Babe Ruth League
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| Founded | 1951 in Hamilton, NJ |
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| Founder | Marius D. Bonacci |
| President | Steven M. Tellefsen |
| Commissioner | Robert P. Faherty and Robert A. Connor |
| Countries | United States (all 50 states); 6 other countries |
| Official website | www.BabeRuthLeague.org |
The Babe Ruth League is an international youth baseball and softball league based in Hamilton, New Jersey, named after George Herman "Babe" Ruth.
The parent program, Babe Ruth League, Incorporated, is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.
Babe Ruth League has increased steadily from its first 10-team league in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, to its present combined size of well over one million players on some 60,000+ teams in more than 11,000 leagues and over 1.9 million volunteers. The Babe Ruth League consists of five divisions: Cal Ripken Baseball (ages 4–12), Babe Ruth Baseball (ages 13–18), Babe Ruth Softball (ages 4–18), Bambino Buddy Ball (ages 5–20), and Xtreme Fastpitch (ages 6–18).
Baseball Hall of Fame inductees who played Babe Ruth League include Carl Yastrzemski, Joe Morgan, Jim Palmer, Rod Carew, George Brett, Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, Jr., Frank Thomas, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, and Mike Piazza.
In 1951, ten men, who believed that the future of their community depended upon the proper development of the young people, met at the historic Yardville Hotel in Hamilton, New Jersey, for the purpose of developing a baseball program for young men between 13 and 15 years of age. Babe Ruth League, Inc. recognizes Marius D. Bonacci as the Founding Father of the program, along with the contribution of the following nine men, Samuel M. Welch, Ferdinand J. Wagner, Ed Jones, Ted Jasek, Cliff Fovour, Boots Snyder, William Dombrowski, Maskill Paxson and Willard Carson, Jr. Originally organized under the name Little Bigger League, Claire Merritt Ruth, the widow of Babe Ruth, met with the league's organizers in 1954 and authorized them to rename the league in Ruth's honor.
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