International Little League Opening Day
 on April 7

Baseball Stars and Broadcasters Are in the Lineup

Harold Reynolds, Keith Hernandez, Goose Gossage, Ron Darling and Jim Leyritz Are Supporting Efforts to Aid Gulf Coast Leagues

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa (April 5, 2006)—An all-star group of baseball and broadcasting stars are joining with the sponsors of Little League Baseball and Softball to celebrate the First International Opening Day to be held at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, New York City, on Friday morning April 7 at 9:30. 

 ESPN Baseball Tonight star Harold Reynolds will be the host for the event and will call the action for a Tee Ball game between two teams from the Harlem Little League.  Since 1997, Reynolds has broadcast Little League World Series Games on ESPN.

SportsNet New York broadcasters and longtime New York Mets’ stars Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling will serve as celebrity coaches for one team.

 New York Yankees’ heroes Rich “Goose” Gossage and Jim Leyritz will coach the other team.

 “Having these baseball greats, along with Jared Fogle, will make this a great Opening Day for the players, their families and the Harlem community,” said Stephen D. Keener, the President and CEO of Little League International.

 Little League Baseball and Softball established International Opening Day as a way of honoring the 2.7 million “everyday” players in Little Leagues around the world and the more than one million volunteers who help them play. International Opening Day re-affirms Little League Baseball and Softball’s commitment to the storm-damaged areas of the United States Gulf Coast and to LLB’s Urban Initiative. Little League International’s sponsors will be making financial and equipment donations to assist leagues rebuilding in hurricane-damaged areas and to support programs for at-risk youth run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Collection boxes for new and “gently-used” equipment will be set up at Bill Shea Friendship Field in Marcus Garvey Park.  Contributions can be made on the Internet at www.pitchinforbaseball.org

The sponsor support for International Opening Day includes these highlights:

• Russell Athletic is outfitting more than 100 Little Leaguers, sponsors, celebrities and volunteers with baseball jerseys
• In honor of Harlem Little League hosting the event, Bank of America will donate to Harlem Little League a youth baseball clinic this summer featuring legends from the New York Yankees.
• SUBWAY Restaurants’ spokesman Jared Fogle will be at the event and SUBWAY’s sponsored car in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series driven by Greg Biffle will have a special Little League paint scheme for next weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Bryant Heating and Cooling Systems will be making a home plate check presentation to support reconstruction efforts by Habitat for Humanity in the Gulf Coast.

 The sponsors supporting International Little League Opening Day are Ace Hardware, The Active Network, Bank of America, Bryant Heating and Cooling Systems, Choice Hotels International, ESPN, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., New Era Cap Co., RE/MAX Real Estate, Russell Athletic, SNICKERSÒ Brand, SUBWAYÒ Restaurants, Sunkist Growers, Inc., and Wilson Sporting Goods Co.

 This is the first full year for RE/MAX as the official real estate sponsor of the Little League programs in the United States and Canada, where nearly 200,000 teams take the field each summer. Much of the money RE/MAX provides is used to ensure Little League remains accessible for families from all income levels.

 “Little League teaches children values such as courage, loyalty, character and sportsmanship, which carry over into adulthood,” says Mike Reagan, RE/MAX Senior Vice President, Brand Marketing. “The RE/MAX partnership with Little League enables us to reach millions of families while demonstrating the importance we place on helping young people.”

###