LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL REGIONALS

Currently, the only connection between the Little League Baseball World Series and the field that will play at South Williamsport, Pa., is August 17 to 28.

Give or take a pandemic season or two that cancelled the event of the biggest of all the Little League contests, as well as some faulty, nasty weather conditions that caused some shutdowns, this would be the 83rd official time for the event founded by Carl E. Stotz in 1939.

Stotz, a lumberjack clerk, solicited sponsorship from an amateur youth baseball league, and in the initial game on June 6 of that year, Lundy Lumber rolled over Lycoming Dairy, 23-8.

He modified the playing diamond by spacing the spacing the bases 60 feet apart, by placing the pitcher’s mount 40 feet from home plate, and by introducing lighter bats and balls.

Along with George and Bert Bebble, he managed the first three Little League games. By 1947, the organization had expanded to 48 teams in a dozen leagues. The first national tournament was held in 1949 in Williamsport, which became the permanent home of the annual Little League World Series.

Stotz, who passed away on June 4, 1992, after seeing a lot of what he had founded, either resigned or was fired as league commissioner when he filed a lawsuit against the organization in an attempt to stop a proposed league expansion in 1955.

But in early 1956 a federal court barred him from forming a rival group, and he later served as a tax collector in his hometown where the World Series was relocated from the center of town to the South area after a complete renovation.

There was one other interruption in 1975 because of questions of player eligibility, but play was restored the following year. It was a time when World Series teams from foreign countries were barred until these questions were answered.

The 10 United States regionals have yet to begin play until August, and the 5th of that month that will for the opening games at the Midwest played at Whitestown, Ind., when openers pair Minnesota against North Dakota, Missouri versus South Dakota, and Nevada takes on Wisconsin.

Barring weather conditions, that Regional will have its LL entry on Aug. 12th.

The Southeast played at Warner Robbins, Ga., will also get underway on Aug. 4thwith four openers — South Carolina against Florida, Tennessess versus Alabama, host Georgia meeting up with West Virginia, and North Carilina taking on Virginia, with the finale set for the 9th.

On Aug. 4-9, it will be when the Southwest Regional will take the field at Marion Norcroft Field in Texas. Day one will have Michigan against New Mexico, Arkansas versus host Texas East, Oklahoma will go against  Colorada, and Texas West, the co-host, will take on Louisiana.

Aug. 6-12 is West Regional time at San Bernardino, Calif. There it will be openers sending Arizona versus Northern California and Hawaii meeting up with Southern California.

Great Lakes will be played at the new site at Whitestown, Ind., and will be from Aug. 6-10. There, first-day games will Illinois taking the field against Kentucky and host Indian going against Michigan.

There’s also Aug. 6-10 to be the time for the ‘New” Metro Regional, with openers pairing New York with New Jersey, and host Connecticut with Rhode Island. This will be at Bristol, Conn., as will the Mid-Atlantic Aug. 7-12, and starting out with Pennsylvania taking on Washington, D.C., and Delaware meeting Maryland.

The foreign Regionals have almost every spot in Williamsport answered for, and just a few others have spent time practicing before officially starting play for a berth at Williamsport.

In Japan and played at Anjo in Aichi, the champion is Takalazukia, a 12-3 winner in the final over Herishima, and unbeaten in four outings and scoring 38 runs and allowing six. It was the first loss for Herishima.

In Panama, the champion is host Aguadulce Cabezera, which romped over Aguadulce Panama, 12-0, as both finalists entered at 4-0 and Cabezera finished with 30 runs and allowed three.

In the Caribbean Regional at Punta Caba in the Dominican Republican, Cuba won its sixth in a row by ousting Aruba, 6-4, but then saw its streak abruptly halted via a 3-1 defeat in the finals to Cuascco, which wound up at 5-1 with its initial shoutout. Cuascco scored 29 times and yielded 17, while Cuba turned in 39 runs and gave up 15.

Italy won its fourth in five starts by disposing of the Czech Republic 4-1, to take the Europe-Africa Regional. Czech dropped its first of four outings, but had handed Italy its lone setback, 1-0, and turned in 19 runs while allowing six. Italy tallied 34 and yielded four.

In the Latin-American Regional contested at Managua, Nigaragua, host Nigaragua B blanked Lemmuesa, 10-0, for its fifth win in six starts and concluded with 36 runs scored and four given up.

In the Mexico Regional at Matamoros in Tamaucipa, host Matamoros topped the field by edging Tijuana Municipal, 3-2, and advancing at 5-1, with 49 runs scored and 17 given up. Tijuana, which defeated Matamoros earlier, lost its fifth in seven outings and scored 32 times while allowing 17. Two pools played here, totaling six teams in each.

In the Puerto Rico Regional, Amerlia avenged its lone defeat to Vega Baja, but averaging that with a 3-1 in the final. It brought Amerlia its fifth triumph in six starts and dropped Vega Baja to 4-2. In the previous contest between the two, Vega Baja prevailed 6-5. These were two pools consisting of 13 teams.

In the Asia-Pacific Regional played at Hawaseing City in South Korea, it was Korea and Taiwan going at it. In the semfinals, Korea won 1-0 to hand Taiwan its lone loss, but back came Taiwan to win the final, 2-1, over Korea. There were six teams playing here.

In the Australia Regional at Milton Park in Milbourne, Brisbane North defeated Hills, 9-3, following a previous 6-0 setback to Hills. It was the sixth victory in seven starts for Brisbane North in what was two pools making up a dozen teams.

Canada usually begins late and will again this time with Aug. 4 to Aug. 11 dates. There are 20 teams in its Regional field playing at Calgary, Alberta.