the outfielder, who reached over the fence and returned with the ball in his/her glove. The umpire erroneously rules the batter is out. Upon review, it is determined by the Game Operations Replay Official that the outfielder trapped the ball against the ground just beyond the outfield fence, and the batter should have been awarded a home run. Ruling – The Game Operations Replay Official, through a Little League official at the field, instructs the Umpire-in-Chief that the call is reversed. The Umpire-in-Chief then awards a home run to the batter. Example 6: A fly ball near the right field foul pole clearly travels over the fence, and is erroneously ruled a foul ball by the umpire. Upon review, it is determined by the Game Operations Replay Official that the ball should have been called fair, and the batter should have been awarded a home run. Ruling – The Game Operations Replay Official, through a Little League official at the field, instructs the Umpire-in-Chief that the call is reversed. The Umpire-in-Chief then awards a home run to the batter. Example 7: A fly ball near the right field foul pole clearly travels over the fence, and is erroneously ruled a fair ball (home run) by the umpire. Upon review, it is determined by the Game Operations Replay Official that the ball should have been called foul. Ruling – The Game Operations Replay Official, through a Little League official at the field, instructs the Umpire-in-Chief that the call is reversed. The Umpire-in-Chief then calls the play a foul ball and instructs the batter to return to the batter’s box. Example 8: A fly ball near the backstop is erroneously ruled by the umpire as a catch by the catcher. Video evidence clearly shows that the ball hit a part of the backstop before being caught by the catcher, and it is clear that it should have been ruled a foul ball. Ruling – Since this type of play is not reviewable under the conditions of the rule, the play stands as called. Little League Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with nearly 2.7 million players and one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and scores of other countries.

Several First-Time Countries in Little League International

2008-07-30T08:05:00.002-04:00

Several countries are participating in the Little League International Tournament for the first time, helping to extend the benefits and reach of Little League to more children around the world.

In the Africa and Middle East Region Tournament being played in Kutno, Poland, the Reverend John Foundation Little League of Kampala, Uganda is trying to become the first African team to reach the pinnacle of all youth sports competitions: a berth in the Little League Baseball World Series.

In the recently completed Asia-Pacific Regional Tournament at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, there were two newcomers: BB and SB Confederation of India Little League of Delhi, India, and Hills Little League of Sydney, Australia. The India and Australia National Champions fell short of qualifying to advance out of pool play, as Guam went on the claim the title.
“We’re pleased that these nations have joined the dozens that compete for the highest honor in youth sports each year,” Patrick Wilson, Little League International Vice President of Operations, said. “We have seen tremendous growth internationally in Little League, and we hope the success of these countries will fuel even more growth around the world.”

Matamoros Little League Wins Mexico’s National Championship, Earns Berth in 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-07-29T07:10:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (July 28, 2008) – Matamoros Little League earned its fourth trip to Williamsport by winning Mexico's National Championship on Sunday in Monterrey.

The Matamoros Little League of Tamaulipas, defeated Guaymas Sector Pesca Little League from Guaymas, Sonora, 5-1, to win the Mexico Region championship. Matamoros Little League finished the 12-team, three-phase tournament with an 11-1 record.

Teams from Mexico have won the Little League Baseball World Series three times, the most recent in 1997 when a team from Linda Vista Little League in Guadalupe defeated South Little League of Mission Viejo, Calif., 5-4, in the world championship game.

Matamoros Little League, which had previously reached the Little League Baseball World Series on three occasions (1990, 2001 and 2006), joins Caribbean Region Champion, Pabao Little League; Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region Champion, Arabian American Little League; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Southern Guam Little League of Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion, Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League from Tokyo, as participants in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks will carry all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997. Little League International also has formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden network (MSG) to televise the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn. Each network will televise four early-round games.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided on Friday, Aug. 8 when the Europe Region Tournament in Kutno. Poland is due to end.

