JACKIE ROBINSON WEST LITTLE LEAGUE: Welcome
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Registration for the 2012 JRW season now open. Register now using our secure server.
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| President Barack Obama @ JRW Parade
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Jackie Robinson West Little League " ......the tradition continues"
Welcome to the Jackie Robinson West Little League website home of the 2011 9-10 yr old Illinois State champs and 2011 10-11 yr old Illinois State runner up and 2011 Junior League Illinois State runner up.
Join the JRW Facebook page for news, updates and photos
Monday, August 8
JRW 9-10s State Champions
The JRW 9-10 year old tournament team defetaedTuscom LL 3-2 at Heritage Park in Manteno to capture the Illinois State Championship.
With the victory these boys become the first team in JRW history to win a state title at the 9-10 yr old divsion.
The boys won the District, Section and State titles with an undefeated record of 10-0.
The team will be remembered for their timely hitting, speed on the bases, defense and pitching having allowed only six runs in their final four tournament games.
The team will also be remembered for volunteer coaches Darold Butler, Rhay Street and Brian Street who all played on JRW state championship teams.
These young men returned to JRW, Darold and Rhay with their sons, to volunteer their time and share their positive energry and passion for the game.
Congratulations to all of the players, parents and coaches who worked to make this goal of winning the state championship a reality.
Thursday, August 11
JRW 11s finish 2nd at State tournament
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| Brock blasts grand slam in Watseka
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The JRW 10-11s placed 2nd at the State tournament in Watseka losing the state championship game in extra innings to River View LL.
The boys had an impressive run at the state tournament during which they traveled to Watseka six consecutive days and finished with a 4-2 record vs the best 10-11 yr old team in Illinois.
Our boys defeated every team there, LaGrange, Paris, Streator and eventual winner River View LL.
The 10-11 yr olds were the third JRW team to play in the Illinois state title game this week following the Juniors (13-14) which placed 2nd and the 9-10s which won the state championship.
Congratulations to the players, parents and volunteer coaches of the team.
(Photo by S. Fredericks of Beverly Review)
Thursday, August 4
JRW 8 yr Olds Win Oak Forest and Hegewisch Tournaments
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| Oak Forest and Hegewisch Champs
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Congratulations to the volunteer coaches and players of the JRW 7-8 year old tournament team on their post season success!
During an amzing July run the 7-8s won tournament championships at Oak Forest and Hegewisch and finished in 2nd place at the Palos Heights tournament earlier this month.
The team's final record is currently 16-3in post season play.
Great job coaches, players and parents!
Thursday, August 4
JRW Juniors place 2nd at State Tournament
Congrats to the JRW Junior Lague (13-14) tournament team on their exciting run through District, Section and State tournaments.
The season ended with a 7-5 loss in the state championship game to Peru, Il. The Juniors were the first of three JRW teams to compete in the Illinois state championship game this summer.
Friday, July 8
JRW Tournament Scoreboard
Come out and support the boys!
Wed 7/6: 7-8 yr olds defeated Orland Park 5-3 at Palos Heights
Thur 7/7: 7-8 yr olds defeated Frankfort 8-0 at Palos Heights
12 yr olds defeated Roseland 10-4 at Roseland
Fri 7/8: 13-14s defeated Roseland at Brooks High School
15-16s defeated Roseland at Brooks High School
Sat 7/9: 7-8s vs defeated West Side 24-16 at Palos Heights
Sat 7/9 13-14s vs defeated Roseland; JRW District Champs
Sat 7/9 15-16s lost 18-17 to Roseland at Brooks High School
Sat 7/9 12s lost 12-8to Roseland
