Latest news with #youthbaseball
CBS News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Minnesota Twins fund first all-girls 14U baseball team headed to national competition
The Minnesota Twins are making a major investment in the future of women's sports. They're the first MLB team to fully fund a 14U youth girls baseball team. They practice at Billy Peterson Field in St. Paul. Players drove from all across Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota to be there. "It's so crazy to me that there's this many girls that we can form a team," said Kyleigh Salden, a 14-year-old catcher and pitcher on the team, who is ecstatic for this opportunity. "I was just screaming in my head [when I got the call]. I was so happy," said Salden. Salden has been playing baseball in Waconia, Minnesota, since she was 3 years old, but always on a boys team. "When I'm playing baseball with all the guys, there's a whole bunch of highs and there's a whole bunch of lows, but with this team, it's all equal and we're all the same, so it's just amazing," said Salden. It's just as much of a special moment for head coach Chelsey Falzone, who wishes she had this when she was growing up. "This is a dream come true for me every day. I was a little girl, just like these girls, and all I wanted to do was play baseball, and my only opportunity to do that was to play on my brother's team," said Falzone. The team of 13 teenage girls is fully funded and supported by the Minnesota Twins and gets to wear the "TC" proudly on their uniforms. "This is the Minnesota Twins saying, 'Girls belong in baseball, period,'" said Falzone. Falzone says the impact of a team like this plays out so obviously in practice. "The girls can relax a bit more if they make a bad throw, if they have an error. All eyes are not on them out here, like they are when they go play at their leagues because they're the only ponytail on the field," said Falzone. As the only all-girls team in the state, the search for competitive games has taken them to the national stage. They're headed to Reno, Nevada, to compete against girls teams from all over the country and the world on July 21. They hope that the tournament sparks more interest locally, creating more chances to play closer to home. "We feel this is a small step, but a mighty step," said Falzone. "I just hope this team keeps playing, and I can be on the team as long as possible," said Salden. The team was celebrated at the . The Twins Community Fund is sponsoring the team to compete and provide the field space for practices and uniforms.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Youth baseball coaches fired for stripping naked in front of kids as disturbing footage emerges
Two Illinois youth baseball coaches have been fired after being filmed stripping naked and streaking during a tournament for under-12s, according to reports. The incident occurred in Cooperstown, New York last weekend and has since gone viral on the internet after a bystander captured a video of the shocking scenes. In the clip, the laughter of children can be heard as the coaches stripped off and made their way round the bases - before one of them slid headfirst into home plate. It remains unclear as to what drove the coaches to perform the distressing act. Though both coaches - from Lake Bluff, Illinois - have been dismissed from their roles, they could still face further punishment over the incident, according to CBS. The Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association have confirmed that they are working with local authorities - given the fact that children were present at the time. Two youth baseball coaches have been fired after stripping naked at an under-12s tournament In a statement, the league said: 'We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and have contacted relevant authorities. We will continue to support those authorities in their investigations of this matter. 'We have also taken immediate and decisive action by terminating the assistant coaches involved'. As a result of the coaches wild actions, the team were disqualified and the local sheriff's department were called to the scene. It's unknown whether the coaches were allowed to take the children back to Lake Bluff after the tournament. The team typically play in Lake Bluff field in Chicago and have been part of the league for 70 years.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Youth Baseball Coaches Caught On Video Apparently Running Naked In Front Of Kids
Two youth baseball coaches have been fired after a video apparently showed them running naked on the field in front of children, CBS News in Chicago reported. The Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association from suburban Chicago said it has also sought law enforcement's involvement in the matter. The incident occurred during a tournament weekend in the Cooperstown, New York, area and got the 12-and-under team disqualified and the authorities involved, the station said, though to what extent is not clear. 'We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and have contacted relevant authorities,' the association said in a statement to CBS. 'We will continue to support those authorities in their investigations of this matter. We have also taken immediate and decisive action by terminating the assistant coaches involved.' The edited-for-decency snippet (watch it below) shown by the outlet shows one coach sliding nude into home plate as kids ― perhaps players ― laugh and one says 'Oh my god' while another says 'Wait, is he naked?' The two coaches were not identified by the station because they had yet to be charged with anything. HuffPost has reached out to authorities in Lake Bluff, Illinois, and the Otsego County Sheriff's Office. Orioles Minor League Baseball Player Dies At 19 Trump Helped Pitch Lifting Pete Rose's Baseball Hall Of Fame Ban Wake Forest Baseball Coach Apologizes For Homophobic Slur During Playoff Game
