Announcement
Our League President, Ron Matthews, explains the Matteucci and Wootten Awards.
THE MATTEUCCI AWARD Bill Matteucci coached in the early 2000’s here in Alameda Little League and was a hard working Board Member as well. Bill was always a hoot, full of laughter and good, clean, honest friendliness. He loved the kids, all of them, from opponent teams as well. He would do anything for the League and always rolled up his sleeves to pitch in where needed. But most of all, on the field he NEVER argued, yelled, or showed anyone emotion that was negative. Yes, umpires then were like the ones today in Little League, very human. He saw that and knew the bigger picture in life was what we were there to teach the kids. His teams would never be in the cellar, nor would they be on the top, but they were always out there to have FUN and still compete. Bill was the embodiment of good sportsmanship and integrity during his short life, and our League learned a lot from him, which is why we have named this prestigious award after him. The Matteucci Award is given to the Manager of each Baseball Division voted by fellow Managers to exemplify the good sportsmanship and integrity that we seek to teach our youth in Alameda Little League. It is the highest honor a Manager in Alameda Little League can receive from the League.
THE WOOTTEN AWARD Whitey and Alice Wootten started going to baseball games at Krusi Park in the late 1970’s. Whitey was about 60 years old at the time. They didn’t have any kids or grandkids in the program. They just loved baseball and cheered good plays. They didn’t care who won. They cheered for all of the players. In December 1984, Whitey died. To honor his memory, his wife Alice donated money to both Little League and Babe Ruth to establish sportsmanship awards. This award is given to players on each team in Alameda Little League and Alameda Babe Ruth who show leadership through good sportsmanship on and off the field. This award is the highest honor a player can receive from the League.