The U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Thursday, Aug. 7 - Southwest (Waco, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN2); Friday, Aug. 8 - Southeast (St. Petersburg, Fla., 8 p.m., ESPN); Saturday, Aug. 9 - Midwest (Indianapolis, noon, ESPN); New England (Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN); Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, Aug. 10 -West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); Monday, Aug. 11 - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

Curacao, Saudi Arabia Qualify for 2008 Little League World Series

2008-07-29T07:00:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – For the sixth consecutive year, Pabao Little League from Willemstad on the island of Curacao will represent the Caribbean Region at the Little League Baseball World Series, while Arabian American Little League from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, will be making its ninth consecutive appearance, but its first as Middle East and Africa Region (MEA) champion.

The Pabao Little League defeated Juan Antonio Bibiloni Little League, from Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, 1-0, in the Caribbean Region championship game. Pabao Little League finished the nine-team tournament with a 5-0 record to qualify for the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds that will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24.

The Arabian American Little League defeated Dubai Little League from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 5-1, in the MEA championship game, and earned a berth in the Little League Baseball World Series for the 15th time since 1991. Arabian American Little League finished the four-team tournament with a 4-0 record.

The Caribbean Region champion has won the Little League Baseball World Series one time, when a team from Pabao Little League defeated Conejo Valley (Calif.) Little League, 5-2, in the 2004 world championship game.

In 2005, a team from Pabao Little League lost the world championship game to West Oahu Little League from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, 7-6, in seven innings. Pabao Little League, which will be represented in the Little League Baseball World Series for the seventh time, reached the 2007 International championship game, losing 7-4, to Kitasuna Little League from Tokyo, Japan.

A team from Saudi Arabia has never won the Little League Baseball World Series. The first year a Saudi Arabian team qualified for the Little League Baseball World Series was 1983. Arabian American Little League has represented Europe, then Transatlantic Region, and now MEA at the Little League Baseball World Series 15 times.

Pabao Little League and Arabian American Little League join Asia-Pacific Region Champion Southern Guam Little League of Yona, Guam; Latin America Region Champion Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela; and Japan's National Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League from Tokyo, as participants in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks will carry all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997. Little League International also has formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden network (MSG) to televise the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn. Each network will televise four early-round games.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided on Sunday, when the Mexico Region Tournament in Monterrey is due to end.

The U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Thursday, Aug. 7 - Southwest (Waco, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN2); Friday, Aug. 8 - Southeast (St. Petersburg, Fla., 8 p.m., ESPN); Saturday, Aug. 9 - Midwest (Indianapolis, noon, ESPN); New England (Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN); Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, Aug. 10 -West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); Monday, Aug. 11 - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, with 2.7 million participants in all 50 states and scores of other countries.

Southern Guam Little League Wins Asia-Pacific Region Qualifies for 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-07-24T16:11:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (July 24, 2008) – Southern Guam Little League from Yona, Guam, has won the Asia-Pacific Region Championship, and is the third league to qualify for the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

The Southern Guam Little League defeated Hong Kong Little League, 5-2, in the championship game. The Asia-Pacific Region winners finished the 12-team tournament with a 6-0 record to earn a spot in the 2008 World Series.

Teams from Guam have competed in the Little League Baseball World Series four times, but have never played for the World Series championship. The most recent qualifier from Guam was Central East Little League from Barrigada in 2005. This is the first time that Southern Guam Little League will be represented in the World Series Tournament.

Southern Guam Little League joins Latin America Region Champion Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela, and Japan's national Champion, Edogawa Minami Little League from Tokyo, as participants in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks will carry all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997. Little League International also has formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden network (MSG) to televise the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn. Each network will televise four early-round games.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided on Saturday, when the Caribbean Region Tournament in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles is due to end.

The U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Thursday, Aug. 7 - Southwest (Waco, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN2); Friday, Aug. 8 - Southeast (St. Petersburg, Fla., 8 p.m., ESPN); Saturday, Aug. 9 - Midwest (Indianapolis, noon, ESPN); New England (Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN); Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, Aug. 10 -West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); Monday, Aug. 11 - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Williamsport Online's "Thats30"] Williamsport, Pa. – SportsCenter “TitleTown...

