Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — For the next four weeks, youth baseball players from around the country will be competing in Steamboat Springs for the chance to be a Triple Crown World Series champion.

Play began Wednesday with 86 teams competing in Triple Crown's first World Series installment of the summer.

Although this year's World Series features the same number of teams as last year's - 350, tournament director Thad Anderson said this summer Triple Crown will spread the games throughout four weeks instead of the traditional three weeks.

"This is the first year we've run four sections of baseball," Anderson said. "It's the exact same numbers of teams, but now it's just spread out a little more. Each week it gets a little smaller."

On Wednesday, teams began competition in the 10-year-old, 13-year-old and 15-year-old age groups. The 15-year-olds will use wood bats.

Anderson said the teams playing in World Series events are among the top 10 percent of teams that participate in Triple Crown. Teams must win a qualifying Triple Crown tournament to gain entrance into World Series events.

Because of the number of 10-year-old teams, Anderson said after pool play they will be put into two separate tournaments.

Sunday's championship games in the 10-year-old and 13-year-old divisions will be televised on tape delay across the Western United States and into some homes on the East Coast. Last year's championship games were televised on Altitude Sports & Entertainment in Colorado on a tape delay. This is the only weekend the championship games will be televised.

During the course of the next several weeks, teams will arrive in Steamboat on Tues-days for coaches meetings, a parade of teams and a skills competition.

Championship games will take place at Howelsen Hill's Vanatta Field on Sundays.

- To reach Luke Graham, call 871-4229

or e-mail lgraham@steamboatpilot.com