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63-648: Founded by Carl Edwin Stotz (1910-1992), in 1938 / 1939 as a three-team league in further north in the adjacent larger town of Williamsport, Pennsylvania , (and county seat of surrounding Lycoming County, Pennsylvania ). His ensuing Little League organization was incorporated on October 10, 1950, and Stotz served as first commissioner for 18 years until 1955. Little League Baseball encourages local volunteers to organize and operate Little League franchise programs that are annually chartered through Little League International. Each local league can structure itself to best serve

126-926: A catcher for the Cubs of the Central Little League in Midland, Texas . He is the first Little League graduate to be elected 43rd President of the United States in 2000. After white teams in South Carolina refuse to play against the all-black Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars of Charleston , Little League issues an ultimatum that the team must be permitted to play, but many organizations in the Southern United States suspend and turn in their league charters and form their own league in response. No team from South Carolina would reach

189-595: A Little League charter. Trumbull, Connecticut , led by future NHL star Chris Drury , wins the Little League World Series. 1991 : Future MLB all-star Jason Marquis pitches the Staten Island South Shore Little League team to third place in the Little League World Series over Canada, throwing a no-hitter . 1992 : Stotz, the founder of Little League, dies. Lights are installed at Lamade Stadium, allowing

252-403: A first base deck where fans can interact while enjoying food and refreshments. This deck is part of a $ 3 million project to upgrade one of the oldest baseball parks in the country. The newly announced renovations are being made possible by a $ 1.25 million RACP Grant by the state. As of 2017 , the renovation decreased the capacity to 2,366. On March 9, 2017, Major League Baseball announced that

315-440: A glove in which he had secreted a shaved-down potato. When the pitch came in, Bresnahan fired the white potato down the third-base line, enticing the runner to sprint home. Bresnahan then tagged the runner with the baseball, prompting the umpire to award the runner home plate for Bresnahan's deception, even though he clearly had been tagged out with the ball. Bresnahan is a distant relative of Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan and

378-532: A mid season exhibition game at Bowman Field on July 31, 1962, when the team lost to the Williamsport Grays , the Phillies' Eastern League affiliate. Dave Bresnahan was catching for the 1987 Williamsport Bills, who were in seventh place in an eight-team league, playing the last-place Reading Phillies in late-August game. With a runner on third base, Bresnahan switched catcher's mitts and put on

441-469: A team from Altamonte Springs, Florida , led by future Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek . 1984 : Victoria Roche, a 12-year-old from Belgium, becomes the first girl to play in the Little League World Series. 1988 : Tom Seaver is the first former Little Leaguer to be enshrined in the Peter J. McGovern Museum Hall of Excellence. 1989 : Poland becomes the first former Warsaw Pact nation to receive

504-523: Is a girl, but he keeps her on the team. She is forced to quit after just one season because a new rule, known as the Tubby Rule, is created to bar girls from participation. The rule remains in force until 1974. 1951 : Leagues are formed in the western province on the Pacific Ocean coast of British Columbia , in the neighboring Dominion of Canada to the north and in the old U.S. territory of

567-438: Is divided into 20 geographic regions: ten national and ten international. Each summer, Little League operates seven World Series tournaments at various locations throughout the U.S. (Little League softball and Junior, Senior, and Big League baseball and softball). 1938: 1939 : Little League is established by Carl E. Stotz, George Bebble, and Bert Bebble. The first season is played in a lot close to Bowman Field . Lycoming Dairy

630-550: Is first used. Lloyd McClendon of Gary , Indiana, dominates the Little League World Series, hitting five home runs in five at-bats. He would later play in the major leagues and become the first Little League graduate to manage an MLB club (the Pittsburgh Pirates ). 1973 : Ed Vosberg plays in the Little League World Series for Tucson , Arizona. He would later play in the College World Series for

693-703: Is found that Almonte is 14 years old. 2002 : Austin Dillon plays for Southwest Forsyth (County) Little League in Clemmons, North Carolina . The grandson of Richard Childress , he would win NASCAR championships in the Camping World Truck Series in 2011 and Nationwide Series in 2013 , and made his Sprint Cup debut in 2014 . 2004 : Effective with the 2004 LLWS, the Europe Region