2008-07-16T09:30:00.001-04:00

Williamsport, Pa., home of the Little League World Series, is one of 20 sports communities throughout the country to be named a SportsCenter "TitleTown USA" finalist. SportsCenter will debut a profile ofWilliamsport on Saturday, July 19, at 6 p.m. ET, with re-airs on subsequent live editions of the show at 11 p.m.and 1 a.m., respectively. The segment, with reporter Rachel Nichols, will be taped in Williamsport on Tuesday, July 15.

Additionally, ESPN Classic will air a tribute to Williamsport as a "TitleTown USA" finalist, highlighting the 1989 Little League World Series Championship – Chinese Taipei vs. Trumbull, Conn. – July 19 at 2 p.m., and the 2007 Little League World Series Championship – Tokyo vs. Warner Robins, Ga. – at 4 p.m.

SportsCenter "TitleTown USA" segments showcase the accomplishments, the teams and athletes who have contributed to each community's success in sports, and draw the unique relationship between the sports teams and their hometown fans. Williamsport is unique as it is the destination in which Little Leaguers throughout the world compete for a championship and the event is the result of the hard work of many community representatives, including volunteers.

"TitleTown USA" is a town or city that shares a unique affinity with its title-winning professional, college or amateur sports teams. It is a nationwide and fan-based interactive search to determine which town or city in the country will be declared by fans as "TitleTown USA."

Each nominee will be profiled on SportsCenter from through July 23. At the conclusion of the daily profiles, fans will select the winning community via online voting Thursday, July 24 – Saturday, July 26. The winner – "TitleTown USA" – will be announced on SportsCenter Sunday, July 27, at 11 p.m.

Town Profile Debuts on SportsCenter July 19 at 6 p.m. ET;
Memorable Little League World Series Championships on ESPN Classic

Edogawa Minami Little League Wins Japan’s National Championship, Qualifies for 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-07-14T23:14:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Edogawa Minami Little League from Tokyo won Japan's national championship on Saturday and earned the league's first berth in the Little League Baseball World Series.

The Edogawa Minami Little League defeated Matsusaka Little League, from Tokai, 11-1, in the championship game. The Japanese national champion finished the 16-team tournament with a 4-0 record to qualify for the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds that will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24.

Teams from Japan have won the Little League Baseball World Series six times, the most recent in 2003 when a team from Musachi-Fuchu Little League defeated East Boynton Beach Little League, 10-1, in the world championship game. This is the first time that Edogawa Minami Little League will be represented in the World Series

Edogawa Minami Little League joins Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela as participants in the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks will carry all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997. Little League International also has formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden network (MSG) to televise the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn. Each network will televise four early-round games.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided on July 25, when the Asia-Pacific Region Tournament in Hong Kong, China is due to end.

The U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Thursday, Aug. 7 - Southwest (Waco, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN2); Friday, Aug. 8 - Southeast (St. Petersburg, Fla., 8 p.m., ESPN); Saturday, Aug. 9 - Midwest (Indianapolis, noon, ESPN); New England (Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN); Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, Aug. 10 -West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); Monday, Aug. 11 - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Coquivacoa Little League from Venezuela Is First to Qualify For 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-07-02T16:38:00.003-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (July 2, 2008) – A team from Venezuela became the first to earn a berth in the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series by winning the Latin America Region Tournament on Saturday in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

The Coquivacoa Little League of Zulia, Maracaibo defeated Flor Amarillo Little League, also of Venezuela, 9-0, in the championship game to earn its eighth trip to the Little League Baseball World Series. Coquivacoa Little League finished the five-team region tournament with a 3-1 record.

Teams from Venezuela have won the Little League Baseball World Series two times, the most recent in 2000 when a team from Maracaibo's Sierra Maestra Little League defeated Bellaire (Texas) Little League, 3-2, in the world championship game. Coquivacoa Little League won the Little League Baseball World Series in 1994, defeating Northridge (Calif.) Little League, 4-3.

The Little League Baseball World Series for 11-12-year-olds will be played in Williamsport, Aug. 15-24. Sixteen teams from around the world will take part.

The World Series championship game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States championship at 3 p.m.

