Tradition goes on; its reach expands
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Larry Maggi, 67, grew up looking forward to the PONY League World Series every year. He even played in one — but his team lost in one of the first rounds — when he reached the 13- to 14-yearold age group.
Now chairman of the Washington County board of commissioners, Maggi strives to continue the tradition of bringing teams from all over the world to Washington, Pa., for the baseball event.
“It’s so important to us here in Washington County,” he said Wednesday at PONY Baseball and Softball media day. “It’s part of our legacy. It’s into our fabric. It’s our history.”
The PONY League World Series, set for Aug. 11-16, will be in Washington for the 55th year. The field consists of 10 teams, and each game will be broadcast on MLB.com and its mobile platforms. In addition to the MLB, World Series Tournaments Inc. has announced additional partnerships to provide global access. Play-byplay will be translated into 50 languages on plws.org with the help of Dick’s Team Sports HQ and Blue Sombrero.
The PONY League World Series video package will be produced by Pikewood Sports for the third consecutive year. Sinclair Networks Group once again will televise all games on the American Sports Network. The Point (WPNT-TV) will air an opening-round game at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 12 as well as the championship at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16. WJPA Radio will handle playby-play. Mark Uriah, who has broadcast the PONY League World Series for more than 30 years, will be joined by former Pirates broadcaster Lanny Frattare for the championship.
“We believe in PONY baseball,” said Jeff Kotula, Washington County chamber of commerce president. “We believe you should be here forever, and we’re going to work very hard and feverishly to ensure that.”
All games will be at Lew Hays PONY Field for the 34th consecutive year. The PONY league — an acronym for Protect Our Nation’s Youth — has existed for 66 years.
“We know what a treasure it is here in the county,” Maggi said. “But the last three or four years, we’ve been able to let the world know the treasure we have.”