“Take a clue…Don’t do the chew!” Williamsport, Pa – Jack Kirby, a Little Leaguer from Darien, Conn., understands that using spit tobacco is a losing game. His slogan, “Take a clue…Don’t do the chew!” is the winner of Oral Health America’s 2006 National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) Slogan Contest. Jack will be recognized during the 2006 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pa., Aug. 18-27. Read More
	Connecticut Little League Team Pitches In, Cleans Up A team in the Fairfield (Conn.) Little League spent time cleaning up debris from their Melville Park field after games, a project they call "Respect the Field." The story is reprinted by permission from The Fairfield Minuteman newspaper. More…
	Former Little League Baseball World Series Player Pierre Turgeon Reaches NHL Scoring Milestone WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Nov. 10, 2005) – Pierre Turgeon, a member of the Rotary Little League team from Rouyn, Quebec, that represented Canada in the 1982 Little League Baseball World Series, recently became the 34th player in National Hockey League history to score 500 goals.  More...
	Little Leaguer Returns to Field, Makes All-Stars, One Year After Leg Amputation Williamsport, Pa. (Sept. 25, 2005) – Cody Perdue of Fremont, Calif., is just like other 14-year old boys in mind and spirit, yet his recovery from a devastating injury has made him an inspiration.  More...
	Little League in California Participates in Fundraiser of Astronomical Proportions  (June 2, 2005) – The Mojave Little League in California District 51 has contributed to the exploration of outer space through participation in a fundraiser that was figuratively and financially out of this world.   More...
	INTRODUCING the 2007 Little League® MemoryBook This season, Little League will again offer parents a wonderful new way to capture the magical memories of a child’s baseball season. Players, coaches, fans and families can all participate in creating a low-cost, personalized Little League MemoryBook.  More...
	California Little Leaguer Organizes Donation of School Supplies, Teaches Community Lesson in Compassion WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (April 4, 2005) – Arroyo Grande, Calif., and Beslan, Russia are at opposite corners of the world, yet 11-year-old Jesse Yancosek, and the children of Beslan have much in common. This Little Leaguer organized a donation of more than 100 pounds of school supplies for children in Beslan, Russia.   More...
	First-of-its-Kind Challenger Division Field Unveiled WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Oct. 5, 2004) – When first hearing of the Field of Hope in Peachtree City, Ga., moms and dads of Little League Challenger Division players lend a curious ear, and their sons and daughters grin with giddiness usually reserved for the first time they put on their Little League uniform. Located in suburban Atlanta, the Field of Hope, with its cushioned synthetic turf and flat, smooth playing surface cost $750,000 to build, and was the vision of Peachtree City Little League volunteer, Nick Harris. More...
	Toronto Blue Jays Rookie Guillermo Quiroz Played for the 1994 Little League Baseball World Series Champions WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Sept. 23, 2004) – Ten years ago, Guillermo Quiroz was a key player in leading Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela to the 1994 Little League Baseball World Series championship. Today, the 23-year-old is a top prospect of the American League’s Toronto Blue Jays, and on Sept. 4, he became the 27th Little League Baseball World Series participant to play in the Major Leagues.  More...
	Florida 10-Year-Old Wins NSTEP Slogan Contest WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (August 2004) – Kai Calder, a 10-year-old Little Leaguer from Delray Beach, Fla., understands that using spit tobacco is a losing game. His slogan, “Spit Tobacco…an Automatic Strikeout!” is the winner of Oral Health America’s 2004 National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) Little League slogan contest. He beat out 700 other contestants to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2004 Little League Baseball World Series in August, where he will be honored for his winning slogan.  More...
	Quick-thinking Little Leaguer rescues cousin from icy waters WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (March 19, 2004) – It’s a rare feat indeed when a youngster will risk life and limb to help another like 11-year-old Belleville National Little Leaguer Angelo Domenick, Jr., did when he saved his 4-year-old cousin from drowning.  More...
	Super Bowl Hero Played Little League Baseball WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Feb. 19, 2004) - New England Patriots place-kicker Adam Vinatieri has been the hero of two Super Bowls, but this is not his first stint with a Patriots team.  More...
	Virginia Little League District Claims Mars WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Feb. 10, 2004) – In a move that will create by far the largest district in Little League, a group of Little League Baseball and Softball programs in Northeast Virginia have claimed all of the planet Mars as part of their territory.  More...

By DUGOUT
Official Mascot of Little League Baseball and Softball

These 10 questions are tough, so you might want to ask mom, dad, brother, sister, a friend or your coach for help. Read each one, make your best guess, and then click on the link below to see the answers.  Good luck!