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756-616: Is renamed EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). 2007 : Little League expands into Australia for the first time. Effective with the 2007 LLWS, the Asia and Pacific regions are merged to form the Asia-Pacific Region, with Japan split into its own region. 2007 : Little League expands into Kyrgyzstan for the first time. 2008 : Effective with this year's LLWS, the Transatlantic and EMEA regions are reorganized into

819-706: Is signed by the Boston Braves . 1948 : Little League has grown to include 94 leagues. Lock Haven returns to the Little League World Series and defeats a team from St. Petersburg, Florida . The first corporate sponsor, U.S. Rubber , donates Pro-Keds shoes to teams at the series. 1949 : After a decade, Little League is featured in the nationally famous weekly longtime magazine, the Saturday Evening Post and on newsreels shown in neighborhood movie. Commissioner Stotz receives hundreds of requests for information on forming local leagues from all over

882-458: Is the first U.S. team to successfully defend its title. 1997 : ESPN2 broadcasts regional play for the first time. Taiwan's baseball association withdraws from Little League Baseball (it would rejoin in 2003) over newly established rules on zoning. Bradenton, Florida , and Pottsville, Pennsylvania play at Lamade Stadium before the largest crowd ever to attend a non-championship game, estimated at over 35,000 fans. 1999 : Burkina Faso becomes

945-517: Is the first season champion. 1946 : Little League expands to 12 leagues, all in Pennsylvania. 1947 : The first league outside of Pennsylvania is founded in Hammonton, New Jersey . Maynard League of Williamsport defeats a team from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania to win the first Little League World Series. Allen Yearick is the first Little League graduate to play professional baseball when he

1008-579: The National League and American League have started out playing in their local community / neighborhood Little Leagues. Carl Edwin Stotz (1910-1992), a longtime resident of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, ( county seat and largest town of surrounding Lycoming County ) founded Little League Baseball in 1938 / 1939 . He began experimenting with his idea in the summer of 1938 when he gathered his nephews, Jimmy and Major Gehron, and their neighborhood friends. They tried different field dimensions over

1071-705: The Chicago Cubs , plays for Colton, California . Little League had expanded to more than 3,300 leagues. Jim Barberi, later of the MLB National League pennant winner of the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers , is a member a decade earlier of the Schenectady, New York , team that wins the 1954 L.L.B. World Series tournament championship. 1955 : There is a Little League organization now in each of the 48 continental U.S. states. Young George W. Bush , (son of George H. W. Bush ), begins playing Little League as

1134-723: The Europe and Middle East and Africa (MEA) regions. The previous nationality restrictions for players from these regions are abolished. Hawaii wins the 2008 Little League World Series, defeating Mexico in the final game. 2008 : Little League International relocates the Southeast Region headquarters from Gulfport, Florida , to Warner Robins, Georgia . Little League International completes renovation of its administration building in South Williamsport. Carl Stotz Too Many Requests If you report this error to

1197-688: The Federal Hockey League until the team folded in January 2013. Williamsport has hosted minor league baseball since the late 19th century. The various teams played at differing sites in Williamsport. The earliest ballfield was near the West Branch Susquehanna River . It has long since been replaced by a levee and U.S. Route 220 , U.S. Route 15 and Interstate 180 . A second and more permanent facility

1260-750: The Milwaukee Braves is the first Little League graduate to play in Major League Baseball . In 1953, Robert Francis Morrison filed an official charter with Little League Baseball to admit the Cannon Street Y.M.C.A. as its first all-black team. The league consisted of four teams, sponsored by prominent black businesses in Charleston, South Carolina . In 1955, in the beginnings of the growing nation-wide Civil rights movement , when, Morrison entered his Cannon Street All-Stars into

1323-887: The New Jersey Superior Court decided that Little League baseball must allow girls to play. In the final week of December 1974, 38th President Gerald Ford (1913-2006, served 1974-1977), signed into law a bill passed earlier by the United States Congress that opened Little League baseball to girls. According to the Little League Baseball and Softball participation statistics following the 2008 season, there were nearly 2.6 million boys and girls in Little League Baseball worldwide. Of these, approximately 400,000 are registered in softball leagues (including both boys and girls). Starting in 2022, For tournament purposes, Little League Baseball

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1386-679: The New York–Pennsylvania League called the Williamsport Grays . The Grays were a charter member of the New York–Pennsylvania league which was established in 1923. Two of the most important boosters and financial backers of the team were J. Walton Bowman for whom the stadium was named and Thomas Gray, the Lycoming County sheriff, for whom the Grays were named. The Grays had previously been playing their home games on