The 2008 World Series will be the second operated under the eight-year television contract agreement with ESPN/ABC. Five games will be televised on ABC. This will be the third year that all of the World Series games will be televised in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, every team will have games on national television.

All 32 games of the World Series will be televised again this year. Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks will carry all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997. Little League International also has formed a unique relationship with the New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden network (MSG) to televise the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional tournaments in Bristol, Conn. Each network will televise four early-round games.

The next berth in the Little League Baseball World Series is expected to be decided on July 12, when Japan's national tournament in Tokyo, is due to end.

The U.S. region finals, which will be televised live, are: Thursday, Aug. 7 - Southwest (Waco, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN2); Friday, Aug. 8 - Southeast (St. Petersburg, Fla., 8 p.m., ESPN); Saturday, Aug. 9 - Midwest (Indianapolis, noon, ESPN); New England (Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN); Great Lakes (Indianapolis, 7 p.m., ESPN); Northwest (San Bernardino, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, Aug. 10 -West (San Bernardino, Calif., 10 p.m., ESPN); Monday, Aug. 11 - Mid-Atlantic (Bristol, Conn., 8 p.m., ESPN).

Sara Thompson Named Softball Manager for Little League International

2008-06-30T08:30:00.002-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Sara Thompson has been named Softball Manager for Little League International, it was announced today by Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball.

"Nearly 35 years ago, the Little League Softball program was created to give females an opportunity to play," Mr. Keener said. "Since then, Little League Softball has expanded to service a broad range of children, and now has all four of its World Series Championship games televised by ESPN.

Sara Thompson

"We think the program is heading in a positive direction and with Sara on board softball players, coaches and managers can be assured that her experience and passion for the sport will provide an informed voice and steady influence," Mr. Keener said. "We are pleased to welcome Sara to the Little League family."

Ms. Thompson, a native of Vancouver, Wash., is responsible for activities within the Little League Softball program, which involves working with local leagues to resolve issues, developing and implementing training programs, and operation of the annual "Little League Softball Days."

A 1998 graduate of Columbia River High School, Ms. Thompson played three seasons of varsity softball and was a member of consecutive Washington state softball championship teams (1996 and 1997). In 1996, Ms. Thompson was selected as a softball All-American by Fastpitch World magazine; and in 1998, Student Sports magazine recognized her as a "Best of the West" scholar athlete. During her senior year, she was captain of the softball and volleyball teams.

To her academic credit, Ms. Thompson attained bachelor's degrees in marketing and management from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C. (2003).

While attending Coastal Carolina, she played softball for three seasons, earning all-conference honors in 2000 and 2001; and was a member of two Big South Conference championship teams (2000 and 2001). Following her freshman and junior seasons, she was invited to attend the U.S. Softball team tryouts.

Worldwide, there are more than 366,000 players, ages 7-18, on nearly 25,000 Little League Softball teams.

Players Chosen for Tee Ball on the South Lawn All-Star Game

2008-06-19T18:19:00.002-04:00

Each state will send a representative to the White House
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa – Fifty-one Tee Ball players from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have been selected to play at the White House in the first Tee Ball on the South Lawn All-Star Game, set for July 16.

For the past seven years, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have invited Little League Tee Ball teams to the White House for games on the South Lawn. President Bush, the first U.S. President to have played Little League, uses the games as a way to highlight the fun and camaraderie that children and their families can have by participating in the sports of baseball and softball.

Since the event was announced in April, a selection panel at Little League International has reviewed hundreds of entries from around the country. Each entry was accompanied by an essay from the player's coach, league president, teacher or school principal, giving the person's reasons for making the recommendation. Little League's Tee Ball division is for players who are ages 4-7, with about 800,000 participants in the U.S.

In keeping with the tradition of Tee Ball on the South Lawn games, no score will be kept as the 51 players are divided into four teams that will play two games of one inning each. Every player on the four teams will play on defense and bat once, followed by a picnic on the South Lawn for players and their families. A baseball autographed by President George W. Bush will be presented – by the President himself – to each player. Game time is to be announced.

The game will be the 19th to be played on the South Lawn of the White House since May 6, 2001, when President Bush began the initiative as a way to boost interest in youth sports among children and parents. It will be the first game involving players from all the states.