Sun 7/10 7- 8s vs defeated Palos 6-1 in semi finals ( 4 blocks west of Route 83 and Harlem)
Sun 7/10 12s lost 4-2 to Roseland
Mon 7/11 10-11s vs defeated Roseland 18-0 at JRW Stadium
Mon 7/11 7- 8s lost to Frankfort 4-1 in Palos Championship ( 2nd place in Palos tournament with a 4-1 record)
Mon 7/11 15-16s lost 5-3 to Roseland in the Dist 4 Championship
Tue 7/12 10-11s defeated Roseland 14-0 JRW District Champs
Fri 7/15 9-10s defeated South Side 16-0
Sat 7/16 9-10s vs defeated Roseland 17-0
Sat 7/16 13-14s vs defeated Steger 18-4 ( Section 3 tournament)
Sun 7/17 7-8s: JRW defeated Hegewisch at 127th-Carondelet
Sun 7/17 13-14s: JRW defeated Evergreen Park 4-3 8PM at Brooks High School
Mon 7/18 9-10s defeated Roseland JRW Dist Champs
Tues 7/19 13-14s defeated Evergreen Park 4-0 Section 3 Champs
Wed 7/20 7-8s vs Lansing 6PM at Hegewisch LL 127th-Carondelet
Thurs 7/21 10-11s JRW vs defeated Hegewisch 15-0 at Norris Field 91st-California
Fri 7/22 10-11s defeated Evergreen Park 13-2 at Norris Field
Sat 7/23 13-14s defeated Horner Park NWLL 12-11 at Moline High School- Illinois State tournament
Sat 7/23 9-10s JRW defeated Alsip at JRW Stadium
Sun 7/24 9-10s beat Ridge Beverly LL 15-5 at JRW Stadium
Mon 7/25 13-14s JRW lost to Peru 11-3 at Moline HS Illinois State Tournament
Mon 7/25 10-11s defeated 7-1 Hegewisch LL Section 3 Champs
Tues 7/26 9-10s defeated Ridge Beverly Section 3 Champs
Wed 7/27 13-14s defeated Peru 14-6
Wed 7/27 7-8s vs defeated Ridge Beverly 4-3
Thur 7/28 13-14s lost to Peru 7-5 2nd Place at State Tournament
Thur 7/28 7-8s defeated Clear Ridge in Oak Forest
Sat 7/30 10-11s defeated LaGrange 9-4 in State Tournament at Watseka Peters Park
Sun 7/31 9-10s defeated Hinsdale 7-0 in State Tournament at Heritage Park in Manteno
Sun 7/31 10-11s defeated Paris LL 10-4 in State Tournament at Peters Park in Watseka
Sun 7/31 7-8s vs Hegewisch at 12700 S. Carondelet Chicago 60633
Sun 7/31 7-8s vs defeated Ridge Beverly 10-0: Tournament Champs at Oak Forest
Mon 8/1 10-11s lost 4-3 to River Forest in State Tournament at Watseka
Mon 8/1 7-8s defeated Highland 8-5 in Tournament Championship at Hegewisch
Tue 8/2 9-10s defeated Tri Cities 7-3 at State Tournament in Manteno
Tue 8/2 10-11s defeated Streator 9-8 in STate Tournament at Watseka
Wed 8/3 10-11s defeated River Forest 13-7 in State Tourament at Watseka
Thurs 8/4 9-10s defeated Tuscom LL 3-2 for Illinois State Championship Heritage Park in Manteno
Thurs 8/4 10-11s lost to River Forest in 7 inn to finish 2nd place in State at Watseka
Wednesday, July 6
JRW teams begin tournament play
Tournament season begins today for our boys. This year six teams between ages 7 through 16 will represent the league in tournament play. Here's a rundown of this weeks action:
The 7-8 year olds will play their opening game today vs Orland at 6:30 in Palos Heights.
The field is located on Route 83, 4 blocks west of Harlem. The 7-8s will play Frankfort Thursday at 6:30 and conclude pool play Saturday at 1PM vs Westside. Tournament semis and final are scheduled for Sunday and Monday.
The 7-8 yr olds will also compete in tournaments at Oak Forest and Hegewisch later this month.
The 12s will open the District 4 tournament Thursday at 6PM at Roseland LL. The 12s will play the winner of Wednesday's game featuring South Side and Roseland.
The Juniors (13-14) and Seniors (15-16) will both be in action Friday evening at Brooks High School, 250 E. 111th. The Juniors are slated for 5:30 with the Seniors game following at 8:00.
The 10-11 squad will get started in Dsitrict play Monday at 6PM at Jackie Robinson Park.
Hope to see you at the ball park this week to support the boys.
Wednesday, June 29
White Sox host Double Duty Classic
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| Coach Rook with JRW alumni
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The Chicago White Sox will host the fourth annual Double Duty Classic, presented by McDonald's, on Wednesday, June 29 at 1:05 p.m. at U.S. Cellular Field. Admission to the game is free and open to the public.
