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Jackie Robinson West Timeline, Key Dates in the Little League Saga

By Mark Konkol | February 11, 2015 7:59am
 Fans gather in Jackie Robinson Park on the South Side to honor the Jackie Robinson West Little League team.
Fans gather in Jackie Robinson Park on the South Side to honor the Jackie Robinson West Little League team.
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DNAinfo/Josh McGhee

Aug. 23, 2014 — The Jackie Robinson West Little League team, an all-star team made of up players ages 12 and 13, wins the U.S. title at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., beating Las Vegas 7-5. Read more here.

Aug. 24, 2014 — Jackie Robinson West's run ends in the international championship game, with the team falling to Seoul, South Korea, 8-4.  Still, Mayor Rahm Emanuel hails them as "the pride of Chicago." Read more here.

Aug. 27, 2014 — The city hosts a huge parade and rally for the team, capped with a celebration at Millennium Park. Read more here.

Dec. 16, 2014 — DNAinfo Chicago's Mark Konkol reports that a suburban league has asked Little League International to review the eligibility of the players, arguing that public accolades offered to the players after the U.S. title exposed many didn't live in the narrow South Side boundaries from where the team is supposed to draw. Read more here.

Dec. 17, 2014 — Despite being heavily criticized on social media, the Evergreen Park coach who alleged Jackie Robinson West players appear to live outside the boundaries says he stands by his decision for the good of all leagues trying to compete. Read more here.

Dec. 23, 2014 — DNAinfo Chicago reports that Jackie Robinson West officials secretly expanded the league's boundaries to grab star players, encroaching on territories belonging to neighboring South Side leagues. And sources tell Konkol that the other leagues didn't sign off, as was required. Read more here.

Dec. 31, 2014 — Ricardo Coleman, a top official in a neighboring little league, says his league wasn't told that Jackie Robinson West officials had taken some of his territory for its boundaries, becoming the first league official to speak out publicly. Read more here.

Jan. 29 — Little League officials decide to come to Chicago to hear from top officials of the neighboring leagues who lost territory to Jackie Robinson West. Read more here.

Feb. 3 — The closed-door meetings, held at the Chicago Hilton on South Michigan Avenue, get heated. Little League International investigators are told that after Jackie Robinson West won the U.S. championship, JRW officials tried, unsuccessfully, to get sister leagues to agree to the boundary changes already filed with  International without their permission. Read more here.

Feb. 6 — Michael Kelley, the Little League District 4 president who signed off on changes to the Jackie Robinson West boundaries, resigns from his part-time job as softball coach at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep. Read more here.

Feb. 9 — The top official for the Las Vegas team defeated by Jackie Robinson West for the U.S. championship tells DNAinfo Chicago that the title should be stripped from JRW. Read more here.

Feb. 10 — Little League International's charter committee meets to review findings into allegations of cheating by Jackie Robinson West. A spokesman said a decision could come by Feb. 11. Read more here.

Feb. 11 — Jackie Robinson West is stripped of its title. Read more here.

 

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