Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Baseball is a cherished rite of childhood. This philosophy continues to be the cornerstone of Little League Baseball, which began as a daydream of one man more than sixty years ago in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. At right is Carl Stotz, founder of Little League Baseball, and his first team, Lycoming Dairy. He began the program for his two nephews.

Introduction

Little League Baseball, Incorporated is found in more than 100 countries and, at the height of the season, Little League is played on 12,000 fields in the United States alone. An estimated 360,000 children play on a typical day. A microcosm of American culture, Little League's history is filled with anecdotes and stories of good fortune as well as adversity. In 1947, when the first Little League Baseball World Series (then called the National Tournament) was played, only seventeen leagues existed. All were Pennsylvania, except one, which hailed from Hammonton, New Jersey. Although not much of a national series, the world soon noticed the budding baseball program.

Chapter 1

Visitors to the Little League Baseball World Series generally find their way across the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and into Williamsport, Pennsylvania. There, baseball fans wander down West Fourth Street to the birthplace of Little League. The first field used by Little League was Demorest Field (right).

Chapter 2

In 1941, Little League expanded to 12 leagues, all in Pennsylvania. The future looked bright for Little League Baseball, as the board halved the budget deficit by the end of the 1941 season. The 1942 season turned out to be Carl's last as a manager because of a change in his work schedule. Carl continued to provide personal funds to carry the program until 1943. As World War II raged on two fronts, Little League felt its effects. Besides the shortages of equipment and cloth for uniforms, some of Little League's volunteers were called to service. After the war, a 1946 Williamsport Sun report read, "Throughout the United States, leagues patterned after Carl's brainchild are springing up like weeds in a flower bed.

Chapter 3

By 1955, Carl Stotz (right) had grown resentful that Little League had become what he called "a commercial enterprise," and that New York-based businessmen - not volunteers from Williamsport Little Leagues - dominated the board of directors. On November 21, 1955, Carl Stotz fired the first shot of Little League's civil war, locking the non-profit's office doors in an attempt to reclaim the program. While the doors were being locked, the board voted to remove Stotz from his position as commissioner. The board named Lindemuth, Carl's assistant and friend, as acting commissioner. The next morning, a deputy removed the padlock and Little League continued operating as usual.

 

 

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Play Ball! The Story of Little League Baseball

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The Little League Baseball World Series
By Robin Van Auken
Arcadia Series:
IMAGES OF SPORTS
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128 Pages ISBN: 0738510262
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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