The event celebrates the history and tradition of Negro League baseball in Chicago and promotes the next generation of city baseball players.
The game will feature the best high school players from across the country (California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas).
The White Sox Amateur City Elite (ACE) travel team will represent Chicago in the All-Star showcase. All players will dress in retro-uniforms honoring past Negro Leagues' East-West All-Star teams.
JRW alumni will be featured prominently in the Classic with 7 former players participating in the game. JRW players highlighted:
Tyler Johnson, Harlan (Chicago) Ronelle Coleman, De La Salle (Chicago) Jabari Brown, De La Salle (Chicago) Errol Robinson, (Washington, D.C.) Marshawn Taylor, Simeon (Chicago) Miguel Hermosillo, Ottawa Township (Ottawa, Ill.) Shane Brown, Simeon (Chicago) Robert Fletcher, Simeon (Chicago) Brandon Fowler, Rich Central (Olympia Fields, Ill.) Chris Bland, Harlan (Chicago) Dontrell Rush, Harlan (Chicago) Darius Day, Simeon (Chicago) Sanford Hunt, Kenwood (Chicago) Corey Ray, Simeon (Chicago) Toni Jones (Tampa, Fla.) Darvon Slyvain, Harlan (Chicago) Jabari Roberts, Harlan (Chicago) Devin Pickett, Marion Catholic (Chicago Heights, Ill.) Jalen Purchase, Rich Central (Olympia Fields, Ill.) Dejohn Suber, Morgan Park (Chicago) Troy Lewis (Geismar, Louis.)Jordan Smith, Rich Central (Olympia Fields, Ill.) Victor Cole, (Memphis, Tenn.) Ryan Perez, Westminister (Elgin, Ill.) Solomon Prince (Tulsa Okla.) Brett Lilek, Marion Catholic (Chicago Heights.) Chuckie Robinson, Danville (Danville, Ill.) Darrell Miller, (Anaheim, Calif.)Blake Hickman, Simeon (Chicago) Kevin Ross, Niles West (Skokie, Ill.) Chris Stevens, Walther Lutheran (Melrose Park, Ill.) Kevin Phillips (University City, Mo.)Henry Gigeous, Jacobs (Algonquin, Ill.) Clinton Hollon (Versailles, Ken.)Marcellus Sneed, Morgan Park (Chicago) Courtney Hawkins, (Corpus Christi, Texas)Eddie De La Riva, St. Rita (Chicago) Rock Rucker (Stone Mountain, Ga.) Shaquille Cockrell, Walther Lutheran (Melrose Park, Ill.)
Wednesday, June 15
Illinois Jamboree Huge Sucess
The 2nd annual Illinois Urban Intiative Jamboree was a huge success as 12 regular season teams from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin traveled to Chicago for a weekend of little league competition. Three pools of four teams played at Tuley Park, Horner Park and Jackie Robinson Park.
The Illinois Jamboree was the final event in a series of seven held thoughout the United States.
Teams representing Horner Park Northe West LL, Broadview Youth Baseball and Jackie Robinson West advanced to the semi finals on Sunday.
Jackie Robinson West Dodgers defeated the Horner Park NWLL Cubs in the championship in an exciting game that featured several lead changes and many outstanding plays by both teams.
The Illinois Jamboree was unique because it featured a Challenger game as part of the weekend activities.
The Challenger game between JRW and Horner Park NWLL drew the largest crowd of the 3 day event. The Challenger divison offers boys and girls with mental and physical disabilities the opportunity to enjoy Little League.
Special thanks to the Chicago White Sox who donated tickets to all Jamboree participants for Saturday night's game vs Oakland and to Dick's Sporting Goods for donating gift bags for each player.
Little League Vice President of Operations Pat Wilson was in attendance at Jackie Robinson Park Saturday. Mr. Wilson watched three pool play games and had the opportunity to meet fans, players and volunteers and also distribute medals to Jamboree players.
Kudos to volunteers from South Side LL and Horner Park NWLL who stepped in to host pool play games on Friday and Saturday which we were forced to move as a result of heavy rain last week.
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Challengers medal ceremony
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Thursday, March 31
JRW in Chicago Tribune ( click here)
Chicago Tribune photographer Heather Charles visitied Jackie Robinson Park last week and produced this video of the boys; enjoy!
