12503: Jackie Robinson West—Out!

From The New York Daily News…

Little League strips Chicago’s championship team of title for violating residency rules

Officials say last summer’s Little League World Series national championship team, Jackie Robinson West, added top suburban players in violation of residency rules.

The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Jackie Robinson West, the Chicago Little League team that won the U.S. Championship, was stripped of its title Wednesday morning when officials determined the team violated residency rules by using players from other Little League districts.

“After an extensive review of the operations of Jackie Robinson West Little League and Illinois District 4, the Little League International Charter/Tournament Committee has determined that the Jackie Robinson West Little League and Illinois District 4 Administrator knowingly violated Little League International Rules and Regulations by placing players on their team who did not qualify to play because they lived outside the team’s boundaries,” said a statement released by Little League.

“Little League International found that Jackie Robinson West Little League used a falsified boundary map for their 2014 tournament, and that Jackie Robinson West Little League officials met with other leagues in Illinois District 4 to try to get the territory they wrongfully claimed was theirs for their 2014 tournament.”

The statement said the team was stripped of all of its wins from the 2014 tournament, including its win in the Great Lakes Regional, and that Jackie Robinson West would not be allowed to participate in future tournament play until “such a time that new leadership in the positions of President, Anne Haley, and Treasurer, Bill Haley, have been elected or appointed, and that the league is fully compliant with all Little League International Regulations.”

Late last year, the organization said it was confident that there were no violations of residency regulations after investigating allegations made by an official from a suburban Chicago league that some of Jackie Robinson West’s players live in suburbs with already-established Little League teams. It said it would the investigation if necessary.

On Tuesday, spokesman Brian McClintock said the organization had received “new information” that prompted further review of the allegations. He would not elaborate.

Jackie Robinson West officials did not immediately respond to an email for comment but league officials have denied the team violated any residency rules, and that none of the players was recruited. The allegations were first reported by DNAinfo.com.

The stirring run to the Little League World Series by the all-black team captured national attention and united Chicago, which remains one of the nation’s most segregated cities. The Cubs watched JRW play during a rain delay and cheered them on while Mayor Rahm Emanuel organized all-city watch parties. The Rev. Jesse Jackson even announced that his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition would take the boys to Disney World.

After falling to South Korea in the world championship game, Jackie Robinson West was feted with a parade and a visit to the major league World Series and the White House, where they met President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.

12009: Jackie Robinson West Bested.

From The Chicago Tribune…

Jackie Robinson West falls 8-4 in Little League final

By Paul Skrbina

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Jackie Robinson West was looking to make history its story Sunday when it faced Seoul, South Korea for the Little League World Series championship.

But the team from Chicago's South Side fell short in an 8-4 defeat in front of an announced crowd of 28,671 at Lamade Stadium, which is nestled in the mountains of the Little League capital of the world.

No all-African-American team ever has won the world title. Former Cub Lloyd McClendon and his 1971 Gary, Ind., team finished second to a team from Taiwan, falling 12-3. In 1980, Gary Sheffield and Derek Bell led a team from Tampa to second, losing 4-3 to Taiwan. Bell returned with Tampa in 1981, a 4-2 loss to another team from Taiwan.

Jackie Robinson did its best to become the first in the sixth inning, when it scored three runs to chants of “USA, USA.”

“We’ve always had questions of baseball in the intercity and how to get more African-American kids playing baseball,” said Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard earlier this week, before JRW met a team from Philadelphia in a United States semifinal. “I think this proves it’s working.”

Seoul, South Korea was working Sunday, too.

The Asia-Pacific region champs scored single runs in the first, third and fourth innings before a four-run sixth inning, punctuated by Hae Chan Choi’s home run and a two-run single from Jin Woo Jeon, made it 8-1.

Jae Yeong Hwang doubled in Dong Wan Sin to open the scoring in the first. Choi scored in the third on a fielder’s choice and Jun Ha Yoo singled home Ji Ho Park in the fourth. Sin added a home run to left in the fifth to make it 4-1.

