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Danny Almonte 14 Years Old According to Dominican Republic Official

Aired August 31, 2001 - 12:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Jason Carroll, who's standing by in New York, also waiting to hear from the Baby Bronx Bombers.

Jason, big news in terms of developments in trying to find out the true age of pitcher Danny Almonte.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Major news, and a major disappointment, I'm sure, to Danny Almonte's teammates. Just a little while ago we heard from CDN Network in the Dominican Republic. An official there, the president of the Electoral Central Board, Ramon Certa, said after a lengthy investigation they had determined that Danny Almonte is in fact 14 years old and not 12.

In fact, they said that according to their civil registry there in the Dominican Republic, an official there had accepted a false statement regarding Danny's birth record, signed by two people who may not even know Danny Almonte. Their parents there could be facing some criminal charges. That's what they were saying, as you said, Daryn. Right now we are waiting for a press conference.

I believe we have a live picture of the field out there in the Bronx where a number of people are waiting. And if you were ever wondering why there was so much interest in the story, just look at of those mic flags there. That gives you an indication of how many people want to hear what the team members have to say.

Danny Almonte, as you may remember, Daryn, gained a lot of attention. He had a steller performance on there on the field, pitching more than 70 miles-per-hour out there. He pitched a no- hitter during the regional competition for the World Series. So, he definitely was getting a lot of attention early on. That no-hitter hasn't happened in decades, some 44 years.

He is a hero in the Dominican Republic. And Danny and his teammates definitely received a hero's welcome here in New York. They were given a parade in the Bronx, they were given keys to the city by Mayor Rudy Giuliani. They were honored at Yankee's Stadium with a parade. Many honors given to Danny Almonte and his team for their performance.

They received a third-place finish in the World Series. And because he is now 14, there is a very real possibility that the team could be stripped of their third-place title. We're going to be hearing from Little League officials at about 4:00 p.m. eastern time, that is when they are planning to hold a press conference.

But again, right now we are waiting for a press conference from the Little League officials out there in the Bronx, from the team members there. Still waiting to hear what will happen.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

KAGAN: Jason, thank you so much. Once again, we are standing by, waiting for that news conference to happen. When it does, you'll see it live here on CNN.

Jason, thank you. We'll continue to track that.

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