Judge Declines to Reinstate 2 Little Leaguers

The saga of two Little Leaguers reached Superior Court on Thursday, where a judge brusquely refused to reinstate the disqualified 12-year-olds and blamed “the egos of the parents” for dragging a child’s game into her courtroom.

The decision blunted a desperate effort by lawyers for the Woodland Hills Sunrise all-stars just hours before the team took the field for a sectional playoff game against the Thousand Oaks all-stars in Lompoc.

The attorneys argued that missing the game would irrevocably injure Junior Garcia and Garrett Feig. The two boys--both considered top players--were declared ineligible by Little League officials last week after being accused by a rival team of using false addresses to join the Woodland Hills squad.

Judge Diane Wayne not only denied the request for a court order putting the boys back on the roster but scolded the attorneys for requesting one.

“Little League is supposed to be a game. It is not supposed to be a legal struggle,” Wayne said. “I see no irrevocable injury . . . except to the egos of the parents.”

Despite the court loss, Woodland Hills later edged out a 4-3 victory, sending the two teams into a final playoff game today for the sectional crown.

Junior and Garrett were disqualified after administrators from the rival Encino league filed a protest with Little League headquarters in Williamsport, Pa.

Junior had joined the Woodland Hills league when his parents separated and his father leased an apartment inside the league’s boundaries. Garrett had joined years earlier under similar circumstances, listing a guest house that his father rented.

Encino administrators claimed that both addresses were fronts and that the talented players had been recruited to help Woodland Hills make a run at the hallowed Little League World Series.

When asked to supply proof of residency, the Garcias submitted evidence that included a confusing collection of canceled checks and rent receipts for mismatched amounts. The Feigs’ supposed former landlady said they had never lived in her guest house.

Little League disqualified both players.

After unsuccessful appeals, Woodland Hills administrators launched a new effort with a Thursday afternoon news conference at the league’s ball field. As youngsters played T-ball in the background, a league manager expressed indignation at the recruitment accusations.

“We teach,” Jim Forbes said. “We do not produce studs to go to Williamsport.”

Forbes also made obvious references to Rob Glushon, a lawyer and Encino coach who filed the protest with Williamsport after his team lost to Woodland Hills.

“What’s the message here?” Forbes asked. “Welcome to the real world because there’s an attorney around the corner who’s ready to chop you off at the knees, who’s looking for an angle, who’s looking to beat you when they couldn’t beat you on the field.”

A short time later, the league’s attorneys entered a downtown courtroom to ask Wayne to issue a temporary restraining order staying the players’ disqualification until a hearing on the facts.

Wayne seemed more concerned that the attorneys were teaching children to come to court with inappropriate problems. While the attorneys argued that Junior and Garrett would be unfairly deprived of playing, she quipped that “some parents will be deprived of boasting.”

“We couldn’t disagree more, but she is the judge,” said Don Roberts, a Calabasas lawyer whose grandson plays for Woodland Hills.

“We know it will disappoint the children who seem to be the victims in all this.”

Woodland Hills administrators can pursue their complaint or file other legal action, Roberts said. It is unclear whether any court ruling would come soon enough to affect the current playoffs, which culminate in Williamsport next month.

And if Woodland Hills persists, the attorneys representing Little League headquarters said they would counter with a full-scale investigation of the recruitment accusations.

“If they proceed with their complaint, we’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Allan Wilion said. “We’ll find out who did what and when they did it. We’ll follow those checks [and receipts].”

A spokesman in Williamsport said simply: “It would be irresponsible on Little League’s part not to do whatever is necessary to defend itself.”

Thursday night’s win by Woodland Hills set the stage for a deciding playoff game because Thousand Oaks won a previous game in the double-elimination tournament.

After the emotional victory, Woodland Hills parents were in a feisty mood, although the team’s prospects remained dim without the two disqualified boys.

“If we had Junior and Garrett, we’d be headed for Williamsport,” said David Destler, who publishes a youth baseball magazine and has a son on the team.

But Geri Szabo, league president, pondered the possibility that the two players would never again bat for Woodland Hills.

“I was really disappointed and really surprised,” Szabo said. “At least for the other kids, there’s no more anticipation. It’s over.”

Times staff writer Steve Henson contributed to this story.