|
Publication Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 Tradition ends: No Little League cross-town championship game
Tradition ends: No Little League cross-town championship game
(June 30, 2004) ** M-A Little League pulls together internal league game for July Fourth.
A long tradition has ended. For the first time in four decades, there will be no Little League cross-town championship game played in Menlo Park on July Fourth.
The traditional game between the top teams of the Menlo-Atherton Little League and the Alpine-West Menlo Little League has been cancelled.
Alpine-West Menlo Little League decided not to field its top winner -- Professional Insurance -- due to conflicts with Little League all-star rules, which prevent teams from fielding their best pitchers in the Menlo Park game, said Maureen Brown, president of the Alpine league. The pitchers could not pitch in both the cross-town championship and all-star games due to scheduling overlaps, and to protect their arms, she said.
"This is a major tradition in our community," said a disappointed Kerry Bradford, president of the Menlo-Atherton Little League, who said M-A's champion Lutticken's team was willing to play. He said he worked for three weeks trying to convince the Alpine league to participate.
In place of the cross-town contest, M-A Little League has organized a July Fourth game between its top-winner Lutticken's and an assortment of Majors division players from other teams in the M-A league. The game will start at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 4, at Willow Field in Menlo Park.
Since 1962
"This is a pinnacle of experience for many in the Little League," said Bradford, referring to the traditional cross-town contest. "It's the biggest event for us -- over 900 people showed up last year."
While Burgess Field in Menlo Park is undergoing renovation and was not available, Bradford said he had hoped another site would be found.
According to local historians, the tradition of a cross-town championship game at Burgess Field on July Fourth began in 1962. Last year's was the 42nd cross-town July Fourth championship game and the last in the old Burgess Field, they said.
Alpine president Maureen Brown said the league would try to put a group of people together to figure out what to do in the future.
INFORMATION
In place of the cross-town contest, M-A Little League has organized a July Fourth game between its top-winner Lutticken's and an assortment of Majors division players from other teams in the M-A league. The game will start at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 4, at Willow Field, located at Willow Oaks Park, east of Willow Road near the intersection with Gilbert Avenue in Menlo Park.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. |
