The four-day "National Youth Baseball Championships" tournament is the initial effort of the "Major Youth Baseball Alliance, LLC." The MYBA is a newly formed company comprised of eight major youth organizations, including AABC (American Amateur Baseball Congress), AAU (Amateur Athletic Union of the United States), Babe Ruth Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, NABF (National Amateur Baseball Federation), Pony Baseball, Super Series Baseball of America and USSA (United States Specialty Sports Association).
The inaugural tournament was be played in Memphis, Tenn., from August 21-24 and crowned national champions in the 10-under and 12-under divisions of the eight participating organizations, which include more than 100,000 teams. Tomateros de California from the USSSA won the 10-under division with a 7-6 win over Juice 10s from the AAU. In the 12-under division, Juice 12s of the AAU defeated SE Lexington Babe Ruth. The 2009 event will be from August 27-30, again in Memphis. New Era Cap Company is the title sponsor for the 2009 event. Future plans call for the tournament to include as many as eight different age groups.
It will be played at Gameday Baseball's First Tennessee Fields in Memphis, Tenn.
The Board of Directors of the Major Youth Baseball Alliance, LLC, will be made up of the highest-ranking officials of the eight participating organizations. They include Richard Neely, President, AABC; Chet Lemon, National Chair for Baseball, AAU; Steve Tellefsen, President and CEO, Babe Ruth Baseball; Wes Skelton, Commissioner, Dixie Youth Baseball; Charles Blackburn, Executive Director and CEO, NABF; Abe Key, President and CEO, PONY Baseball; Mark Mathew, President and CEO, Super Series Baseball of America; Don DeDonatis, Chairman and CEO, USSSA; and Eddie Einhorn, Vice Chairman of the Chicago White Sox, who will serve on the Board as Interim Executive Director.
An MYBA Advisory Board will include Jerry Reinsdorf, Chairman, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls; Cal Ripken Jr., Member, National Baseball Hall of Fame; Dr. Harvey Schiller, President, International Baseball Federation; and Dennis Gilbert, Chairman, Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation. Additional Advisory-Board members will be announced at a later date.
Through the Major Youth Baseball Alliance, every young athlete who participates in youth baseball will have the opportunity to win a U. S. National Championship in his or her age group. Until now, these established youth baseball organizations have had their individual champions, but there has never been a Championship Tournament -- involving teams from all major organizations -- to determine a true National Youth Champion.
"It's all about the kids," said Eddie Einhorn, Interim Executive Director of the MYBA. "We are about inclusion, participation and competition. Organizations with different philosophies have agreed to participate because it's about kids playing baseball. This tournament gives each organization's champion a chance to compete and test its team's skills at the very highest level."
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