Little League strips Chicago team of U.S. title for cheating

By Steve Ginsburg (Reuters) - A Chicago-based team that last year became the first all-black contingent to win the U.S. Little League Baseball championship was stripped of the title on Wednesday for cheating by using players who lived outside the geographic area set for the squad. The Jackie Robinson West team met with adjoining Little League districts in Illinois to secure players and build what, in effect, became an all-star team, Little League Baseball said, blaming the situation on "the action of adults." Little League International Chief Executive Stephen Keener told Reuters the team "encroached" on the neighboring territory of at least three other Little League programs to secure players. The 2014 U.S. championship has been awarded to the Mountain Ridge Little League team from Las Vegas, which lost to the Chicago squad in the title game, officials said. "It’s a sad day for a bunch of great kids," Keener said. "We adults will deal with this. But today, our hearts are heavy for the kids that played on that Jackie Robinson team. They’re as much victims in this as anybody." Darold Butler, the Chicago team's manager, has been suspended from Little League activity because of the violation and a district Illinois administrator, Michael Kelly, was removed from his position, Keener said. Jackie Robinson West defeated the Las Vegas team 7-5 in the U.S. title game last August before losing in the Little League world championship game to a squad from Seoul, South Korea, 8-4. The nation's third-largest city, which has been troubled by violence and budget problems, embraced the team's success. Tens of thousands of people lined Chicago's streets to cheer the 11- and 12-year olds who rode on buses through the city after their U.S. title win. They went on to visit the White House and receive other honors. "We have 7,000 leagues in 82 countries that look to this organization to maintain the integrity and the credibility of the Little League program," Keener said. "When we're presented with confirmation of violation like this, it's our responsibility to not tolerate it and take the appropriate action." "As painful as it is, as heartbreaking as it is, it's unfortunately a necessary action that we had to take," he said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama, a Chicagoan, was "proud" of the way Jackie Robinson West players represented their city and country. "The fact is, some dirty dealing by some adults doesn't take anything away from the accomplishments of those young men," Earnest said. (Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Additional reporting by Fiona Ortiz in Chicago; Editing by Will Dunham)