After months of discussions and questions asked of the Harrisburgs' city youth baseball program and the USSSA Delta League, a group of concerned participants determined that they would have to take matters into thier own hands to make a change. Three entire teams have elected to no longer participate in the Delta USSSA league and join the Craighead & Poinsette Little League. This is 1/2 of the participants who enrolled in the Harrisburg program in 2008.

A Little League sign-up will be conducted in Harrisburg for any player who wishes to play Little League in 2009.

Dr Beck reports that this increases the number of teams in C&P Little League to 5-6 teams in each age division.

Jeff harrisburg youth baseball has decide to go back to little leauge.We had a meeting a coup;e of weeks ago to decide this.

Jeff - you and I talked back in the summer that this was going to happen. At that time, I asked you what would happen if Harrisburg or the Delta League as a whole decided to go back to LL. You said that the other group could not form separately from Harrisburg if we decided to go back to LL. However, you did say if that group filled out paperwork and got accepted before Delta made that decision, they could play this season separately, but have to go back to Delta next season. Is this still the case? Has this group been approved by the LL board and will they NOT have to play with Delta this season?

This is news to me and everyone else involved in the Delta program. So, with that being said, this group is already approved to play in the Craighead and Poinsett Co Little League. If the other 1/2 of the program wants to come on as well, they will be welcomed back too. With 1/2 of the Harrisburg program wanting NOT to be affiliated with Harrisburg Youth, I will have a difficult time reporting to headquarters a reason for not continueing the boundaries as they stand now. If next season (2010) the participants from Harrisburg want to form a league of thier own, I will consider that after a INDEPENDENT vote is taken from all participants involved. If, a new league is formed, the players who played in Craighead&Poinsett Co Little League will be eligable and granted a official Little League waiver to continue to participate in that league. Any participants who choose not to ask for a waiver and plays for the new league or never plays for Craighead and Poinsett will not be allowed to play in another league nor any new team unit participant accepted.

If the rest of the Harrisburg program wants to come on, please contact the Craighead & Poinsett Co Little League Boardmember in Harrisburg Orville Smith or me or Ronnie directly.

Let me make sure I am understanding correctly. If the rest of Harrisburg wants to got to LL, they will have to be under the league created by Orville Smith? In other words, Harrisburg City Youth cannot join LL as long as Harrisburg already has a representative (ie. Orville's group)? This is because you can't change boundaries to split up Harrisburg, just because groups don't get along. If this is true, I'm guessing the rest of the Delta towns can join LL without problem, since only Harrisburg has joined so far?

Orville is a boardmember of the Craighead & Poinsett Co Little League. He is one of 6 members. The rest of Harrisburgs' players are welcome to join this league as individual players this season or as a team entry. In 2010 if requested to do so, we will look at a separate league for that area. The other communities in the former Delta USSSA league will be given the same opportunity as Harrisburg. One community is in the process of returning as a League of thier own. I am just not at liberty to officially announce it yet. If you are in one of the communities of Delta, I would be asking questions of the other communities directly, not thru the Delta board before you show up in march and not have anyone to play.

The Delta USSSA board is not communicating with me at all about thier desires or wishes. With that being said, I am in contact with each local community individually. Sometimes the individual that is on the Delta USSSA board is not the one who can speak for the whole community or communicates the wishes of all of the participants.

No group or click will be allowed to dominate or alienate any players from being able to play Little League BaseBall.

So, are you in contact with Andy Barrett because he doesn't know about this Orvall being over the harrisburg part.

I think I see what you are saying. Children in Harrisburg (for 2009) may either sign up individually through Orville or can come play LL as a part of an entire team that can be formed and submitted for approval as a team. I also understand you to say that one of the other towns in Delta is already in the process of joining LL as a whole town, not as an individual team. But in 2010, we can all attempt to regroup into a league once again if approved. OK - makes sense. I guess now my only other question will be, where will home games be held if a Harrisburg youth signs up with Orville, and also where will home games be held for any other individual teams that sign up for LL. I take it that Harrisburg City Youth cannot joing the league in 2009 as a league but as individual teams only. Am I right?

I don't take it that Orville's over Harrisburg, just that he is the board member representing Harrisburg and initiating a new LL program for the community. In talking with parents from the community, I have learned that he has basically verbal committments from enough Harrisburg players to form 3 teams: 7/8; 9/10; 11/12. That's 1/2 of the City Youth program. So, no, Orville's not over Andy. He is doing something different. He has constructed a practice field and has access to other practice facilities. I don't think he needs City Youth or Andy to proceed. The way I understand it from talking to the parents, they will be playing their games in Jonesboro so they won't need access to the fields at Harrisburg.

I have spoken directly to Andy this fall. He stated that he would leave it up to the coaches.

Orvall is not over anything. He is just a Harrisburg resident selected to be on the C&P LL board.

If any team unit signs up from Harrisburg that wants to play home games in Harrisburg and has a good working relationship with Andy, they can if Andy allows.

So Jeff what you are saying is that if the towns that form delta want to play LL we will have to play under criaghead poinsett LL.

No, just Harrisburg , because they waited until 1/2 of the program there came to C&P LL with the request. Again, with 1/2 of the program switching prior to any Harrisburg Youth Board person contacting me to let me know thier wishes, I can not cut out the boundaries from C&P LL.

Any other community from the former Delta League can join C&P LL as a community or a league of their own or band together with another community as a league of thier own.

If they wait til 1/2 of thier program joins C&P LL as team entries, they will be in the same boat as Harrisburg.

Ok but you cannot be sure that half of are program will sign up to play in jonesboro am i correct.What if you only have one or two teams sign up.So what u are saying is you will keep kids from playing if they do not sign up to play with your leauge.That is what it sounds like to me.

There has been 3 teams from Harrisburg sign up with rosters supplied. No kid or team from Harrisburg will be turned away. If the rest of the Harrisburg program wants to come in as a unit. That will be ok. The other half of the program will not have to answer to Andy for anything or be required supply any money to the Harrisburg youth program.