Little League Officials Critized

[USENET News System]

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (UPI) -- Parents and officials slammed the
Little League Baseball committee Saturday for stripping the Philippines
of the world title, calling the decision unfair and arbitrary.
``Let them play again anywhere, anytime and our boys will beat them,''
said Jaime Alfaro, whose son Jemar was a member of the Philippine team
that beat a U.S. team 15-4 in the Aug. 29 championship game in
Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
``I still consider my son as a world champ,'' the 49-year-old farmer
angrily told reporters in Zamboanga City, the district the players
represented located 500 miles south of Manila.
``We will keep it,'' he said pointing to his son's medal hung in the
cramped living room of their thatch-roofed home. ``We will always
remember the victory.''
Little League Baseball officials Thursday stripped Zamboanga City of
the world series title and awarded the championship to Long Beach,
Calif., saying the Philippine team used ineligible players.
Luke LaPorta, Little League international chairman, said the
tournament committee decided to declare the game a forfeit.
Eduardo Toribio, the disgruntled coach of the Philippine team, said
in a newspaper interview Tuesday that only six of his 14 players were
actually from Zamboanga which is a violation of tournament rules.
The rules require each team must be composed of youngsters from a
single district.
A Long Beach coach said the championship was a ``hollow victory'' but
said he was glad the Philippines ``did not get away with that.''
Allan Bitun, the Philippine team captain, said he was not bothered at
all now that the title has been taken away.
``I will just continue with my studies to become a priest,'' said the
12-year-old, who helps his widowed mother sell cigarettes to support her
family. ``I still consider my team the champion.''
Leticia de los Santos, village head of Culianan where most of the
boys come from, denounced the decision as ``unfair, arbitrary and based
on trial by publicity.''
``There was no investigation,'' she said.
``They (Americans) always want to win. Are they still angry at us
because we removed the U.S. bases?'' she said, referring the Manila's
rejection last year of a new military bases treaty with Washington.
President Fidel Ramos declined comment Friday on the decision but
said he would not take back the $40,000 (1 million peso) bonus he had
given to the team.
The Filipino youngsters were given a tickertape parade in the capital
on their arrival early this month and were promised high school and
college scholarships.