WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2006) – The Little League International Board of Directors has voted to mandate checks of the National Sex Offender Public Registry for managers, coaches and other volunteers who come into regular contact with players, it was announced today by Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball.

The National Sex Offender Public Registry, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice, is a cooperative effort between the federal government and the states that host public sexual offender registries. The registry, which became available in July 2005, features a web-based search tool allowing the user to submit a single query to obtain information about convicted sex offenders in nearly every state. It now includes all states. Use of the registry is free and available to anyone with an Internet connection at http://www.nsopr.gov.

“Little League commends the Department of Justice and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on taking this important step,” Mr. Keener said. “Little League remains committed to providing its volunteers with the means to make Little League a safer program for children.”

Little League, the largest organized youth sports program in the world with more than 2.6 million players and 1 million adult volunteers, became in 2003 the first national youth sports program to mandate checks of state sex offender registries for its local leagues. Pop Warner Football later adopted the same mandate, but no other large youth sports programs have followed suit.

“We again call on all other youth sports organizations to take this important step in protecting children,” Mr. Keener said.

While the Department of Justice National Sex Offender Registry is a great improvement over individual state sexual offender registries, Little League International strongly recommends that leagues utilize ChoicePoint to perform background checks. ChoicePoint currently conducts a nationwide check in all states except Hawaii and South Dakota.

More information on the newly mandated background checks, as well as information on using ChoicePoint for more extensive background checks, can be found at the Little League web site: www.littleleague.org.

The Little League International Board of Directors adopted the change at its meeting during the Little League Baseball World Series on Aug. 25. Other changes adopted for the 2007 season at that meeting are listed below.

• A regulation reinforcing Little League’s residency requirements, stating that a player who does not reside within the boundaries of a local Little League must have written permission from the Little League International Charter Committee before being permitted to participate.

• A regulation mandating the use of pitches delivered to determine pitching eligibility in all baseball divisions. Previously, eligibility was determined by innings pitched. This information was released to the public on Aug. 25. (Story here: http://www.littleleague.org/media/pitch_count_08-25-06.asp)

• A rule in the Little League Softball Division (for girls ages 9-12), mandating the use of the 12-inch softball. The 11-inch softball remains in use for the Minor League Softball Division (for girls ages 7-12).

• A rule that makes the following changes to the bat specifications in the baseball divisions:
   The color of the bat must be tested and proved acceptable to Little League standards.

The length of the bat must be no more than 36 inches for Senior League (14-16 year olds) and Big League (16-18 year olds). Previously, bats in the Big League Division could be as long as 38 inches.

The maximum diameter of a non-wood bat is 2 5/8 inches. Previously, the maximum width was 2 3/4 inches, but bat manufacturers generally only produce the 2 5/8 inch model.

The difference between weight (in ounces) and length (in inches) for a bat in the Senior League and Big League divisions of baseball cannot exceed minus-three. For instance, a bat that is 32 inches long cannot weigh less than 29 ounces. These divisions are for players ages 14-18. The standard for Junior League Baseball remains the same.

Non-wood bats used in the Senior and Big League baseball divisions are required to meet the BESR (bat exit speed ratio) performance standard. The BESR performance standard is currently used by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Federation of State High School Associations

• An International Tournament rule allowing a player in the Big League Baseball or Big League Softball regular season programs to be eligible for selection to a tournament team if he/she was on a roster during at least one-half of the regular season. Previously, the rule only permitted eligibility if the player actually participated in one-half of the games. This was changed because the Big League divisions do not have a mandatory play rule for the regular season. The Big League Baseball Division is for players 16-18 years old, and the Big League Softball Division is for girls ages 14-18.

The complete text of the new rules and regulations approved for the 2007 season by the Little League International Board of Directors is at: www.littleleague.org/media/Rule_Changes_09-06.pdf

Little League Implements New Rule to Protect Pitchers’ Arms
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 WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Aug. 25, 2006) – Little League Baseball is changing its decades-old pitching rules, making the actual number of pitches delivered the deciding factor in determining eligibility in the baseball division, it was announced today by Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball.

Starting with the 2007 season, pitchers in all divisions of Little League, from age 7 to 18, will have specific limits for each game, based on their age. The number of pitches delivered in a game will determine the amount of rest the player must have before pitching again.

