Bob CollinsHad the Little Leaguers from Chicago not cheated, a group of kids from Rhode Island might never have had one of the most valuable moments in their lives.
The Providence Journal today is reminding us of the faces of the victims of the Great Lakes team, and the voice of their coach, Dave Belisle, after they lost to a team of ringers, which has since been stripped of its title.
Belisle tells the newspaper that moment, too, has been stolen by the scandal.
“When people ask my boys about this Little League World Series,” he said, “the first topic isn’t going to be about the great run they had, but how they got beat by cheaters.”
“But it just reinforces how proud I am of my team. We didn’t win, but we did play well, and we sure did have fun. Most importantly, we did it the right way.”
