CT Babe Ruth board of directors approves Team Connecticut Babe Ruth (TCBR) baseball’s new and innovative statewide selection process for the 2011 season. All seven districts in the state will benefit from the addition, proposed by Robert Alicea, the Ridgefield Babe Ruth President and District 4 commissioner. The 61st season of Babe Ruth baseball nationally begins in April. TCBR’s inventive selection process expands the opportunities for players and coaches to represent their “All-District” squads in competition after the regular season ends in June. TCBR’s new initiative will offer greater exposure to all local district team players, who will then be eligible for the seven All-District squads. Members chosen for All-District teams will then be candidates for the All-State squad who will represent Connecticut in post-season tournaments, including the USA Baseball Labor Day Cup to be held at the National Training Center in Cary, North Carolina during the Labor Day weekend holiday.
The player selection field in TCBR for the seven All-District team will be determined by the district commissioner and respective league presidents. The All-District teams will then participate in a single elimination, two-game state tournament (consolation game included) from July 28th -August 1st, in the greater New Haven area. At the conclusion of the tournament, a selection committee headed by Fred Bondi, state commissioner, will select the fifteen player all-state team. As a reward for winning the 15-U State Tournament, three players from the championship squad will automatically be included on TCBR’s all-state team.
In preparation for the tournament in North Carolina, TCBR’s all-state team will conduct practice sessions in August, as well as play in two other local tournaments to prepare the squad for the Labor Day Cup. TCBR team’s expenses will be offset by a fundraising campaign spearheaded by Robert Alicea, as well as support from Frozen Ropes of Danbury. The 2011 TCBR season will be a great opportunity for all players to showcase their talent and attract the attention of college baseball recruiters, as well as play in a competitive environment that represents CT Babe Ruth baseball at its finest.