1449-877: The Panama Canal Zone surrounding the Panama Canal , in Central America , making them the first youth baseball leagues outside the United States. 1953 : The Little League World Series is televised for the first time. Jim McKay provides the play-by-play for the Columbia Broadcasting System ( CBS ), and the infamous Howard Cosell (1918-1995), also does so for the American Broadcasting Company and their then ABC News Radio with announcer Joey Jay (born 1935), of Middletown, Connecticut , and

1512-647: The University of Arizona in 1980 and the World Series in 1997 for the Florida Marlins . Vosberg is the first person to have played in all three world series. 1974 : Girls are formally permitted to play in Little League as result of a lawsuit brought on behalf of Frances Pescatore and Jenny Fulle , and a Little League Softball program for both boys and girls is created. Bunny Taylor becomes

1575-880: The Williamsport Crosscutters , a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League . The official seating capacity is 2,366. Opened in 1926, Bowman Field is the second-oldest ballpark in minor league baseball. Bowman Field is also the home field for the Wildcats of the Pennsylvania College of Technology for more than a decade. A new field project for the Penn College Wildcats was planned to be completed by 2022, but has since been delayed. Named for local businessman J. Walton Bowman in 1929, Bowman Field had

1638-502: The first MLB Little League Classic would take place on August 20 of that year, during the Little League World Series . In a statement, Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred said that the league's "greatest responsibility is to ensure that today's youth become active participants in our game as players and fans." The St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates were selected to play in that game. Tickets to

1701-569: The official designation "Historic" added in 2000. Since 2017, Bowman Field has been used for a regular-season Major League Baseball (MLB) game, the MLB Little League Classic , held each August while the Little League World Series is underway in nearby South Williamsport . In 2012, Airmen Pond, an outdoor ice hockey rink, was built at Bowman Field. It served as home ice for the Williamsport Outlaws of

1764-482: The "New Jersey Outlaws". On August 1 the Crosscutters and Outlaws agreed to terms regarding restoration of the baseball diamond after the removal of the ice rink at the end of the hockey season, though beer sales at Outlaws games were still an issue (as the Crosscutters hold the liquor license for the stadium). Construction of the ice rink, named Airmen Pond after a local sponsor, began in early October. The rink

1827-407: The 100th nation with a Little League organization. Hirkata Little League of Osaka , Japan becomes the first Japanese team to win a title since 1976. 2000 : An expansion project begins at Little League International and Volunteer Stadium is built. This allows the pool of participants to double from 8 to 16 the following year. 2001 : The Little League World Series expands from 8 to 16 teams, with

1890-563: The 1994 season, baseball returned to Bowman with the New York–Penn League 's Williamsport Cubs . The club became the Crosscutters, a Pittsburgh Pirates farm team, in 1999. Significant stadium upgrades took place prior to the 2002 season. The club became a farm team of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006. In conjunction with Major League Baseball 's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season, Williamsport left

1953-487: The Brownsburg Little League team in 1999 . Over the last few weeks before the game, the field was renovated to conform to MLB's standards. The outfield dimensions were changed to 331 feet (101 m) to right field, 411 feet (125 m) to center field, and 323 feet (98 m) to left field; prior to this the dimensions measured 351–408–341 feet (107–124–104 m) from right to left. The stadium

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2016-762: The Grays hosted the team of nearby Bucknell University in an exhibition. The first professional opponent to appear at Bowman Field was the Harrisburg Colored Giants. The Grays lost two games to the Giants on April 27 and 29. The first New York–Pennsylvania League game took place on May 4. The Grays beat the Shamokin Indians 5-1. The Eastern League was at Bowman off and on for nearly 70 years. The Williamsport Grays started play in 1926 in Bowman Field. The final Eastern League team to call

2079-563: The NFL's Cleveland Browns , plays for the series champions from El Cajon, California . 1962 : Jackie Robinson attends the Little League World Series. President John F. Kennedy proclaims National Little League Week. 1967 : A team from West Tokyo, Japan, is the first team from Asia to win the Little League World Series. 1969 : Taiwan begins a dominant era that would see them win 17 Little League World Series titles. 1971 : The aluminum baseball bat, partly developed by Little League Baseball,

