Little League Baseball is a microcosm of American history, filled with countless anecdotes, good fortune, adversity, and hope.

In 1947, when the first Little League Baseball World Series was played, there were seventeen teams in two states. Since then, Little League has achieved global recognition and has touched the lives of children and families in more than one hundred countries.

The World Series is the culmination of dedication and teamwork in more than 16,000 games ending in a sixteen-team tournament in Williamsport, PA.

The Little League Baseball World Series remembers the history of the tournament and its role in bringing together communities. More than 2,500 spectators witnessed the first championship game in 1947, when the Maynard Midgets took home the trophy, and the results were printed in newspapers around the country. Now, millions more tune in to ABC's Wide World of Sports and ESPN for live coverage of the final game. Little League Baseball has enriched the lives of more than 30 million boys and girls who have worn a Little League uniform.

Well-known figures such as Derek Jeter, Kevin Costner, and Pres. George W. Bush were all Little League players. The Little League World Series celebrates this rich baseball history and the best teams the leagues has produced through the years.

A Roswell, New Mexico, Little League Baseball player shows amazing dexterity during the 1951 World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

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Play Ball! The Story of Little League Baseball

(click on image above for a
high-resolution copy)

The Little League Baseball World Series
By Robin Van Auken
Arcadia Series:
IMAGES OF SPORTS
Details: TRADE PAPERBACK/
128 Pages ISBN: 0738510262
Price: $19.99

(click on image above for a
high-resolution copy)

Play Ball! The Story of
Little League Baseball
By Lance & Robin Van Auken
Penn State University Press
140 illustrations/60 color photos
288 pages Trim Size: 8 1/2 x 11
ISBN 0-271-02118-7
Cloth: $35