Young baseball star is not so young after all

It's only a game. You would think the aphorism would hold true at least when kids are playing. But American baseball has got itself into a twist over Danny Almonte, a boy from the Dominican Republic who helped propel his New York team to the finals of the Little League baseball World Series.

The team from the Bronx did so well in the tournament ­ with Danny pitching the first perfect game in the Little League since 1957 ­ that on their return to New York they were rewarded with a parade and the keys to the city, personally handed over by the mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

But a strange smell was already polluting celebrations. Was young Danny really 12 years old like his Dad had said?

It seems not. on Friday word came from authorities in the Dominican Republic that, as far as they can tell, Danny is actually 14 years old and, therefore, too old to have played with his team. The Little League is investigating and the team, Rolando Paulino All Stars, may be stripped of its third placing in the series. Danny, however, is unlikely to lose his new hero status. Not in the Dominican Republic anyway.