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Little League
District 12 gets a jump on vacationers
By ROVAN YAU
Published May 4, 2005
District 12 is dipping into the past this month.
After several years of watered-down competition, due to low participation and an irregular school calendar, officials decided to restore some of the Tournament of Champions' former splendor by starting a month early.
The tournament traditionally matches the local Little League champion against other league winners within the district at the begining of June. But with the Pinellas County school session ending in May, coaches were faced with a shortage of players.
"What we were finding is that there were a tremendous number of people leaving on vacation," said District 12 administrator and Little League International board member Bob Gibson. "So teams couldn't field enough players."
In recent years, coaches offset the problem by combining teams from different leagues to fill a roster. Others simply chose not to participate in the tournament.
"The whole state of Florida is running into this problem," Gibson said. "We want to give the kids an opportunity to play in a top team tournament, so we're trying to see what works best."
District 12 likely is the first in the state to break from the traditional timing and the move appears to be paying off. This year's field does not include a combined team in baseball or softball. The tournament also expanded to include pool play in all divisions. Still, Gibson admitted there are some glitches to work through.
Players participating on high school teams likely will miss the TOC because of an overlap in the playoff schedules. Countryside High baseball coach Darnell Coles, who has about seven varsity players competing in Little League, doesn't believe this decision puts parents or players at a disadvantage.
"It's a separate kind of program," Coles said. "At this stage in the game, they know there are scholarships at stake. So I don't see where that would a problem."
This year's tournament is spread over three sites. The major baseball tournament is hosted by Safety Harbor, while junior and senior baseball are at Dunedin. All softball divisions are at Oldsmar.
MAJOR BASEBALL: On Saturday, Mike Clarkson hit a home run in Dunedin's 12-1 win over Tarpon Springs. Aaron Barley and Alex Ciletti each collected three hits for Dunedin. Joe Ferrentino scored a pair of runs in Largo's 2-0 win over East Lake.
JUNIOR BASEBALL: Tommy Rutledge allowed one hit over four innings and Matthew Sharpe retired nine consecutive batters in West Pasco's 2-1 win over Tarpon Springs on Monday.
MAJOR SOFTBALL: Kaci Crawford struck out seven and Shelby Boccia had three stolen bases in Oldsmar No. 73's 15-0 win over Safety Harbor No. 71 Saturday.
LITTLE LEAGUE
The Times will publish a Little League roundup as space permits. Coaches should call (727) 893-8123 with highlights and scores. Calls should be received by 11 p.m.
[Last modified May 4, 2005, 00:58:13]
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