For the first time in more than 30 years, a Little League team from Chicago will take the field in the Little League World Series this week. The Jackie Robinson West Little League All-Stars beat a team from southern Indiana over the weekend to earn the Great Lakes Region’s slot in the series.
Bill Haley is the Director of the south side league. He says the team is already in Pennsylvania going through off-field tasks that come with the international tournament. Haley says the Jackie Robinson West team has already been on the road for 12 days and the players probably won't be home for more than a week. He says the travel and the pre-game responsibilities can be overwhelming for the kids, but on the field there's nothing that will intimidate them. Haley says once the players get to the game on Thursday they will be fine. Haley says many of the boys on the team have played together since T-ball and they’re ready for the big stage of the Little League World Series. The team’s next game Thursday afternoon at 2:00 will be broadcast live on ESPN.