Evergreen LL VP that dimed Jackie Robinson West admitted his LL also had ineligible players

[Are_grits_groceries]

Association vice president Chris Janes — the whistleblower in the Jackie Robinson West saga — told the Sun-Times on Thursday his Little League has violated residency rules, but only so the league didn’t have to turn kids away from its house league.

Janes stressed Evergreen Park has never violated residency rules in picking its All-Star teams, which is why the rules exist.

Renee Cannon-Young alleged on a Channel 7 report that her son, Jacoby, was recruited to play in the Evergreen Park Little League in 2011.

Janes said he “vaguely” remembers the child in question.

“Looking at him in the picture and trying to remember who he was, if he played in our league he was about 7 or 8 years old in 2011,” Janes said.

Little League rules mandate that any participant in a given Little League must either live within the boundaries of that league or go to school within its boundaries. That rule includes a league’s All-Star and house-league teams.

But Janes said that Evergreen Park isn’t in the business of turning kids away from playing baseball.

“Full disclosure: There is a Little League rule buried somewhere that says if a kid doesn’t live in your boundary, he shouldn’t play baseball for you at all,” Janes said. “Forget about tournament teams and all that. Every year, we have a handful of kids from Chicago that end up playing in our league. We’re just like this oasis in the middle of Chicago,” Janes said.

“What happens is we have a boatload of Chicago people that drive to Evergreen every day and work here, and as result, they drop their kids off either with another relative or in a day care facility in Evergreen. So every year we get a handful of folks saying, ‘We don’t live here, but we’d like to play baseball for you here.’ ”

In each of those cases, Janes said that Evergreen Park Little League volunteers meet with each of those parents and explain that they will be allowed to play in their house league. But because they do not live inside the Evergreen Park Little League boundaries, they cannot play on any of Evergreen Park’s All-Star teams.

“I will tell you 1,000 percent that we have never, ever, ever had a kid on one of our All-Star teams that wasn’t in our boundaries,” Janes said.
<snip>
House league teams play only within their own league. So Janes scoffs at the notion that Evergreen Park would have recruited the child in question — there’s no benefit to recruiting for a house league.
<snip>
More:http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/364689/evergreen-park-whistleblower-answers-allegations-cheating

Sanctimonious hypocrite.
The rules don't allow Little League players to play in another district FOR ANY REASON.

AND they knew well before the LLWS that Jackie Robinson West had 'ineligible' players. Bet they waited to speak up until maximum attention and thus embarrassment could be achieved.

Investigate every single team and clean up this mess. JRW is being unfairly singled out.

[malaise]

1. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Many others will be exposed and not just for 'district' issues.

This is racism plain and simple

[GGJohn]

3. Racism plain and simple?

I'm guessing that you have proof of your claim? And you intend to send that proof to the investigators, right?

[Are_grits_groceries]

4. Oh it is.

If you think that's not involved, you live on a different planet.

[GGJohn]

5. I'll ask the same question.

Do you have ANY evidence of racism in the decision to strip the team of it's title? If so, are you going to forward this evidence to the investigators?

[Are_grits_groceries]

8. Let me be more specific.

I don't know if those at the highest level who had the final say considered race.

However, that whistleblower and those involved in the districts involved with JRW are racist. As I said, you live on another planet if you don't believe that.

[Ace Rothstein]

14. Those involved in the district are also African American.

The Rosemoor Little League was one of the leagues that JRW drew into their boundaries when they decided to redraw their map. The Rosemoor league's boundaries make up a predominantly African American part of Chicago and they never agreed to the map change. They also pushed for the investigation.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20141231/roseland/jackie-robinson-west-sister-league-official-calls-for-investigation

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

34. Ahhhhh, the blacks in Rosemoor are bigoted against the

Jackie Robinson team, apparently.

...or something like that.

This is simply justice being served after the fact, although some folks don't seem to get that.