Here is a list of the players that will be participating:

Alabama ......... Eli Abston – Huntsville Eastern Little League
Alaska ............ Jackson Moore – Abbott-O-Rabbit Little League (Anchorage)
Arizona .......... Aidan Twitty – Gilbert American Little League
Arkansas ........ Riley Riggins – Pine Bluff Western Little League
California ........ John Cloer – Sierra Madre Little League
Colorado ........ Matthew Harstead – South Boulder Little League
Connecticut .... Connor Hogan – Lyme-Old Lyme Little League
Delaware ........ Jamar Wright – Stanton Newport Little League (Wilmington)
Dist. of Col. .... Maxwell Cowan – Northwest Washington Little League
Florida ........... Blake Money – North Port Area Little League
Georgia .......... Parker Byrd – Warner Robins American Little League
Hawaii ............ Joshua Miyazawa – Manoa Youth Baseball (Honolulu)
Idaho ............. Allison Mauck – Mountain View Little League (Boise)
Illinois ............. Kelsey Brauer – Palatine North Little League (Rolling Meadows)
Indiana ........... Daniel Stefan Hall – Fall Creek Little League (Indianapolis)
Iowa .............. Noah Wubben – Ankeny National Little League
Kansas ........... Anna Thompson – Cherokee Little League
Kentucky ....... Emilee Baldridge – Russell-Flatwoods Little League
Louisiana ........ Kade Theunissen – Lafayette Little League
Maine ............. Hannah Milne – Buxton Little League
Maryland ........ Abby Farr – Easton Little League
Massachusetts ..Jason Cote – Boylston Little League
Michigan ........ B. Cortland "Cort" Oliver – Jackson West County Little League
Minnesota ...... Tucker Tekautz – Brooklyn Center American Little League (Brooklyn Park)
Mississippi ...... Will Scoggins – Madison-Ridgeland Youth Club
Missouri ......... Jill Zulovich – Daniel Boone Little League (Columbia)
Montana ......... Elicio Talamantes – Riverside Little League (Billings)
Nebraska ....... Brody Fetters – Blair Little League
Nevada .......... Kathryn "Katie" Clewett – Washoe Little League (Reno)
New Hampshire ..Matara Tamzarian – Manchester North Little League
New Jersey .... Alex Thaler – Stafford Little League (Manahawkin)
New Mexico .. Jayden Ferran – Paradise Hills Little League (Albuquerque)
New York ...... Shay Rubenstein – Half Hollow Hills Little League (Dix Hills)
North Carolina ..Avery Shane Hodge – Rutherfordton Little League
North Dakota . Keegan Henjum – Burlington Recreation Commission (Minot)
Ohio ............... Katherine Aliyeve Graf – Anderson Township Little League (Cincinnati)
Oklahoma ...... Elizabeth Collison – Edmond YMCA
Oregon ........... Kaleb Karpstein – Bend North Little League
Pennsylvania ... Shannon Friday – Whitemarsh Little League (Plymouth Meeting)
Rhode Island .. Christopher Carpenter – North Providence East Little League
South Carolina ..Sam Bryant – Irmo Little League
South Dakota . Jackson McGough – Harney Little League (Rapid City)
Tennessee ...... Meredith A. Bailey – Greeneville National Little League
Texas ............. Michael Juden – West University Little League (Houston)
Utah ............... Reggie Graff – Dixie Little League (St. George)
Vermont ......... Sam Motch – Clyde Whittemore Little League (Waterbury Center)
Virginia ........... Abigail Purcell – Middlesex County Little League (Hardyville)
Washington .... Grant Luce – North Central Little League (Seattle)
West Virginia .. Broden "Brody" Kehrer – Bridgeport Little League
Wisconsin ....... Paul DuPré – East Madison Little League
Wyoming ........ Ryan Flack – Rawlins Little League

The first Tee Ball on the South Lawn game of 2008 will be on June 30, between the José M. Rodriguez Little League Angels of Manati, Puerto Rico, and the Cramer Hill Little League Red Sox of Camden, N.J. The third and final Tee Ball game of the year will be held later in the summer on a date to be announced, featuring children from each branch of the military, giving the President an opportunity to honor families in the armed services.

