USA – The schedule of games and pool assignments for the 63rd Little League Baseball World Series were announced recently by Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball.

Williamsport, Pennsylvania has been the home of Little League since it was founded there in 1939, and the final game of the tournament is traditionally on the weekend before Labor Day.   This year Labor Day falls on Sept. 7 and during the 2009 season, Little League is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the program’s founding.

The 2009 World Series will be the third televised under an eight-year television contract with ESPN/ABC that provides for coverage of all 32 games in the Little League Baseball World Series and the championship games of Little League’s seven other divisions.

Five games, including the Little League Baseball World Series championship, will be televised on ABC. Since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 games in 2001, every team has had games on national television as ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 continue to team up to bring Little League Baseball into millions of homes. All games will again be televised in high definition.

“The Little League World Series resonates with people, whether they’re involved with Little League or not,” Mr. Keener said. “Each summer, our partners at ESPN and ABC, afford Little League the opportunity to present our program on a grand stage. To showcase the talent and ability of the players is wonderful, but equally significant is the opportunity to inform and educate TV viewers on what Little League has to offer local communities throughout the world.

“The Little League World Series has had a presence on television since the 1950s, and beginning in 1963, every world championship game has been aired,” Mr. Keener said.

“Little League has grown and evolved, but it too has remained true in its commitment that a community-based program, supported by children and adults together, can become a cornerstone for neighborhoods, families and friends the world over.”

The world championship game of the Little League Baseball World Series (for 11-12-year-olds) can be seen live on ABC at 3:30 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 30. Preceding the final game beginning at 2 p.m., ESPN will be televising its popular Little League Baseball World Series “Webgems” show, followed by a pre-game show.

ABC also will televise the International Championship Game on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 12:00 p.m., followed by the United States Championship Game at 3 p.m.

Fifteen World Series games will be televised on ESPN and 11 will be televised on ESPN2. ESPN360.com also is scheduled to provide simulcast coverage via the Internet.

In addition, the ESPN family of networks will carry all eight of the U.S. Regional Championship finals in the Little League Baseball division. The U.S. regional finals have been televised by ESPN and ESPN2 every year since 1997.

Photo courtesy of roadtowilliamsport.com

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