Little League head talks about pitcher scandal

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- The head of Little League Baseball said Saturday he hopes a league ruling to resolve a scandal about an overaged pitcher will lead to a more "honest" league.

Speaking on NBC's "Today Show," Little League President Stephen Keener also said he hopes the player in question, Danny Almonte, could have as bright a future as his star pitching abilities seem to indicate, despite the controversy.

Little League officials announced Friday that Almonte's team, the Rolando Paulino All-Stars, must forfeit all the tournament games it won this year because Almonte was ruled to be 14 years old, not 12 -- the maximum age for league players.

The league's charter committee also voted unanimously to ban the boy's father, Felipe de Jesus Almonte, from any further position or involvement within the Little League worldwide. And it voted to remove the coach, Rolando Paulino, from the Little League program "indefinitely."

No punitive action will be taken against the boy, Keener said, and he would be welcome "if otherwise eligible" to participate in the senior league next year as a 15-year-old.

Keener said the officials wanted to make sure the action preserved the team, which he said is an asset to the Bronx neighborhood in which it is based.

"We feel that by removing the management of the program and Mr. Almonte from any further involvement in the Little League program, we can work with local leaders in the Bronx community and help restore that league to the level that it can be played under honest conditions," Keener said.

Friday, Ramon Morell Cerda, president of the Dominican Republic's electoral central board, announced the boy had two birth certificates, but authorities determined the correct one gave his birth date as April 7, 1987.

The controversy came to light when Sports Illustrated uncovered records in the Dominican Republic indicating that Almonte, whose 70-plus mph fast balls turned heads and dominated opposing batters during the series, is 14.

Paulino said at a news conference Friday he depends on the documents and information the parents give to him to determine a player's eligibility.

But Saturday, Keener said Paulino had given inconsistent answers as the investigation went forward, which "led us to believe that he was more aware of all of this than he initially led [us] to believe."

Keener also expressed hope that Almonte would resume his education, after revelations the boy is not enrolled in school in New York.

"We're going to try to help him with that," Keener said. "I would hope that his future could be as bright as it appears it could be."