Jackie Robinson West pulled within 2-1 after DJ Butler and Ed Howard led off the inning with the team’s first hits. Butler scored on a shot to shortstop that resulted in a fielder’s choice.

Seoul National (5-0) won its Little League-record third title. It defeated Japan 12-3 in the international final Saturday. Jackie Robinson West (5-2) won four elimination games to the final. It defeated the West regional champion from Las Vegas 7-5 Saturday in the United States final.

12008: Jackie Robinson West Is U.S. Best.

From The Chicago Tribune…

Jackie Robinson West wins U.S. championship at Little League World Series

By Paul Skrbina

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Happy berth day, Jackie Robinson West.

On Saturday afternoon, under a gray Pennsylvania sky, 13 boys from the South Side of Chicago earned a spot in the Little League World Series championship game. Jackie Robinson West sweated out a 7-5 victory in the United States final against Nevada, a team that defeated Jackie Robinson by 11 runs six days earlier.

Jackie Robinson West is the first team from Chicago since North Roseland in 1967 to qualify for the championship and the fourth finalist from Illinois, which doesn’t own a title.

As one emailer wrote, simply: Now it’s soul vs. Seoul.

Jackie Robinson West will face Asia-Pacific champion Seoul, South Korea, a 12-3 winner over Japan in the international final, at 2 p.m. Sunday on ABC-7.

“I don’t like losing,” Jackie Robinson’s Trey Hondras said. “It’s like a girl dumping you and going to your best friend. It really hurt.

“Getting revenge is like getting a better girl and showing her off to your best friend.”

Four batters into Saturday’s game, Jackie Robinson was showing off its bats.

That was all it took for the Great Lakes Region champions to surpass the offensive output — two runs and two hits — they had during a 13-2 loss to Las Vegas on Aug. 17.

That put Jackie Robinson (5-1) in the losers’ bracket — and on a mission.

“They were cocky, so we wanted to play them again,” said Darion Radcliff, who had an RBI and walked twice.

Added Ed Howard, who earned the save for Josh Houston: “Before the game in our dorm we had a talk about how we wanted to get revenge against them.”

Jackie Robinson wasted little time exacting it.

Hondras’ two-run home run to right field highlighted a three-run first. Hondras was at it again in the second, when his single to left scored Cameron Bufford to give Jackie Robinson a 4-3 lead.

“I wasn’t really trying to hit the home run, I just wanted to make contact to get Pierce (Jones) home,” Hondras said. “I just got lucky. Well, not lucky. But I hit the ball over the fence.”

Hondras didn’t just show off with his bat. He wisely started a 3-4-1 double play in the second inning that went Hondras to Marquis Jackson to Houston.

Jackie Robinson West answered with three runs in the fifth, when Houston singled home Jackson. Radcliff (walk) and Brandon Green (fielder’s choice) also scored in the inning.

Things looked eerily familiar to Jackie Robinson at the start, though. Last time it was three consecutive walks to the top of Las Vegas’ order in the first that led to a Brad Stone grand slam and an early hole for the Chicagoans. This time the first three hitters singled before Drew Laspaluto cleared the bases with a two-out double.

Stone was at it again Saturday for Vegas, hitting a two-run home run on an 0-2 count with two outs in the fifth to give his team a 5-4 lead.

Houston, who is 4-0 at the Little League World Series, pounded the ground in frustration.

“After that home run I got scared, I got very scared,” Houston said. “I knew at some point something good would happen.”

So it did.

“It’s still unreal,” Jackie Robinson manager Darold Butler said. “I’m still going through the game in my mind, how exciting it was, how intense it was.”

Much more intense than Butler’s Saturday night plans.

“My celebration is going to be sleep,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t even know what time (Sunday’s) game is. I’m going to do my research, but at the same time I love our style of baseball.”

Jackie Robinson came back from two five-run deficits to win the Great Lakes Regional against Indiana just to get to South Williamsport. After losing to Las Vegas, West won four win-or-go-home games to advance.

“It was one of those games that could have gone either way,” Butler said.

Once again, it went Jackie Robinson West’s way.

“They hate to lose. That’s it. They’re horrible losers,” Butler said. “They don’t show it, but they hate it.”