[GGJohn]

16. And you know they're racists how???? eom.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

33. Th intent of the violation was for the kids

I don't have a problem with this. However, if any one of those kids ever played on an all-star team and advanced to playoffs, then it would be extremely hypocritical to point out the "sins" of the Jackie Robinson coaches.

Allowing an ineligible eight year old to play in your league provides absolutely ZERO benefit to the league. NONE. All benefit accrues to the individual player who would be left sitting at grandma's house all summer long.

[tiredtoo]

2. Well as for me

I am old enough to remember playing baseball as a youth when it was fun. Prior to Little League forming. We had fun and then the adults got involved and ruined it for the children.

[Fumesucker]

27. Indeed...

I live about a half mile from a major recreational field complex, even in the middle of the summer there are never any kids there playing pickup games, the only time it ever gets used is for organized events with adults present, there are even RV's that spend the weekend in the parking lot at those times.

The adults I know that are really invested in the kids ball games use the rationale of "they might get a scholarship if they're good".

[LexVegas]

6. Every single team didn't win the championship. They got caught cheating...they got stripped. nt.

[Are_grits_groceries]

7. They cheated too!

I don't care if they won a championship or not. You are either following the rules or you aren't.
He ADMITTED they used ineligible players for whatever reason.

The whole lot of them involved should be suspended just like those who managed the JRW LL. There was more to the punishment than stripping titles.

[SidDithers]

9. There's a world of difference between House League and 12U All-Star...

Allowing out of district players to play House League is purely within the spirit of Little League - that every kid who wants to play baseball should be able to do so, at an age level that's appropriate to their skill level.

Recruiting All-Star players from out-of-district, to create a super team at the 12U age group is cheating, pure and simple.

I don't care if the kids are white, brown, black or purple. The adults at Jackie Robinson West in essence created a regional all-star team for a tournament geared to district all-star teams.

The JRW administrator who signed-off on the eligibility of the out-of-district players is the one most responsible for this mess.

Sid

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. Did you read the OP and the section

that says House League players have to live in the same district too?

Either you follow the rules or throw them all out. You can't pick and choose according to your own wants or understanding. If House Leagues want to use different standards then change the rules.

[SidDithers]

13. Do you understand the difference between House League and 12U All Star?...

'cause I don't think you do.

Rules can be enforced differently for different parts of the program.

Sid

[11 Bravo]

18. The answer is no, he or she most definitely does not understand ...

the difference. I managed and coached Little League baseball for over 20 years, before I had kids, and then throughout their LL playing careers. No one gains any sort of competitive advantage letting a few out-of-district kids play baseball. That is, in fact, reflective of the inclusive nature of LL. Stacking an All-Star team, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. Doing so is an intentional attempt to gain an unfair advantage over the competition.
I managed numerous All-Star teams, once even advancing to the State championship tournament by virtue of winning our district tourney. We had to see actual birth certificates (not copies) and incontrovertible proof of residency before any child was allowed to participate in All-Star competition.
The Jackie Robinson kids got screwed, but it was by their adult administrators (some of them presumably African-American).
I guess it's easier for someone who knows nothing about the process to scream "racism", than it is to attempt to understand the problem.

[SidDithers]

20. Yup...

I've had similar experiences, though not for as long.

I'm glad Little Leagues bend the rules in House League, to give every kid the opportunity to play House League ball.

But All-Star 12U is a completely different animal, because of the opportunity to go to the LLWS, and all the exposure for the program and the athletes that goes with being a regional champion.

Rules for those All-Star teams need to be written in stone and absolutely adhered to.

Trying to equate out-of-district House League players with stacking an All-Star team is just stupid.

We're done with LL now, my son no longer playing. But he's now a LL umpire, so I still get to watch kids play. Fun stuff.



Sid

[11 Bravo]

24. I love baseball. My youngest hung up his glove after LL, but ...

his big brother played in High School, making a couple of All-District teams along the way, and currently starts for his college team.

