As BigHit15 and I stated in another thread it looks as if Danny Almonte will not be allowed to play high school ball this spring in Florida.
Here is the article:
By Manny Navarro | Miami Herald
Posted February 12, 2005
MIAMI -- Danny Almonte, the youngster who achieved glory and then infamy at the 2001 Little League World Series when it was discovered he was two years older than his opponents, is bringing his golden left arm -- and personal baggage -- to Miami.
Like a lot of people with troubled pasts, he comes to South Florida for a fresh start. Unlike others, he is 17.
Almonte showed up at Miami's American High School on Thursday with his brother and his father after a 26-hour bus ride from the Bronx. He came to live with his father, who works in construction.
"I'm very happy to be here with my dad and my brother," Almonte said. "I came here to be with them and to study. Baseball is second. Will I play? I don't know yet, but I love baseball."
Almonte is bigger and stronger than the youngster who mesmerized 11- and 12-year-olds with a wicked breaking ball, astonishing scouts and amazing a national TV audience. But his unmasking sparked feverish debates about the extent to which cheating -- and specifically the fudging of birth certificates by parents and coaches to gain a competitive advantage -- may be rampant in youth sports.
After the Almonte episode, Little League Baseball adopted more stringent policies to ensure players are the age they -- and their parents -- claim they are. Youth leagues all over South Florida adopted similar policies.
Almonte was expected to enroll at American on Friday; he was unable to do so Thursday because he did not have his immunization forms.
Alberto Gonzalez Sr. coached Almonte in Little League, and his son, Albert Jr., is the starting shortstop at American. Albert Jr. and Almonte were teammates on the 2001 Little League team that created all the controversy. The team placed third, but later was disqualified when a Little League investigation revealed his father had falsified Almonte's birth certificate.
Almonte faces several hurdles before he'll get a chance to play at American. Under Florida High School Athletic Association bylaws, students must live with the same guardian for one calendar year to be eligible to play. They also must be at their new school before the start of the season.
The official start of the baseball season in Florida was Jan. 24.
Bill Grey, FHSAA associate commissioner for administration, said Almonte likely would need a hardship waiver to play this season and needs to apply by next Friday.
Almonte was a standout at perennial New York power Monroe High and was Newsday's 2004 Player of the Year.
"He is here to be with his family, to study and make a new life for himself," Gonzalez said. "Whether or not he plays baseball right now is not as important as him settling in right now."
Original Post
Until its changed, folks can either make a resized copy of the picture they are linking to for an avatar or temporarily find a smaller image to use. I've found that the PF5/Refresh doesn't not always work for me to reduce the avatar images. 
But, its been nice to get a good look at everyone's ball players! 