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
2 Illinois youth baseball coaches fired after apparently streaking in front of kids in Cooperstown, New York
Two Illinois youth baseball coaches were fired after they were apparently caught on video streaking on a baseball diamond in front of players at a tournament in Cooperstown, New York. The coaches' firing is just the beginning. The Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association said they're working with law enforcement authorities, mostly because the coaches apparently stripped down in the presence of children. Children can be heard laughing on video that shows two men nude, one sprawling over home plate at a Cooperstown baseball field. The video circulating online shows the men on the diamond baring it all in the presence of children. The boys usually play in Lake Bluff field in Chicago's northern suburbs. They are members of the Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association – a respected league which has been around for 70 years. Last weekend, at a big tournament in Cooperstown, the coaches for reasons unknown – and caught on video – decided to go Full Monty on the field, forcing the team to be disqualified and the local sheriff's department in New York to be called in. It was unclear what, if any action, the sheriff's department, but the Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association board said in a statement it's "is deeply distressed to learn about the recent situation involving the Lake Bluff 12U Blue Cooperstown team." "We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and have contacted relevant authorities. We will continue to support those authorities in their investigations of this matter. We have also taken immediate and decisive action by terminating the assistant coaches involved," the association added. Clearly, this no laughing matter for the league. Many parents associated with Lake Bluff Youth Baseball did not want to talk publicly. It's not clear if the two assistant coaches are parents or not, but the board said it works hard to protect the well-being of players and families and will continue to do so to best of its ability. As the investigations play out, it's unknown if the league allowed the assistant coaches in question to bring the players back home to Lake Bluff, or if other accommodations were made. CBS News Chicago is not naming the coaches, who have not been charged with a crime.
CBS News
25-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
WooSox help Leominster Little League after fields were vandalized
The Worcester Red Sox stepped in to help a Leominster youth baseball league after vandals nearly sidelined their season. On Tuesday evening, the WooSox presented a $2,500 check to the Leominster American Little League after their baseball fields were vandalized in May, making it possible for the kids to play ball again. Vandals cut the 30-foot-long back stop and ripped out all the padding which is supposed to protect the kids. The team couldn't play on the fields without the safety protection. Vandals destroyed the backstop at a Little League field in Leominster, Massachusetts. CBS Boston "I knew the community would come through. I knew that we would get enough money and the fundraisers and stuff to fix it," said youth baseball player Rorke Lora. The check showed the community that a setback can be a set up for an epic comeback. "We want this field to be something that everyone in the community can still enjoy, we don't want one negative moment to take that joy away from all the players and all the community members here in Leominster," said George Lorin with the Worcester Red Sox. Even though the vandals haven't been caught, Coach Rob Lora hopes there's a lesson here too for the culprits. "Maybe learn a little lesson you probably shouldn't hurt people let alone kids' stuff because kids need somewhere to play," said Coach Rob Lora. But luckily the donation from the WooSox is coming right in time for the kids to start district playoffs on July 7 on their own field. "Feeling a lot better, feeling more confident that we're going to get it fixed before districts," said Rorke Lora. Community effort It wasn't just the WooSox who stepped up to help the little league, but so did business owners in the community, other youth sports and even rival little leagues chipped in too. The Worcester Red Sox donated $2,500 to the Leominster American Little League after vandals destroyed a backstop. CBS Boston "It just solidified the fact that we are a family, and it means so much to me," said Coach Rob Lora. "I've been doing this since 2009, and this is pretty much my second home." The collective effort is now a reflection of the community's generosity. "It's just embedded in us," said Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella. "Where if one person succeeds, we all succeed so to see something like this happen, it hits to the heart and especially the kids." "You see the kids, look how excited they are they're playing with Smiley Ball the mascot right now and just to see those smiles just to know all the families that are going to be able to come and enjoy baseball together and make memories together," said Lorin.
