Blue Flames

(The 2004 welcome from this year's MBLL president - a must-read, if you are a Little League fan...) Dear Manhattan Little League Families, How awesome would it be for an 11 or 12 year old Little Leaguer to play in the Little League World Series? How cool would it be to play a team from Russia? And is there anything better than telling your grandparents and friends that they can tune in ESPN2 to watch you play ball? Well for thirteen Manhattan Beach Little Leaguers these dreams became a reality in August, 2003. The Manhattan Little League 11 and 12 year old Softball All-Star team not only won the District Tournament, Sectional Tournament and Divisional Tournament, but was also one of the 10 teams from around the world that earned the right to participate in the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Oregon in 2003. These girls, who are All-Stars in every sense, captured the Western Regional Championship and finished in fourth place in the world! As the new President of Manhattan Little League, I want to congratulate our World Series Stars, and all of our Little Leaguers who enjoyed another great year of baseball and softball. And before talking about next season, I want to acknowledge the tremendous accomplishments of all of our 2003 All-Star Teams. MLL’s 13 and 14 year old Baseball All-Stars were crowned District Tournament Champions. Our 11 and 12 year old Baseball All-Stars won the District Tournament, and were only a few outs away from winning the Sectionals - a tremendous showing in a very competitive All-Star Tournament. Similarly, the MLL 9 and 10 year old Softball All-Stars won the District Tournament, and lost in the finals of the Sectional Tournament in extra innings, in a game that was called for darkness, and resumed the next day. And our 9 and 10 year old Baseball All-Stars put together a very impressive string of victories in tournament play, and would have been District Champions if it wasn’t for a few crazy bounces of the ball. All of our 2003 All-Stars are winners, and their parents, the league and our community are extremely proud of their accomplishments. Congratulations! While the 2003 Manhattan Little League season was highlighted by these All-Star successes, it is important to recognize that this was all accomplished while continuing the tradition of emphasizing recreation and fundamental play for our kids. Manhattan Little League is dedicated to developing not just baseball and softball players, but solid citizens who understand that winning and losing a game is just part of life. Although the coaches and teams play to win (except in T-ball where the teams always end up in a tie), we will continue to remind our players that it is the way you play the game and good sportsmanship that will be remembered long after the wins and losses are forgotten. During the 2004 season, my fellow members of the Manhattan Little League Board of Directors and I will strive to continue the tradition of insuring that every Manhattan Beach boy or girl between the ages of 5 to 15 who is interested in playing baseball or softball will have the chance to enjoy these great sports, in a fun and safe learning environment. We will continue our training efforts, focusing on fundamentals. We will continue to emphasize the point that this is about the kids, not the parents or coaches. And we will continue to focus on the simple fact that Little League is about having fun. And if our All-Star Teams continue to win a few championships along the way – well, we will just have to celebrate all over again! So join us once again for another fun filled season of softball and baseball. Your 2004 registration materials and volunteer forms are enclosed with this letter. Because the upper league drafts are conducted in mid-January and the other teams are formed during this same time frame, the league officials and managers need to have the players registered by December 14. There is a lot of time and work required in forming these teams, and this registration deadline is established for these reasons. If you submit your completed registration materials by December 14, 2003, the registration fee will be $80.00 per child. The registration fee for those who register after December 14, 2003 is $95.00 per child. Please complete and return these forms early to ensure your son or daughter will be placed on a team. See you at the ballpark! Regards, Bill von Behren, President