Sports

Inner city Chicago Little League makes history, crushes homers

Win or lose, youngsters from Chicago will leave a lasting impression on the Little League World Series.

The Jackie Robinson West team is comprised of all African-American players. On Thursday, their league made its first appearance in 31 years in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania — the latest indicator that baseball is making small strides in an effort to lure young African-Americans back to the game.

The number of African-Americans in the major leagues has dwindled steadily since the mid-1980s, when they comprised about 19 percent of rosters; the number stood at 8.1 percent on opening day this year.

No one is ready to proclaim the sport is back in talent-rich inner city neighborhoods because of Jackie Robinson West’s success. However, programs such as the Little League Urban Initiative, Major League Baseball’s RBI (Reviving Baseball In Inner Cities) and Urban Youth Academy clearly are making a difference.

Chicago’s Pierce Jones hit three home runs Thursday, including a first-inning leadoff shot, to lead Jackie Robinson West to a 12-2 victory over Lynnwood of Washington state.

Jones also tripled and finished with four RBIs. Shortstop Ed Howard added a two-run homer in the second inning. The game was shortened from six innings to five because of a 10-run margin after at least four innings.

Chicago’s Danon Radcliff tries to score in the first inning.AP

Chicago scored five runs in the third inning. Pitcher Joshua Houston settled down after Lynnwood scored two in the first. Houston went four innings, striking out seven and giving up two hits.

The players’ parents got an assist from some major leaguers. Justin and B.J. Upton were among those contacted by Colorado Rockies pitcher LaTroy Hawkins about chipping in to pay the travel costs to Williamsport.

“I know when I was a kid, I wanted my family to be there to support me and see me play,” the Atlanta Braves outfielder said. “I thought it would be cool for them to see the experience with the kids.

“It’s good to see young African-American kids playing and having a team full of young kids enjoying the game. Hopefully, it can be something that makes them think ‘I’d like to play on that stage, so maybe I should pursue baseball.’”

Detroit’s Torii Hunter said he got texts about helping out from Hawkins, Jacque Jones and Junior Spivey, “all the boys I kind of grew up in this game with.”

“It’s inner city, so it’s what I love to do, give those guys the life experiences more than anything,” Hunter said. “Their families, the kids, get a chance to travel and go somewhere and see something different. I think if you give more inner-city kids those life experiences, it changes everything.”

David James, senior director of MLB’s RBI program is familiar with the team’s history and is delighted to see it back on Little League’s biggest stage.

“All of us at MLB is talking about that team,” said James, a native of Williamsport and a former head of the Little League Urban Initiative. “It’s really good for the game.”

The RBI program has grown over the years and now has a presence in 200 cities with about 230,000 participants.

Jackie Robinson West, which bears the name of the first man to play in the major leagues, has a storied history. Joseph Haley founded the league that’s grown to include 28 teams. Haley’s son, Bill, runs the program and it is one of the Urban Initiative success stories.

It’s the first all-black team from Chicago to reach the World Series since 1983 and the first Urban Initiative affiliate to earn a berth since Harlem in 2002.

Jackie Robinson West is one of nearly 200 Urban Initiative Leagues in about 100 cities across the country, although no records are available on how many young African-Americans are involved because most registration forms don’t request information on nationality or race.

“A lot of people think it has to do with leagues having a predominate number of African-Americans, and that’s not it. It’s more of a need-based program,” Ervin said. “We want to make sure all of our leagues, all communities, all neighborhoods, from the affluent to the disadvantaged have the opportunity to play Little League. That’s what it about.”