Team That Beat Taney Stripped of Little League Title
Mo’ne Davis led the Taney Dragons to the Little League World Series.
Maybe the Taney Dragons deserve another parade.
Jackie Robinson West, the Chicago team that beat the Dragons and end the Philly team’s magical run to the Little League World Series, has been stripped of its LLWS title after an investigation determined the team used players from the suburbs — against the league’s residency rules.
The organization found that the Jackie Robinson team used a falsified boundary map, and that team officials met with neighboring Little League districts in Illinois to claim players and build what amounts to a superteam.
As a result, the United States championship has been awarded to Mountain Ridge Little League from Las Vegas.
“For more than 75 years, Little League has been an organization where fair play is valued over the importance of wins and losses,” Little League International CEO Stephen D. Keener said in a statement. “This is a heartbreaking decision. What these players accomplished on the field and the memories and lessons they have learned during the Little League World Series tournament is something the kids can be proud of, but it is unfortunate that the actions of adults have led to this outcome.”
News of the broken rules had angered Philly parents.
“I don’t think that they should just hand the title to Las Vegas. I think that Las Vegas and the Taney Dragons should have to play another game. I don’t care if they play in the snow or when. I think we’re ready to play,” Erik Lipson, the father of a Philadelphia player, told WLS in Chicago.
