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American Morning

Discussion About Little League Baseball Through the Years

Aired August 24, 2001 - 11:35   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.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush, a huge baseball fan, as you well know, he plans to be at the ballpark on Sunday, but it won't be just any ballpark, and it won't be just a Major League game, though some of these players may wind up there one day. One team hoping to become little league world series champions is from the Bronx. And its pitcher, Danny Almonte, threw a perfect game in the team's opener, and a one-hitter for the win last night with pitches like that,

There are four teams are still in the hunt for the little league title, semifinals on Saturday, the championship game on Sunday, and our next guest will be there.

Lance Van Auken is the author of "Play Ball: The Story of Little League Baseball," and he's knows of which he speaks. He's been involved in little league since he was seven years old. He joins us now at the field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Thank you for joining us today.

LANCE VAN AUKEN, "PLAY BALL": It's my pleasure, Stephen.

FRAZIER: Fascinating book here, which goes way back to the beginnings of the league. I don't know what it was that prompted your interest in this, but you have dredged up hundreds of cool facts. Tell us what was it was that started your interest in this.

VAN AUKEN: Well the youngest of five brothers, I grew up as a ballfield rat down in Seminole, Florida, at Cross Bayou Little Leauge. And my father, Robert Van Auken, founded the league. My brothers all played before me, so it kind of a natural thing for me, and fell into our laps. My wife Robin and I cowrote the book, and for us, it was a labor of love.

FRAZIER: Very exciting season this year, of course with this young man that threw a perfect game, but you go all the way back to the very beginnings of the league. We've got a picture here of Karl Stots (ph) who founded it. Who was he?

VAN AUKEN: He was an oil company clerk, lived right here in Williamsport, actually about four miles over my right shoulder, and started the program in 1939, initially as a way to give something to his nephews, for something to do. And you know, he started out with three teams, outfitted each one for $30 a piece, went into the community and got the money raised, and now we have 105 countries and three million players from around the world.

FRAZIER: We are showing pictures here of some action from about the '50s when they wore the baggy uniforms and it was all boys, and also about that time, it became truly international, with teams from Canada, Latin America coming.

VAN AUKEN: Sure. For a long time, little league has been an international game, and this year, we have expanded the series to 16 teams. We had a team here from Russia. We have a team from Japan. Kids come here from all corners of the globe to play.

FRAZIER: A hundred and five countries, I think you wrote?

VAN AUKEN: Yes.

FRAZIER: And now, this is a little league that has been really in the forefront of a lot of American cultural actual tumult really, with race relations, with the Cold War, with gender equity. Tell us about some of that. How about the race relations issue first?

VAN AUKEN: Well, like you mentioned, Little League, many aspects of League history have paralleled American history. It had its race relations in the 1950s. Of course little league was always integrated, actually long before Major League baseball. Here in Williamsport, the first couple of teams had African-American players on them, but as it expanded to the South, some problems arose and little league stuck to its guns, would not allow some all-white leagues to enter the playoffs.

(INTERRUPTED BY BREAKING NEWS)

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