Newhouse News Service

Jordan Bufford, 13, of the Cleveland RBI 13- to 15-year-old All-Star team, scrambles during a steal attempt Aug. 2. His team is traveling to the RBI World Series in Caifornia. (Photo by Lonnie Timmons III)

c.2008 Newhouse News Service

CLEVELAND — The play was a bit sloppy for a team headed to the World Series.

Batters waved at outside pitches. Bases went uncovered. And when an infielder failed to charge a slow grounder, manager Chris Scott had seen enough.

"I'm glad we're doing this today,'' he mumbled.

The recent Saturday morning practice game at dusty, gusty Brookside Park was just a tune-up for a bunch of carefree teenage boys from the city who are about to embark on the trip of a lifetime.

They're one of eight teams from this side of the globe competing in Major League Baseball's RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) Junior Division World Series in Compton, Calif. The boys, ages 13 to 15, qualified by winning all four games in the regional tournament in Pittsburgh last month.

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Newhouse Spotlight

Founded as the Woodbury Daily Times in 1897, the Gloucester County Times covers the 24 suburban communities of the 328-square-mile county that is situated just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, with easy access to city life and shore recreation.

Featured Correspondent

Kevin O'Hare, The Republican

Kevin O'Hare has been a music writer for the Republican since 1985. His weekly CD and DVD reviews have been distributed by the Newhouse News Service for nearly 20 years.

Special Reports

Johanna: Facing Forward — Image Gallery

This is an image gallery created from a nine-part series from The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. Johanna Orozco and Juan Ruiz had known each other since second grade. During high school in 2005, they began to date. Juan got possessive and Johanna broke off the relationship. Then he climbed into her room one night, put a knife to her throat and demanded she give him another chance. He forced himself on her. After Johanna turned him in, Juan was on the street just four days later. Then Juan appeared at her house and shot a birdshot of peppercorn-size pellets that ripped through her jaw. The 18-year-old would spend the next months in the hospital where Dr. Michael Fritz performed multiple operations to repair and reconstruct her jaw. As Johanna continues to put her life back together, Juan has been sentenced to 27 years in jail.

View the slideshow.