On Saturday, February 13 starting at 8:00 AM, Southeast Tampa will hold a youth baseball/softball tournament for Little League teams in the area; and that night will hold an "Old Timers" softball game. Who could miss those old fogies re-living their youth sports days?

2010 Spring Season Registration

D13 Leagues have held initial registration, and most are having late registration.

If you do not know what league your child would play at, please send an e-mail to the Webmaster with your street address and city. You will get a reply with league information for where your child would register.

Click on the links below to view Registration information for the Leagues in our District:

• Belmont Heights
• Bloomingdale / Bloomingdale Challenger Program
• East Bay
• East Point
• North Brandon
• Pinecrest
• Progress Village
• South Brandon
• Southeast

2010 Umpire Clinics Announced

Umpire clinics have been scheduled for the following dates:

January 16, 2010 at East Point Little League, 11:00 AM
     Clinic will go over all field mechanics.

February 6, 2010 at East Bay Little League, 10:30 AM
     Clinic will go over the 2010 Little League Rules

February 20, 2010 at East Point Little League, 12:00 PM
     Clinic will go over the 2010 Little League Rules

If you have any questions, contact Dave Alonso at (813) 516-6436.

It is one thing for Little League to say that for liability or other reasons, they are requiring an adult to be on the field umpiring. I may not agree, but it is their organization, and they get to make the rules. If I don’t like it, I can protest (which I have) and choose to either do something else with my time should my protest be to no avail (as I suspect it will) or follow their rules and make the best of it.

That’s the way it works in the world – the guys who run the company get to make the rules. But, for Little League to issue the press release below, saying that allowing a teenager to umpire without an adult on the field is “grossly unfair to the child”, amongst other things, is just insulting to those of us who have done so in good faith and with good results – AND WITH NO ONE FROM LITTLE LEAGUE SAYING IT WAS NOT PERMITTED – for years. 

I have seen teenagers umping games alone in Little League for decades. If Little League now wants to cover its butt and not allow Junior umps to work alone, fine, but don’t cast it as being a matter of fairness to “children.” 

It would also be nice to have someone representing Little League who doesn’t choose to demean teenagers by calling them “children.” Is that what Little League calls Junior and Big League players? All I know is I took great pleasure training teenagers and young adults to volunteer as umpires. 

It is a shame Little League has gone in this direction.