2142-658: The New York–Penn League and became a collegiate summer baseball team of the newly created MLB Draft League , which is a showcase for draft-eligible players. On July 24, 2012, Williamsport mayor Gabriel J. Campana announced that the Williamsport Outlaws of the Federal Hockey League (FHL) would play their 2012–2013 season at an outdoor ice rink built at Bowman Field. The Outlaws were the FHL champions their previous (and first) season, which they played in Wayne, New Jersey , as

2205-555: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 545776105 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:44:55 GMT Bowman Field (stadium) Historic Bowman Field is a minor league baseball stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania , in the United States. It is home to

2268-531: The World Series tournament until six decades later in 2015. Founder Carl E. Stotz (1910-1992) of Williamsport, retires as first commissioner of Little League Baseball but stays active in his "Original League" small organization for the next 38 years until his death in June 1992. 1956 : Stotz severs his ties with Little League Baseball, Inc. after 18 years in a dispute over the direction, policies and control of

2331-487: The athletic field of Williamsport High School. This facility proved to be much too small. A larger and more permanent stadium was needed. A group of civic leaders and baseball boosters lead the drive to construct a new stadium for the Grays on the western side of Williamsport on the banks of Lycoming Creek . An agreement between the Grays and the city was reached in July, 1925 to build what was then known as Memorial Field, which

2394-538: The children in the area in which the league operates. Several specific divisions of Little League baseball and softball are available to children and adolescents ages 4 to 16. The organization holds a congressional charter authorized by the United States Congress under Title 36 of the United States Code . The organization's administrative office is located in South Williamsport of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The first Little League Baseball World Series

2457-408: The city tournament, white leagues reacted by drafting a resolution requesting a whites-only tournament. All 55 white teams eventually withdrew from the city and state tournament. The Cannon Street All-Stars became the 1955 South Carolina state champions by forfeit. However, they were informed by then national Little League Baseball president Peter J. McGovern that they would not be permitted to represent

2520-608: The country. Little League incorporates in the State of New York . 1950 or 1951 (sources contradict) Kay Johnston becomes the first girl to play Little League baseball. She cuts her hair, dresses as a boy and adopts the nickname "Tubby" to assimilate into the Kings Dairy Little League team in Corning, New York as a boy. After earning her way onto the team and being assigned first base, she tells her coach that she

2583-478: The course of the summer and played several informal games. The following summer, they felt that they were ready to establish what later became Little League Baseball. The first small league organized in Williamsport had just three teams, each sponsored by a different business. The first teams, Jumbo Pretzel, Lycoming Dairy, and Lundy Lumber Company were managed by Stotz and friends - brothers George and Bert Bebble. The men, joined by their wives and another couple, formed

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2646-407: The dimensions of modern baseball fields. Bowman Field measured 367 feet (112 m) to the right field foul pole , 450 feet (137 m) to dead center field and 400 feet (122 m) to the left field foul pole. Another unusual feature of the stadium was a terrace that was located on left field near the fence. The first game to be played at Bowman Field took place on April 22, 1926, when

2709-408: The finals to a team from Taiwan. 1982 : The Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum opens. Cody Webster leads a team from Kirkland, Washington in an upset victory over a powerful team from Taiwan, the nation's first loss in 31 games. This game is later featured on ESPN's 30 for 30 series Little Big Men. 1984 : A team from Seoul , South Korea, wins their nation's first title when they defeat

2772-417: The first girl to pitch a no-hitter . 1975 : In a controversial decision, all foreign teams are banned from the Little League World Series. International play is restored the following year. 1980 : A team from Tampa , Florida, representing Belmont Heights Little League, is led by two future major-leaguers, Derek Bell and Gary Sheffield . Bell returns the following year and Belmont Heights again loses in

2835-461: The first night games to be played. The series is expanded from single-elimination to round-robin format. Long Beach , California, managed by former major-leaguer Jeff Burroughs and starring his son, future major-leaguer Sean Burroughs , is named series champion after Zamboanga City , Philippines is forced to forfeit for using ineligible players. 1993 : Long Beach repeats as champions, defeating Coquivacoa Little League of Maracaibo , Venezuela. It