President Bush played Little League Baseball at Central Little League in Midland, Texas, in the mid-1950s. He was on the Cubs, and was a catcher. In 2001, President Bush was enshrined in the Little League Museum Hall of Excellence when he visited the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

The Tee Ball on the South Lawn games are made possible through the generosity of these sponsors: Wilson Sporting Goods, New Era Caps, Russell Athletic, Musco Sports Lighting, Dick's Sporting Goods, AIG Insurance, and Subway.

A highlight video from some of the Tee Ball on the South Lawn games of the past seven years can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/DugoutTheMascot

President Bush Invites Little League Tee Ball Teams from Puerto Rico, New Jersey to White House

2008-06-17T22:08:00.004-04:00

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO (June 12, 2008) – Tee Ball teams from Puerto Rico and New Jersey will play in the first “Tee Ball on the South Lawn” game of 2008, it was announced today by Little League International at a news conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In keeping with the tradition of Tee Ball on the South Lawn games, no score will be kept between the José M. Rodriguez Little League Angels and the Cramer Hill Little League Red Sox of Camden, N.J. Every player on both teams will play on defense and bat once in the one-inning game on June 30, to be followed by a picnic on the South Lawn for players and families. A baseball autographed by President George W. Bush will be presented – by the President himself – to each player, manager, and coach. Game time is to be announced.

The game is the 18th on the South Lawn of the White House since May 6, 2001, when President Bush began the initiative as a way to boost interest in youth sports among children and parents. It will celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the sport of baseball.

The second game will be on July 16th, and will bring together players from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for an all-star tee ball game. The third and final tee ball game of the year will be held later in the summer on a date to be announced, featuring children from each branch of the military, giving the President an opportunity to honor families in the armed services.

President Bush, the first former Little Leaguer to be elected to the nation’s highest office, played Little League Baseball at Central Little League in Midland, Texas, in the mid-1950s. He was on the Cubs, and was a catcher. In 2001, President Bush was enshrined in the Little League Museum Hall of Excellence when he visited the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

The Tee Ball on the South Lawn games are made possible through the generosity of these sponsors: Wilson Sporting Goods, New Era caps, Russell Athletic, Musco Sports Lighting, Dick’s Sporting Goods, AIG Insurance and Subway.A highlight video from some of the Tee Ball on the South Lawn games of the past seven years can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/DugoutTheMascot

Pairings, Schedule Set for 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

2008-06-12T13:20:00.004-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The schedule of games and pool assignments for the 62nd Little League Baseball World Series were announced today by Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball.
Williamsport has been the home of Little League since it was founded there in 1939, and the final game of the tournament is traditionally on the weekend before Labor Day weekend. Labor Day in 2008 is Sept. 1.

The 2008 World Series will be the second televised under an eight-year television contract with ESPN/ABC that provides for coverage of all 32 games in the Little League Baseball World Series and the championship games of Little League's seven other divisions.

Five games, including the Little League Baseball World Series championship, will be televised on ABC. This will be the third consecutive year that all of the World Series games will be aired in high definition. For the seventh year since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 games in 2001, every team will have games on national television as ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 team up to bring Little League Baseball into millions of homes.

"The Little League World Series resonates with people, whether they're involved with Little League or not," Mr. Keener said. "Each summer, our partners at ESPN and ABC, and now NESN and MSG, afford Little League the opportunity to present our program on a grand stage. To showcase the talent and ability of the players is wonderful, but equally significant is the opportunity to inform and educate TV viewers on what Little League has to offer local communities throughout the world.

"The Little League World Series has had a presence on television since the 1950s, and beginning in 1963, every world championship game has been aired," Mr. Keener said. "Little League has grown and evolved, but it too has remained true in its commitment that a community-based program, supported by children and adults together, can become a cornerstone for neighborhoods, families and friends the world over."

