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Rahm Emanuel Calls Little League Boss To Blast JRW Decision

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel was so outraged with the decision by Little League International officials to strip Chicago's Jackie Robinson West of its national title, that he personally called the organization's leader.

Emanuel tells CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine he couldn't get a read on his conversation with Little League President Stephen Keener.

The mayor says he told the baseball official it was unfair to punish the young players. Emanuel argues even in college sports, regulators may opt for suspending somebody, rather than invalidating a title.

Another argument Emanuel says he used was the positive story fostered by Chicago's underdog Little League team.

"To be direct to you, Little League baseball," Emanuel says he told Keener, "you were also a beneficiary of their narrative and their story, and you should take that into account."

Asked if it will make any difference, the mayor responded: "I don't want to leave any false hopes."

An investigation found the JRW's adult leadership conspired to alter boundaries, allowing the team to improperly add star players from the suburbs.

Little League International has stripped the title from two other teams in the past for violating the tournament's rules.

Also this year, a team in Georgia was disqualified from the regional tournament and had its state championship taken away for violating age rules. The team placed too many 12-year-olds on the roster.

The Little League World Series is played by 11- and 12-year-olds, but only eight of the 14 players on the roster can be 12. The Georgia team had 10.

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