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Boys' Baseball Team Benched for Being Good

Posted on: Monday, 27 June 2005, 00:00 CDT

CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio - A baseball team of 11- and 12-year-olds kicked out of a league in this Columbus suburb is fielding offers from all over to play.

The Columbus Stars were removed from their league last month because they were too good. In some of their last games, the Stars beat the Red Sox 18-0, World Harvest 13-0, Sugar Grove II 24-0 and Sugar Grove I 10-2.

Other teams began complaining - and canceling.

Michael Mirones, board chairman for the Canal Winchester Joint Recreation District, pulled the Stars from the league and returned their $150 entry fee. He suggested the Stars play in a travel league against better teams.

Now the Stars have received offers from teams all over central Ohio and in other states.

Clay Branch, a parent in a youth league in Atlanta, said he offered to arrange for the team to play in Georgia.

"I'd never heard of anything like that, and it blew my mind," he said. "I wish we were closer."

The Stars already have a couple of games coming up against teams in central Ohio. They also plan on playing in two tournaments next month.

Georgian Heights, a team from the Columbus area, defeated the Stars 5-4 last week to give them their first loss this season. The Stars had defeated Georgian Heights in two earlier meetings this year.

Stars pitcher Josh Dameron, 12, said the team learned from the loss.

"The mood of our team is the same," he said. "We don't care about the loss. The next time we play them, we hope we win."

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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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