Wednesday, July 21
Haley Recognized with Volunteer Award
Bill Haley Recognized by Little League as 2010 Howard and Gail Paster Urban Initiative Volunteer of the Year
By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.
July 15, 2010
One of the reasons Little League Baseball and Softball has become the most recognized youth sports organization in the world, is the fact one member of a family gets involved, and eventually it becomes something the whole family is involved in, sometimes covering generations. This willingness of people to volunteer their time and efforts is the foundation of the Little League organization.
Bill Haley, a second generation Little League volunteer, has been involved with Jackie Robinson West Little League, in the city of Chicago, since he suited up for his first game at the age of 7. For his part in keeping the league a viable option for children in the Windy City, Mr. Haley has been selected as the recipient of the Howard and Gail Paster Little League Urban Initiative Volunteer of the Year Award.
"Bill Haley, having been around the Jackie Robinson West Little League literally his whole life, understands and appreciates the unique challenges of operating a Little League program in an urban area," Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. "Mr. Haley has been able to continue the building process started by his father keeping the league among the community treasures in the city of Chicago."
The lifelong Chicago resident understands the importance of the league to that area of the city with his first-hand experience having grown up with the league.
"I am proud of what our family and many, many others have built," Mr. Haley said. "Jackie Robinson West has provided a consistent activity for children in the area for many years. There has never been a question whether Little League would be available to anyone in the neighborhood each summer. That is probably what I am most proud of."
Carrie Austin, the 34th Ward Alderman in Chicago, also appreciates the work of Mr. Haley and his family in providing children in her Ward an outreach through the Jackie Robinson West Little League.
"Since the death of his father, Joseph Haley, Bill has truly walked in his father's footsteps," Alderman Carrie Austin said.
"He's been a beacon of light to our Jackie Robinson West children, just like his father, providing positive team interaction and promoting individual responsibility. For Bill, it's not all about baseball, it's about life and that's what he tries to instill in them, just like his father. Baseball is just a mechanism! And that's exactly what he does so well. And, we are proud of him for it."
Mr. Haley learned from one of the best, his father, Joseph, who founded the league in the spring of 1971 with one team. His goal was to provide wholesome, healthy recreation for kids through their participation in the program. Under the leadership of the Haley family, and others, Jackie Robinson West Little League has become one of the outstanding community organizations in Chicago.
"On one hand, I was shocked and surprised when I found out about the award," Mr. Haley said. "On the other hand, it feels kind of awkward because we have over 100 volunteers in our league alone who deserve recognition such as I am receiving, not to mention the volunteers worldwide who are deserving.
"Because of my dad, winning this award is really personal for me," Mr. Haley said. "He certainly deserves a large part of it. I am just happy to continue what my dad and others established, and built into a cornerstone for the neighborhood."
The league has flourished, going from that first year with one team to more than 450 kids who registered to participate in the program this summer, an enrollment figure that has increased each of the last few years. They offer baseball teams at three levels who have enjoyed regional and national success. The Jackie Robinson West Little League has sent two Senior League teams to the World Series, two Junior League teams to that World Series and a team in 1983 to the Little League Baseball World Series – coached by Joseph Haley. In all, league teams have also captured 17 Illinois state titles.
But, the 22-year employee of the Chicago Transit Authority thinks there's much more to the league than wins and losses.
"While the league's success on the field has helped create a buzz in the neighborhood and helped us attract some kids we probably would not have normally attracted, the foundation will always be to provide an environment where the kids can develop into productive adults."
In keeping with family tradition, Mr. Haley's wife of 20 years, Sharon, along with both children, Adam and Jessica, are all very involved in volunteer work for the league.
Mr. Haley will be recognized at a breakfast and an on-field ceremony during the 2010 Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, Pa. The 64th World Series will be played Aug. 20-29.
Little League International created the Little League Urban Initiative Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of the vital volunteer service being performed by thousands of dedicated people in urban settings around the country. Since 2005, this award has acknowledged an adult volunteer involved with a Little League program participating in the Urban Initiative. The recipient has provided a positive Little League experience for the children and adults with a local league's metropolitan neighborhood or community.
Mr. Paster, the President of the Little League Foundation Board of Trustees, is Executive Vice President of Public Relations and Public Affairs, at WPP Group, and was Chairman of "A World of Opportunity – Little League Baseball Capital Campaign for the Future." Mrs. Paster is the Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
The Little League Urban Initiative is now operating with more than 200 leagues in nearly 85 cities in the United States. Through the 2009 Little League season, the Little League Urban Initiative has stimulated the participation of 3,901 teams, approximately 51,000 players, and has participated in nearly thirty field renovation/development projects.
