Fallon
08-31-2001, 12:29 PM
Dominican Official: NY Little League Pitcher Was 14
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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters) - Pitcher Danny Almonte, who dominated the recent Little League World Series, is 14 years old, too old to play in the world's most important children's baseball tournament, an official in his native Dominican Republic said on Friday.
The finding could result in Little League officials stripping his Bronx team of its third-place finish in the World Series.
Speaking at a news conference in Santo Domingo, Ramon Cerda, president of the electoral commission, said an investigation had found that one of two birth certificates for Almonte had been falsely obtained.
His parents have said he is 12 -- Little League age.
Cerda said Dominican officials had decided to ``proceed through judicial means to declare the nullity of the second birth certificate due to manifest irregularities.''
Almonte, who is 5 foot 8 inches tall and throws a 75-mph fastball, led his team, the Rolando Paulino All Stars, to the U.S. championship game in the Little League World Series, where they lost the title to the Apopka, Florida, All Stars. Almonte was not able to pitch the final game.
He pitched the first perfect game in the Little League World Series since 1957 and allowed only one run all year.
But opposing coaches had questioned whether he was too old to be playing at the Little League level.
Little League officials have launched an investigation. They have said they will abide by a decision by the government of the Dominican Republic as to the boy's age.
President Bush, who attended the final game of the league's series, was sorry to hear the news, according to White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
``Little League is Little League, and the age is up to 12,'' Fleischer said. ``The president was disappointed to hear that.''
Almonte's father, Felipe Almonte, told the New York Daily News this week that his son was born on April 7, 1989, making him 12.
``Whoever is investigating ... they should go to the hospital where Danny was born,'' he told the newspaper.
The Daily News also reported the boy had not spent a day in school since coming to the United States 18 months ago.
Dominican officials said they might pursue sanctions against the parents and anyone else who participated in fraudulently obtaining the birth documents.
<a href="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010831/ts/leisure_littleleague_dc_5.html">Yahoo! News</a>
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<IMG SRC="http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20010831/mdf44593.jpg">
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters) - Pitcher Danny Almonte, who dominated the recent Little League World Series, is 14 years old, too old to play in the world's most important children's baseball tournament, an official in his native Dominican Republic said on Friday.
The finding could result in Little League officials stripping his Bronx team of its third-place finish in the World Series.
Speaking at a news conference in Santo Domingo, Ramon Cerda, president of the electoral commission, said an investigation had found that one of two birth certificates for Almonte had been falsely obtained.
His parents have said he is 12 -- Little League age.
Cerda said Dominican officials had decided to ``proceed through judicial means to declare the nullity of the second birth certificate due to manifest irregularities.''
Almonte, who is 5 foot 8 inches tall and throws a 75-mph fastball, led his team, the Rolando Paulino All Stars, to the U.S. championship game in the Little League World Series, where they lost the title to the Apopka, Florida, All Stars. Almonte was not able to pitch the final game.
He pitched the first perfect game in the Little League World Series since 1957 and allowed only one run all year.
But opposing coaches had questioned whether he was too old to be playing at the Little League level.
Little League officials have launched an investigation. They have said they will abide by a decision by the government of the Dominican Republic as to the boy's age.
President Bush, who attended the final game of the league's series, was sorry to hear the news, according to White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
``Little League is Little League, and the age is up to 12,'' Fleischer said. ``The president was disappointed to hear that.''
Almonte's father, Felipe Almonte, told the New York Daily News this week that his son was born on April 7, 1989, making him 12.
``Whoever is investigating ... they should go to the hospital where Danny was born,'' he told the newspaper.
The Daily News also reported the boy had not spent a day in school since coming to the United States 18 months ago.
Dominican officials said they might pursue sanctions against the parents and anyone else who participated in fraudulently obtaining the birth documents.
<a href="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010831/ts/leisure_littleleague_dc_5.html">Yahoo! News</a>
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I am That F'n Good! <a href="http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/wwfrawheatclub">WWF Raw Heat Club</a> - <a href="http://www.geocities.com/wwfallon">WWFallon</a>