1. In a Little League Baseball game, a runner is on first base, but the runner leaves the base during the pitcher’s windup. The catcher, seeing the runner has made it to second base easily, does not even bother to try to throw the runner out. What’s the call?
a) “Runner is out”
b) “Runner goes back to first base”
c) “No call, it is a stolen base”
d) “Please give Dugout a doughnut”

2. Who is the only person to play in the Little League World Series, the College Baseball World Series, and the Major League Baseball World Series?
a) Ed Vosberg
b) Gary Sheffield
c) Nolan Ryan
d) Dugout’s cousin, “Bucky”

3. Jamie is a Little League player. One weekend at the ballpark, Jamie is asked by the Maintenance Supervisor to ride along on the riding lawnmower as the fields are mowed. What should Jamie do?
a) Ride along and learn how to use the mower
b) Ride along, but wear a helmet
c) Tell the Maintenance Supervisor, “No thanks, that’s dangerous.”
d) Offer to do the mowing.

4. What is the name of the stadium where the Little League Baseball World Series championship game is played?
a) Howard J. Lamade Stadium
b) Yankee Stadium
c) Williamsport Stadium
d) Dugout Stadium

5. In a Little League Baseball game, bases are loaded with no outs, and Adam hits a high pop fly. The pitcher, Susan, barely has to move as the ball falls directly down to her. What should the umpire shout, before the ball makes it to Susan’s glove?
a) “Dead ball, batter is out!”
b) “Fair ball!”
c) “Infield fly, batter is out!”
d) “Hot dogs are now 50 cents in the concession stand!”

6. Who is the “Founder of Little League?”
a) Carl Stotz
b) Amos Alonzo Stagg
c) Pop Warner
d) Dizzy, the pitcher on “Team Dugout”

7. After a game, Miranda and Joseph are getting ready to ride their bikes home like they always do (with helmets on, of course). Joseph says he needs to help the coach put equipment away first. Meanwhile, a coach offers to take both, and their bikes, home in the back of a pickup truck. What should Miranda do?
a) Ride her bike home alone
b) Offer to help with the equipment, then insist that she and Joseph ride their bikes home together
c) Accept the ride in the back of the coach’s pickup truck
d) Catch a ride with a stranger

8. Which of these is the BEST reason for not sliding headfirst while stealing second base in a Little League (Majors Division) game of baseball or softball?
a) You might get a mouthful of dirt
b) It’s dangerous, and you will be called out
c) No problem - sliding headfirst is OK
d) Your parents will be mad because you got your uniform dirty

9. Who was the first Little League graduate to become President of the United States?
a) George Washington
b) George Brett
c) George W. Bush
d) Dugout’s uncle George

10. What is the name of the town where the Little League Softball World Series is played every year?
a) Portland, Oregon
b) Williamsport, Pennsylvania
c) Miami, Florida
d) Dugoutland, California

Click here for the answers.

Mars has been in the news a lot lately Here are a few things to consider when Little League is someday played on Mars…

• Dust storms are an occasional problem, but rain-outs are not.
• Good news: A year on Mars lasts 687 Earth days, so the baseball season will be longer.
• Bad news: The average temperature is minus-81 degrees Fahrenheit. (A pitcher’s ballpark…could result in the batter’s hands being stung if they don’t wear a batting glove.)
• Gravity is only .375 that of Earth, so home runs will travel a lot farther.
• At its closest, Mars is about 35 million miles from Earth. At its farthest, it is 399 million miles from Earth. For any team on Mars that has to travel to Earth for the Little League Interplanetary Series, it will take months and sometimes years to make the trip. Until a faster method of travel is developed, the 11-year-old tournament team may have to be chosen when they are 8 or 9 years old.
• Even though Mars is 4,220 miles in diameter (Earth is 7,926 miles in diameter), there’s plenty of land for baseball and softball fields. Since there is no liquid water on Mars, the total land area is about the same as Earth.
• Gravity on Mars is only one-third that of Earth. That means if you can reach a point seven feet high to snag a fly ball on Earth, you could jump 21 feet high on Mars.

For lots of information about Mars, and how human beings are using exploration of space to learn more about our own planet, visit http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/allabout/

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Nov. 13, 2003) – Canada native and Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Eric Gagne, who played Little League Baseball from the Tee Ball division up through Big League, was named the National League Cy Young Award winner for 2003, it was announced today by Major League Baseball.

“Little League congratulates Eric on this special achievement,” said Joe Shea, president of Little League Canada and a member of the Little League Baseball International Board of Directors. “Eric was a Little Leaguer for more than 10 years, and today all of Canada is proud of him.”

Mr. Gagne was raised in Montreal, Quebec, and coached for several years by his father, Richard Gagne at Mascouche Little League. Teams on which he was a member reached the Canadian National Championship Tournament in the Little League Division, Senior League Division, and Big League Division.

Later, after his Little League days ended, he participated in the development of a training video to help the children of Mascouche learn more about baseball.

Once, after a Little League Tee Ball game, Eric was interviewed on television and pronounced that he would someday like to become a pitcher. As a reliever for the Dodgers this year, Mr. Gagne saved 55 games in 55 opportunities, a feat never before accomplished. He also averaged 15 strikeouts for every nine innings pitched.

Mr. Gagne is the second Canadian to win the Cy Young Award. The first was Ferguson Jenkins, who won in 1971 and went on to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.