The world championship game of the Little League Baseball World Series (for 11-12-year-olds) can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 24. Preceding the final game beginning at 2 p.m., ESPN will be televising its popular Little League Baseball World Series "Webgems" show, followed by a pre-game show. ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 25, at 12:30 p.m., followed by the United States Championship Game at 3:30.
Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2. ESPN Classic is scheduled to televise one game live with a taped replay airing on ESPN2.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks will carry all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

For the first time, Little League International has entered into an agreement with regional sports channels, New England Sports Network (NESN) and Madison Square Garden Network (MSG), to televise early-round games in the New England and Mid-Atlantic Region Tournaments, respectfully. Both NESN and MSG will televise four games each, including all four semifinal games.

Each of the divisions that culminate with a World Series will again have their respective championship games televised on ESPN or ESPN2. Televising the world championship games of the Big League Baseball World Series in Easley, S.C.; Senior League Baseball World Series in Bangor, Maine; and Junior League Baseball World Series in Taylor, Mich.; as well as the Big League Softball World Series in Kalamazoo, Mich.; Senior League Softball World Series in Lower Sussex, Del.; and Little League Softball semifinals and world championship game from Portland, Ore., brings the total number of Little League games televised nationally this August to 50.
With the inclusion of coverage provided by NESN and MSG, a total of 58 Little League International Tournament games are scheduled to be televised during the summer of 2008.
The other seven World Series dates are: Junior League Baseball (13-14-year-olds), Aug. 10-16; Senior League Baseball (14-16-year-olds), Aug. 10-16; Big League Baseball (16-18-year-olds), July 26-Aug. 2; Little League Softball (11-12-year-old girls), Aug. 7-13; Junior League Softball (13-14-year-old girls), Aug. 10-16; Senior League Softball (14-16-year-old-girls), Aug. 3-9; and Big League Softball (16-18-year-old-girls), Aug. 11-16.

In the Little League Baseball World Series, a modified Olympic pool play format will be used for the 17th year to determine the champion. Each team in the two U.S. and International Pools will play the other three teams once in the tournament's first five days. At that point, single-elimination begins and pool-play records are disregarded.

The two most successful teams in each of the four pools cross over to play the second-place teams in the other pools on Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 20-21) in the quarterfinal round. The winners of those games meet Saturday (Aug. 23) for the U.S. and International Championships. The winners of Saturday's semifinal games play for the World Championship on Sunday, Aug. 24.

Most of the games of the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series will be broadcast on radio station 1200 and 1400 WRAK-AM in Williamsport. WRAK is the flagship station for the English-speaking radio broadcasts of the Little League World Series.

ESPN Radio also is expected to broadcast the United States and International Championship Games, and the World Championship to its local ESPN affiliates, with the exception of the Williamsport, Pa. market.

Pool assignments and schedule for the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series follow.
Pool Assignments – 2008 Little League Baseball World Series

United States Division International Division

Pool A Pool B Pool C Pool D

Mid-Atlantic New England Caribbean MEA

Northwest West Mexico Japan Southwest Southeast Europe Canada

Great Lakes Midwest Asia-Pacific Latin America

2008 Little League Baseball World Series Schedule (All times Eastern U.S.)

POOL PLAY ROUND
Friday – August 15, 2008 (13) Latin America vs. MEA, 6 p.m., ESPN2 HD (V)(1) Midwest vs. Southeast, 2 p.m., ESPN HD (V) (14) Southeast vs. West, 8 p.m., ESPN2 HD (L)(2) Canada vs. Latin America, 4 p.m., ESPN2 HD (L)

Saturday – August 16, 2008 (17) Midwest vs. West, 3 p.m., ESPN2 HD (L)(5) Caribbean vs. Mexico, 11 a.m., ESPN HD (L) (18) Caribbean vs. Europe, 4 p.m., ESPN HD (V)(6) Europe vs. Asia-Pacific, 1 p.m., ESPN HD (V) (19) Southeast vs. New England, 6 p.m., ESPN 2 HD (L)(7) Midwest vs. New England, 3 p.m., ABC HD (L)