[SidDithers]

29. It's a great game...

I'd forgotten just how much fun it was to watch little guys play, until my son started umpiring last year.

I probably watched 30 T-Ball and Minor-A games last summer. There are many worse ways to spend a summer evening or afternoon.

Sid

[TexasProgresive]

11. Were the players in on the cheat?

That's my question. It seems that the penalty is being paid by the kids and the adults responsible are getting off lightly. I wonder what the team that got the title by default feel about it since they didn't actually beat Jackie Robinson West in play. It must be like kissing your sister or brother.

We see this kind of foul play by parents and adults who bend, twist and break rules and laws to give their kids an unfair advantage. It's the win at any cost mentality that needs squashing. I really feel for these kids. Losing is painful but one can cope, but this is awful all the way around for all the kids on all the teams that were in play.

[CanSocDem]

12. Competition is...

...as dehumanizing as racism. The whole notion of winners and losers takes away from the purity of participation.

Participation is a public value, enhancing the group objective with a personal commitment. In whose interest is highlighting the efforts of a few at the expense of the group?



.

[GGJohn]

15. Oh horse manure,

competition is healthy, even in competition, there is public value.
To compare competition to racism is......well, crazy nuts.

[CanSocDem]

21. It's not a straight comparison.

I said that both "competition" and "racism" were "de-humanizing".

You say that "competition" is "healthy". I won't jump to the conclusion that (deep inside) you also believe that "racism" is healthy. Instead I'll ask you why you think individuals trying to out-perform other individuals, is "healthy". I think it is quite unhealthy in that it is used by the corporate industrial ruling class as an incentive to increase their wealth. And maintain control.

I think it is healthy for people not to compare themselves with others but to do as best they can every time.

Of course there is the promise of fortune for the individual but it pales in comparison to the fortune made by the harbingers of popular culture. And it does nothing for the public interest other than as a distraction.


.

[GGJohn]

31. Uhhh, this is about Little League Baseball, not corporations.

I won't jump to the conclusion that (deep inside) you also believe that "racism" is healthy.

It would behoove you to not jump to conclusions about people you know jack shit about.

[CanSocDem]

32. OK I get that you don't...

...understand what I'm talking about. This Little League Governing body is a "corporation" making decisions that are of NO benefit to the public interest.

You do know what "public interest" means, right??




.

[Iggo]

17. Participation in what?

Participation in competition, that's what.

[CanSocDem]

22. Participation in democracy.

That's where everybody gets the same shot at what life has to offer.



.

[Iggo]

25. Participation in Little League Baseball.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. I tried to post this several times in the mega-massive thread on it yesterday.

Thanks for posting this again. This coach also has a history that goes beyond cheating at LL.

[iandhr]

23. I feel bad for the kids who played by the rules.

[Stallion]

26. This is AAU Mindset Creeping into Little Leagues

I'm serious-these talent sharks are digging deeper and deeper to find players in the community they can hitch their star to. There is money to be earned off these kids even in these lower levels by endorsements camp and AAU circuit fees, travel expenses and publicity. Almost every Texas High School Basketball team of any note is a product of High School/Junior High recruiting and it starts with AAU roots. Its a much deeper problem than many realize and I'm sure its nationwide at least in metropolitan areas. Some of the biggest corporations in America are funding this too.

[Bluzmann57]

28. The thing about JRW is that while being an "elite" team

They could have played any number of 12U tourneys and not had to worry about boundary rules. They chose to play in Little League, cheated, got caught, and got stripped of the title.
One more thing, why was the town of Linwood, which was outside the drawn boundaries, celebrating a tremendous victory by "one of their own"? Kind of a dead giveaway I'd say. When a city is celebrating a victory by a kid from their town and said town isn't within the boundaries, something's wrong.

[Ace Rothstein]

30. I believe there are waivers for kids who move out of the district to continue to play there.

I don't know if that is the case with the kid from Linwood. There were three other kids from two suburbs also outside of the district playing on the team which does seem like a high number of kids moving in one season.