PAIRINGS SET FOR 2000 LITTLE  LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- The pairings for the 2000 Little League Baseball World Series were announced today by Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball, Incorporated.

For the second year, ten of the 15 World Series games will be televised on ESPN2, which means all eight teams will play at least one game before a national television audience. The championship game of the Little League World Series can be seen live on ABC Wide World of Sports, at 3:30 p.m., on Aug. 26. ABC first televised the Little League World Series on Wide World of Sports in 1963.

"The commitments by ESPN2 and ABC demonstrate that viewers enjoy the opportunity to watch the Little League World Series," Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball, said. "The televising of these games gives Little League a powerful vehicle for communicating its philosophy and purpose to more people every year."

The Olympic pool play format will be used for the ninth year to determine the Little League World Champion. Each team in the U.S. and International Pools will play the other three teams once in the first four days (Aug. 20-23). The two most successful teams in each pool play one another on Thursday (Aug. 24) for the U.S. and International Championships, with pool play records disregarded at that point. The winners of Thursday’s semifinal games play for the World Championship on Saturday, Aug. 26.

Once again, the Little League World Series Jamboree events on Aug. 25 will be a highlight of the week, as all the players get a chance to shine at least one more time. The Jamboree Hitting Contest preliminary round is at 9:30 a.m., and the finals are at 1:30 p.m. The Jamboree All Star Game is set for 7 p.m., live on ESPN2, with a fireworks display to follow. Jamboree activities are sponsored by CNA Insurance Companies.

The hitting contest finals will be taped and televised at 6 p.m. on the same day, with a re-airing at 10 a.m. on Aug. 28. The all star game will also be taped and re-aired on ESPN2 on Aug. 28, at 11 a.m.

All games of the 2000 Little League World Series will be broadcast on radio station 95.5 WMYL-FM in Williamsport. As the Little League World Series flagship station for English-speaking radio broadcasts, WMYL’s coverage of the event is heard in dozens of U.S. cities.

All games are at Howard J. Lamade Stadium, rated by Sports Illustrated last year as one of the top 20 places in the world to watch a sporting event.

Two other World Series finals in the Little League program -- Big League Softball and Big League Baseball, both for 16-18 year olds -- will be televised on ESPN2. The baseball final, played on Aug. 12, will be aired on Aug. 14 at 7 p.m.. The softball final, played Aug. 19, will air on Aug. 22 at 4 p.m. The Big League Baseball World Series is played in Tucson, Ariz., and the Big League Softball World Series is played in Kalamazoo, Mich.

For the fourth consecutive year, the final games of the U.S. regional tournaments will be televised live on ESPN2. Winners of each of the regional championships advance to the Little League World Series, giving viewers a preview of the U.S. teams in the Series. The Southern Region final in St. Petersburg, Fla., is at 8 p.m. on Aug. 15; The Central Region final in Indianapolis is on Aug. 16 at 6:30 p.m.; The Eastern Region final in Bristol, Conn., is on Aug. 17 at 8 p.m.; and the Western Region final in San Bernardino, Calif., is on Aug. 17 at 10 p.m.

All times are Eastern. The full schedule for the Little League World Series is below.