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.
Tuesday, February 8
Special Needs Little League for Boys and Girls
This spring JRW will offer the Challenger Division which is a program designed for mentally and/or physically challenged youth, helping them to enjoy the full benefits of Little League Baseball participation in an athletic environment structured to their abilities.
Playing with the same equipment and on the same fields, Challenger players will have the opportunity to experience the joys of pulling together as a team, being cheered, making new friends and earning awards for their achievement.
Please assist the league by sharing this info with any parent you know with a boy or girl that would benefit from this program.
There are no boundary restrictions for Challenger players.
There will be a meeting for interested Parents on Wednesday March 16th at 6:30 at West Pullman Library 830 West 119th. (1 block West of Halsted).
Space will be limited; we have roster spots available for four teams.
Challenger Baseball FAQs What is the Challenger Division? The Challenger Division offers boys and girls with physical and/or mental challenges, ages 5 through 18 (or until completion of high school) the opportunity to participate in an organized game of baseball. The fundamental goal of this division is to give everyone a chance to play. There are no boundary restrictions for Challenger players.
What is Jackie Robinson West Little League? Jackie Robinson West is a local little league that founded in 1971 and based on the far south side of Chicago. In 2010, 420 boys and girls between ages 5 and 15, participated on 30 teams.
How does the program work? A “buddy” is assigned to each Challenger Player and will be responsible for playing side by side with the Challenger Player. We will seek volunteer buddies from Jackie Robinson Little League or a family member can serve as a buddy. Buddy activities include helping them play in the field, talking to them in the dugout, helping them hit, assisting them around the bases.
What will Jackie Robinson West provide? JRW will provide uniforms, playing fields, equipment, team assignments and insurance.
What does the program cost participants? It is our goal to offer Challenger Baseball to participants at no cost. Team/individual pictures and year end Banquet are optional activities which must be purchased.
When does the program start? The season will begin in early May and will extend through June 25th.
How many games will be played? This will depend on a variety of factors, primarily the number of participants. The goal is to have each team play 6-8 games on either Saturdays or Sundays.
Can I volunteer to help? Absolutely! The easiest way to help is by spreading the word about the Challenger Program. Assistance will be needed with a variety of activities to help the program take root and develop. We will be in need of Buddies for each participant.
For more information contact us at jackierobinsonwest@hotmail.com
Parent Meeting and Player Registration; Wednesday March 16th at 6:30 at West Pullman Library 830 West 119th Street (1 block West of Halsted)
Saturday, August 8
JRW featured in True Slant Blog
JRW Family,
Hope you enjoy this piece written about the league by writer Bob Cook in the True Slant blog.
How one urban youth baseball league succeeds
On the morning of the day he leaves to watch his son’s all-star team play in a Little League tournament game, Bill Haley is doing two things at the Jackie Robinson West field on the south side of Chicago. One is keeping watch while a crew films a commercial for Harris Bank. “You’d think they were making Star Wars,” Haley says. The other is talking to me on the phone about how a normal thing for him and his league — African-American kids playing baseball — seems so unusual to most everyone else.
“I can understand why it’s news, but I don’t think it’s news,” Haley said.
In this previous piece on Jackie Robinson West, I talked about the long-term decline in the percentage of African-Americans in Major League Baseball, from about 30 percent in the late 1970s to around 10 percent now. I talked about how that has become a symbol of many blacks’ overall disengagement from the game, compared with earlier generations. And how an all-black team making the Little League World Series in 1983, as Jackie Robinson West did, is not big news, but that team making the LLWS this year could be a very big deal, given Major League Baseball’s greater sensitivity and awareness to its dwindling African-American base.
Jackie Robinson West’s second straight appearance in the Central Region final in Indianapolis, the last stop before South Williamsport, Pa., is a very big deal to Haley, but not for the reasons listed above. It’s a big deal because it’s his league — and his 12-year-old son, Adam — playing a big series. Black has nothing to do with it. For that matter, Jackie Robinson West’s playoff road is gravy to the real goal of the league, the stated goal of most local leagues — “give kids something to do, and provide an outlet for the adults.”
