Little League playoff teams may be stronger because of pooling talent

The past two months the NBA playoffs have used the slogan, "There can only be one." For the first time in four years, the Conejo Valley Little League (CVLL) can say the same thing.

Thanks to constant waiver requests made by CVLL president Rob McAfee, Williamsport, Pa., the city that hosts the Little League World Series, decided to grant the league permission to use only one team in each of its age divisions in the Little League World Series. Instead of sending one team of the area's top 12 players, CVLL had been forced to divide its talent into two teams the last four years.

"After doing the waiver letter process for four years, I began to lose some hope," McAfee said. "I was elated when I received the letter two weeks ago telling us we could have just one team. The first people I called to share the good news would kneel and fall down in happiness, once I told them. I soon had to ask them if they were sitting when they answered the phone."

In 2004, the CVLL 11 to 12yearold AllStar team had a stellar summer by advancing all the way to the title game against Pabao Little League of Willemstad, Curacao. The CVLL team lost, 52, in Williamsport, but the real problems began the next season.

After the title run, Williamsport believed the CVLL team was too strong and forced them to enter two teams rather than one. The Thousand Oaks Little League had to follow by the same rules as well.

"At the time I thought it was completely wrong," McAfee said. "It was like punishing success. The 2004 team was a great group of kids, but it's not like a team like that comes around every day. We may wait another 40 years before we see another group as good as that one."

According to McAfee, CVLL had an enrollment of about 630 kids playing the sport in 2004. That number has gone down to 450.

"We lost a lot of players to nearby leagues like the Newbury Park, Westlake, Agoura and Simi Valley PONY leagues because they didn't have the same requirements we had," McAfee said. "The housing market is declining here because the area is so built out, and because of it, there's no new families coming into the area with kids wanting to play little league."

Charlie Shaw, CVLL's major division director, was ecstatic to hear the good news and believes having one squad will keep kids playing in the league.

"The decision makes us more competitive, but, more importantly, it's re-energized some of the parents and kids in the area. Instead of them packing their bags to go to another league, they're now staying."

The T.O. Little League was also granted the right to have one team this year. The Little League playoffs begin on June 28.