“Little League has a rich history of pioneering baseball safety innovations,” Mr. Keener said. “As the world’s largest organized youth sports program, Little League is proud to take a leadership position in youth sports safety.”

There are about 2.3 million players in the baseball divisions of Little League worldwide. There are nearly 400,000 girls softball players, but the new regulations will not apply to softball.

For all of Little League Baseball’s history, and for the history of amateur youth baseball in general, pitching regulations have used innings pitched to determine pitcher eligibility. Recently, researchers and medical professionals in the field of sports medicine have been working to determine if the actual number of pitches thrown (i.e., pitch count) is a safer way to regulate pitching in youth baseball.

Most notable among those calling for pitch counts has been Dr. James R. Andrews, M.D., medical director at the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Andrews is the world’s foremost authority on pitching injuries and ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, or, as it is better known, “Tommy John surgery.” The ASMI and the USA Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Committee have worked closely with Little League to create the guidelines for the new regulation.

“This is one of the most important injury prevention steps ever initiated in youth baseball by the leader in youth baseball,” Dr. Andrews said. “It is certain to serve as the youth sports injury prevention cornerstone and the inspiration for other youth organizations to take the initiative to get serious about injury prevention in youth sports. I am proud that out American Sports Medicine Institute and USA Baseball can play a small role in this important initiative.”

Little League is the first national youth baseball organization to institute a pitch count. The Little League International Board of Directors approved the measure unanimously at its annual meeting today, two days before the Little League Baseball World Series concludes.

“This is the right time to make this change,” Mr. Keener said. “We call upon all youth baseball organizations, including travel leagues, to implement their own pitch count programs in the interest of protecting young pitching arms. Our goal continues to be to educate everyone, particularly parents and coaches, on the potential injuries that can occur from throwing too many pitches.”

For the past two years, Little League has conducted a Pitch Count Pilot Program to determine the feasibility of implementing a regulation limiting the number of pitches a Little Leaguer can throw in a day, and the rest required before pitching again. Fifty leagues were studied in 2005, and nearly 500 signed up for the program in 2006.

“Surveys of those leagues showed the overwhelming majority were able to implement a pitch count without any problems,” Mr. Keener said. “They also found that they were able to develop other pitchers who might not have otherwise ever taken the mound. And they found that their pitchers were stronger at the end of the season, with less arm pain.”

Previously, Little League pitching regulations limited pitchers (league age 12 and under) to six innings per week (Sunday through Saturday), and six innings per game. The number of innings allowed was increased for older age groups.

The number of pitches allowable under the new regulation is based on the pitcher’s age. Specific rest periods are in place when a pitcher reaches a higher threshold of pitches delivered in a day.

The table below gives an overview of the number of pitches that will be allowed per day for each age group during the regular season in 2007.

League Age Pitches allowed per day
17-18  105 
13-16 95
11-12 85
10 and under 75

The rest periods required during the 2007 regular season are listed below.

Pitchers league ages 7 through 16 must adhere to the following rest requirements:

• If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 41 - 60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 21 - 40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must beobserved.
• If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required before pitching again.

Pitchers league age 17-18 must adhere to the following rest requirements:

• If a player pitches 76 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 51 - 75 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 26 - 50 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must beobserved.
• If a player pitches 1-25 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required before pitching again.

“The regulation might be seen as a work in progress,” Mr. Keener said. “As we move forward through the years, the limits may be adjusted as needed. And of course, we will continue to use all means at our disposal to improve the education of managers, coaches and parents.”

Regulations for tournament play (all-stars) will be similar, but with some modifications. Those regulations will be released this fall.

Little League also continues to explore other pitching-related issues, such as the use of breaking pitches.

“While there is no medical evidence to support a ban on breaking pitches, it is widely speculated by medical professionals that it is ill-advised for players under 14 years old to throw breaking pitches,” Mr. Keener said. “Breaking pitches for these ages continues to be strongly discouraged by Little League, and that is an issue we are looking at as well. As with our stance on pitch counts, we will act if and when there is medical evidence to support a change.”

Little League International is beginning a five-year study on breaking pitches by Little League pitchers. The study is being conducted by the University of North Carolina and is supported by the Yawkey Foundation.