Little League Baseball Reviewing Eligibility of 2014 U.S. Champions

The U.S. Champion Little League World Series team, Jackie Robinson West, has vacated its wins in the 2014 tournament, due to players who don't live in the area. 

Continue for updates.

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Jackie Robinson West Vacates LLWS Wins

Wednesday, Feb. 11

SportsCenter reported that U.S. champ Jackie Robinson West has vacated its wins from last year's Little League World Series, and that Mountain Ridge Little League has taken its place as U.S. champion: 

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Jackie Robinson West Under Investigation

Tuesday, Feb. 10 

One of the best stories from the 2014 Little League World Series has come under investigation, as the Jackie Robinson West team from Chicago is reportedly being reviewed for a possible rules violation.     

According to Tom Farrey of ESPN's Outside The Lines, there have been allegations about players on the Jackie Robinson squad who don't live in the area:

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Little League Baseball is meeting to review facts surrounding the eligibility of the Chicago-based team that won the 2014 U.S. championship, amid allegations that the much-celebrated squad may have violated a rule prohibiting the use of players who live outside the geographic area that the team represents.

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Farrey's report states that the team is accused of recruiting players from other districts "to build what amounts to a superteam." He also quotes Little League Baseball CEO Stephen Keener that the organization has concluded its review with results "being evaluated":

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All I can tell you ... is we are meeting tomorrow morning with our Charter Committee to discuss this and the findings from our review, which included meetings a week ago with neighboring leagues in Chicago. [I'm] not prepared at this time to commit to anything further. We'll have a statement on the outcome at the appropriate time.

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Kristi Black, president of the Nevada-based Mountain Ridge Little League, told Mark Konkol of DNAinfo.com that she believes the Chicago team should be stripped of the United States title and the other U.S. finalist from Las Vegas "deserves to be recognized as the legitimate team that went the farthest."

Last August, the Chicago-based team advanced to the Little League World Series Championship Game before losing to South Korea. It was a historic run for the all-African-American team that captivated the nation, including President Barack Obama, who invited the team to the White House in November. 

Along with Mo'Ne Davis' star-making performance at Williamsport, the Jackie Robinson team made last year's tournament the spectacle it became because of the powerful lineup it ran out. It was a terrific story that had everyone rooting for them in the championship game, but it remains to be seen what action will be taken, if any, in light of this investigation.