What makes Jackie Robinson West succeed as a league is the same as what makes any league succeed, no matter the players’ race, ethnicity or income status.
“It’s a combination of factors,” said Haley, a dispatcher for the Chicago Transit Authority. “Our league has a strong tradition. The coaches were once players. It’s taken hold in the community. You pull kids from a limited area, so there’s a sense of community to start out with. Being state champions (the league has won two Illinois championships in a row) is incidental to what we’re trying to do.”
The key, Haley said, is not the children. “It’s the adults. Baseball is a family game. It starts with just a dad playing catch with his kids. You’ve got a dad who hits pop flies on a Sunday. That’s where the connection comes in.
“That’s how it started for me.”
No surprise, because Haley’s father, Joseph, founded the Jackie Robinson West league in 1971. There was some sociological significance to that as well. In 1960, the Washington Heights neighborhood on Chicago’s south side was 88 percent white. Thanks to a decade of blockbusting, white flight and black emigration from other parts of the city and the South (Joseph Haley was from Louisiana), by 1970 the neighborhood was 75 percent black. (My suburb, Oak Lawn, had its big population boom in the 1960s thanks to white people fleeing Washington Heights and other south side areas that, as Chicago residents still diplomatically put it, were “changing.”) By putting the league together, Joseph Haley, who died four years ago, created a center for the mass of new arrivals in Washington Heights, not only a place to play baseball, but also a place for adults to meet and greet.
Like many neighborhoods and suburbs on Chicago’s south side, a lot of the people who now live in Washington Heights are people who grew up in Washington Heights. (My Oak Lawn is that way — my wife and I moved all over the country and ended up a mile from her childhood home. Like south siders say, they always come back.) Washington Heights is nearly 100 percent black. However, not all urban neighborhoods are created unequal. Washington Heights is a stable, working- to middle-class area where the likes of a Bill Haley are around and available.
It’s not just that there are fathers around. It’s that whole families and neighbors are invested in the league and its success. Washington Heights is not unique in Chicago — there are baseball leagues in neighborhoods on all sides of the area served by Jackie Robinson West. For any youth league of any kind in any area to survive and thrive, you need adults who are invested (hopefully in a productive way) in their children’s lives. You also need people who respect the league and its traditions. That’s easier to do when you have people like Haley, who played, and then coached (so does his brother). Haley’s 16-year-old daughter, once a Jackie Robinson West cheerleader, helps to coach the newest generation. The league has annual reunions of past players.
That’s not to say Washington Heights and all the kids at Jackie Robinson West are all about baseball. “What people don’t realize is the tremendous amount of energy and time that goes into basketball,” Haley said. “I can’t tell you how many kids we lose to basketball.” That’s become particularly acute since a few years back, thanks to the success of a recent graduate of nearby Simeon High, the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose.
However, “we’re not in competition with basketball,” Haley said. The success of the older kids does help generate excitement in baseball, to be sure. “We’ve got a whole park of 7- to 10-year-olds watching these guys like they’re Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Milton Bradley.”
Some might read Haley’s naming of those three players as a way of holding up black role models in baseball (with Lee and Bradley among the relatively rare African-Americans in the majors). I tend to think of it as Haley not being a true south sider by rooting for the stinkin’ Cubs. Hey, if we want to talk African-American baseball role models, how about 2005 World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, or DeWayne Wise, who made the greatest catch ever to save a perfect game? Oh, did I mention I’m a White Sox fan by marriage?
But I digress.
Speaking of major leaguers, Haley isn’t sure about the various MLB initiatives to goose African-American participation and big-league representation.
The success of “our league is simple. The commitment of the adults in the community. They believe this is important for the kids to have. Without that, if it’s not organically grown, [a league or initiative] is just a good idea. Time well tell whether they have any success. Though I’m always concerned when the forces behind something like this is not at the ground level.”
In its first game in Indianapolis Thursday night, Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West beat Columbus, Ind.’s Bartholomew County 4-2 in the Architecture Bowl. It has round-robin play this week before the championship round. If Jackie Robinson West keeps winning, you’re likely to hear more about how something so ordinary to Haley seems so extraordinary to others. The goal is no more high-minded than having a good baseball league that kids enjoy and parents support.
By the way, Harris Bank wasn’t filming a commercial at Jackie Robinson West as some sort of statement. It just liked the field.
