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This is an expanded version of the report published in the Play! Recreational Sports Report on Page 3C of The News & Observer on July 21, 2009:

West Raleigh All-Stars having a big summer
All-star teams from the West Raleigh Baseball Association have been faring very well in 8U-12U Cal Ripken baseball play, 13U Babe Ruth baseball, 10U Babe Ruth softball and 8U-12U Tar Heel League baseball. Here are a few highlights submitted by West Raleigh officials:
-- The season continues for the West Raleigh Blue 10U team. After winning the Eastern N.C. Cal Ripken Baseball state championship with a 3-2 victory over Sanford Northview on July 12 in Sanford, West Raleigh will play in the Southeast Region tournament Thursday through Tuesday in Arlington, Va. Four players earned player of the game honors in the state tournament: Game 1, Kyle Gensler; Game 2, Ben Highfill; Game 3, Colin Molden; and Game 4, Ben LaSpaluto.
Distict scores: WR 21, Durham 0; WR 19, Hillsborough 0; WR 11, North Wake 2; WR 8, North Wake 6.
State scores: WR 13, Camden 1; WR 14, Northview 0; WR 10, Hamlet 4; WR 3, Northview 2.
Players are Connor Munz, John Paul Roque, Robbie Frongello, Ben LaSpaluto, Jake Feder, Brycen Braswell, Kyle Gensler, Colin Molden, Ben Highfill, Drew Buchholz, Cameron Loy, Garrett Lewis and Sean McQuillan. Coaches are Marty Loy, Paul Gensler and Denis LaSpaluto.
-- The big-hitting 12U team won the Eastern N.C. Cal Ripken District 2 title 10-0 over North Wake. In the Eastern N.C. State Championship, West Raleigh kept rolling, defeating Wayne County 17-0, North Wake 16-4 and Wilmington’s Winter Park 11-1 before pushing past West Chatham 7-6 in 12 innings. This week, West Raleigh travels to the Southeast Region tournament in Atlanta, where the winner will receive a berth in the Aug. 14-22 Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Md. The all-stars from West Raleigh’s National League are Daniel Barton, Wilson Booth, Robbie Case, Dillon Cooper, Grant Hayes, Wilson Jolly, Kalvin Kromer, Zach Lancaster, Matt Mitchum, Patrick Morton, Mark Stallings and Chris Tutwiler. They are coached by Mike Cooper, Danny Poole, Rich Kromer and Lou Case.
-- The 12U Tarheel Red All-Stars won the district title, defeating Lee County 13-0 on July 11. Next up is the July 30-Aug. 2 state tournament in Valdese.
-- The 11U team won the July 9-12 Cal Ripken state tournament at Winterville stopping Winter Park 12-0. For the fourth straight year, West Raleigh advanced to the regionals, July 29-Aug. 4 in Aiken, S.C.
-- The 9U team hosted and won the Cal Ripken District 2 tournament, taking the title 9-5 over North Wake, then defeated North Wake again, 17-13, for the Eastern N.C. state title July 13 at Laurinburg. Next, the team plays in the Southeast Regionals, which start Thursday in Lewisburg, Tenn.
-- The 8U Cal Ripken team finished its all-star season with a record of 28-0. The team won the District 2 title 11-1 over North Wake, won the Eastern N.C. state title 11-1 over New Bern Neuse and then won the Southeast Region 15-2 over Western N.C. champion Asheville.
-- The 10U Babe Ruth softball team won its first ever District 4 championship on June 28.

Along with exercise, good health requires healthy eating, and the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department is encouraging healthy snack choices by young athletes.

The department soon will distribute information to football, cheerleading and baseball coaches to help coaches choose healthy snacks for their teams. 

“Many coaches purchase snacks for their athletes.  The City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department wants to make sure the coaches understand the importance of choosing a healthy snack," Cara McLeod, the city's marketing coordinator, said in a news release.
 
The information is being made available through the Healthy Snacking Project created by Advocates for Health in Action, the Wake County Council on Health and Fitness and Community Care of Wake and Johnston counties.

The athletes who play in the Miracle League of The Triangle had special visitors on May 2 when  all 28 members of the Duke University baseball team spent their Saturday afternoon serving as "buddies" who helped nearly 100 special needs children participate in baseball games at Adams Elementary School.
 
Click here to see photos from the event.
 
The Miracle League is a non-profit organization that allows special needs children to play America’s favorite pastime – baseball. The children play on a special field where they get the opportunity to bat off a tee, round the bases and play in the field.
 
The Miracle League was started in 1997 by the Rockdale Youth Baseball Association and has since expanded across the country. The Miracle League of The Triangle had its opening day on Sept. 16, 2006, and has grown to include 200 children, 500 volunteers and 18 teams.