Sunday – August 17, 2008 (22) Canada vs. MEA, 4 p.m., ESPN HD (L)(10) Europe vs. Mexico, Noon, ESPN Classic (L) (23) Caribbean vs. Asia-Pacific, 6 p.m., ESPN2 HD (V)(11) Canada vs. Japan, 1 p.m., ESPN2 HD (V) (24) Southwest vs. Mid-Atlantic, 8 p.m., ESPN2 HD (L)(12) Great Lakes vs. Southwest, 3:30 p.m. ABC HD (L)

Monday – August 18, 2008(3) New England vs. West, 6 p.m., ESPN2 HD (V) (15) Northwest vs. Mid-Atlantic, noon, ESPN2 HD (L)(4) Mid-Atlantic vs. Great Lakes, 8 p.m., ESPN HD (L) (16) Asia Pacific vs. Mexico, 1 p.m., ESPN HD (V)

Tuesday – August 19, 2008(8) Japan vs. MEA, 6 p.m., ESPN HD (V) (20) Latin America vs. Japan, noon, ESPN2 HD (L)(9) Southwest vs. Northwest, 8 p.m., ESPN HD (L) (21) Northwest vs. Great Lakes, 2 p.m., ESPN HD (V)

SINGLE ELIMINATION ROUND
Wednesday – August 20, 2008(25) International – Semi-Final (first-place team – Pool D vs. second-place team – Pool C) 4 p.m., ESPN HD (L)(26) United States – Semi-Final (first-place team – Pool B vs. second-place team – Pool A), 8 p.m., ESPN HD (L)

Thursday – August 21, 2008(27) International – Semi-Final (first-place team – Pool C vs. second-place team – Pool D), 4 p.m., ESPN HD (L)(28) United States – Semi-Final (first-place team – Pool A vs. second-place team – Pool B), 8 p.m., ESPN HD (L)

Friday – August 22, 2008OPEN DATE

Saturday – August 23, 2008(29) International Championship, ABC HD, 12:30 p.m. (L)(30) United States Championship, ABC HD, 3 p.m. (L)

Sunday – August 24, 2008(31) Consolation Game: United States Runner Up vs. International Runner Up, noon, ESPN HD (V)(32) World Series Championship, 3:30 p.m., ABC HD (L)

NOTE 1: (V) Little League Volunteer Stadium, (L) Howard J. Lamade StadiumNOTE 2: MEA refers to the Middle East and Africa Region champion (MEA)NOTE 3: Opening Ceremonies will be on Friday, Aug. 15, tentatively scheduled for noonNOTE 4: Game 10 is scheduled to re-air on ESPN2 on Aug. 18 at 2 p.m.

This schedule is subject to change. It was prepared for the Little League World Series Luncheon on June 10, 2008.

Basics of Youth Baseball Video Created for China

2008-05-20T09:31:00.001-04:00

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (May 13, 2008) – A video on the fundamentals of baseball has been produced in Chinese, it was announced today at Little League International.Highlights of the video can be found on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/DugoutTheMascot

"Basics of Youth Baseball – Presented by Little League International" is a 55-minute introduction to the sport. The entire film is voiced over in Chinese, with titles also in Chinese. It is aimed primarily at Chinese-speaking coaches who might not otherwise have very much knowledge of baseball.Little League has had local Little Leagues in China for nearly 20 years, and currently has eight leagues in the country.

The free video, produced by Little League International's in-house film production facility, is available on DVD by visiting the Little League web site at http://www.littleleague.org/."With the Beijing Olympics approaching, and with more interest in youth baseball in China, it is important to introduce the essentials of the game," Patrick Wilson, Little League International Vice President of Operations, said. "This video presents an otherwise complicated game in an easy-to-follow way."Even though the voiceover and titles on the video are in Chinese, the film itself was shot at Little League's European Leadership Training Center in Kutno, Poland.

A Polish version of the film was been distributed throughout that country in 2006.The costs for producing the Polish version were underwritten by the Copernicus Society of America. The film was shot over three days in Kutno."We are grateful to the Copernicus Society of America for making this possible," Mr. Wilson said. "As always, it is Little League's goal to provide the program to as many children as possible.

The Polish version of the film has been well received there, and we hope the Chinese version will be even more popular."