2898-588: The first-ever Little League board of directors. The first league game took place on June 6, 1939, when Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy, 23–8. Lycoming Dairy became the champions of the first half of the season and then defeated Lundy Lumber, the second-half champions, in a best-of-three championship series. The following year, a second league was formed in Williamsport, and from there Little League Baseball grew to become an international organization of nearly 200,000 teams in every U.S. state and in more than 80 countries. Kathryn "Tubby" Johnston Massar (née Johnston)

2961-490: The following changes to regional lineups (post-2000 regions in bold ): Volunteer Stadium opens. George W. Bush becomes the first U.S. president to visit the Little League World Series. Led by phenom Danny Almonte , pitching the first perfect game since 1957, the Rolando Paulino All Stars ( Bronx , New York) finish third in the series. However, the team's entire postseason is wiped from the books when it

3024-571: The game were reserved for those involved in the Little League World Series, as well as a limited number of residents of Lycoming County on a lottery basis. The game was televised by ESPN as its weekly Sunday Night Baseball game. Two members of the Cardinals had played in Williamsport during past Little League World Series; outfielder Randal Grichuk for the Lamar Little League team in 2003 and 2004 , and pitcher Lance Lynn for

3087-558: The ice rink and rented it to the Outlaws and other users. In November 2012, the non-profit filed an injunction seeking to prevent the rink's builder, Rink Specialists of Naples, Maine , from repossessing it for late payments; both sides alleged breach of contract . The FHL All Star Game was scheduled to be played at Bowman Field on January 2, 2013. On May 26, 2016, Mayor Gabriel Campana, Peter Freund, Crosscutters principal owner, Crosscutters staff, and other stakeholders broke ground for

3150-531: The league. Stotz believed that the league was becoming overly commercialized by then-president Peter J. McGovern. Stotz remains active in youth baseball with the "Original League" in Williamsport. Little League records its first unfortunate on-field death in Garland, Texas , when 12-year-old Richard Oden is hit in the head by a pitch, and the park where the incident occurred is renamed Rick Oden Field. With batting helmets yet to be developed, Garland League teams finish

3213-450: The name was changed to Historic Bowman Field. In 2014, Susquehanna Bank entered into a naming rights agreement with the city, which then added the bank's name to the stadium's name. In 2016, that sponsor was purchased by a larger bank, BB&T , and the stadium updated its name accordingly. When that deal expired in 2020, the city looked for a new sponsor, but there was only one offer, from Muncy Bank and Trust. The six-year contract paid

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3276-433: The newly built Little League headquarters in South Williamsport. The protective baseball helmet is developed by Dr. Creighton J. Hale. 1960 : A team from West Berlin , West Germany , is the first from Europe to play in the Little League World Series. The series is broadcast live for the first time on ABC . Little League has grown to 27,400 teams in more than 5,500 leagues. 1961 : Brian Sipe , future quarterback for

3339-633: The park home was the 1991 Williamsport Bills . That team moved to Binghamton, New York , the next season and became the Binghamton Mets . The Grays began playing in the forerunner of the Eastern League, the old New York–Pennsylvania League in 1923. The Class B league was made entirely of teams from New York and Pennsylvania . It kept this name until 1938 when the Scranton Miners move to Hartford, Connecticut . Williamsport

3402-474: The season wearing youth then current football helmets over their baseball caps when batting. Later in the year, pitcher Fred Shapiro throws a perfect game in the Little League World Series. 1957 : Angel Macias throws a perfect game and Monterrey , Mexico, becomes the first team from outside the United States to win the Little League World Series. (Portrayed in the 2010 film The Perfect Game .) 1959 : The Little League World Series moves from Williamsport to

3465-551: The state at the regional championships in Williamsport. Little League executives invited the Cannon Street All-Stars as guests to attend the tournament in which they were unfortunately barred from playing. 1954 : Boog Powell , outfielder / first baseman later of the Baltimore Orioles and two other MLB teams, plays in the Little League World Series for Lakeland, Florida , and Ken Hubbs , later of

3528-472: Was a member of the league for 46 years between 1923 and 1991. The teams were known as the Grays, Tigers, A's, Mets, Tomahawks and Bills. Williamsport had affiliations with the Philadelphia A's for three periods, Pittsburgh Pirates , Detroit Tigers , Washington Senators , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Mets , Cleveland Indians for two separate periods, and Seattle Mariners . The Phillies played

3591-464: Was also open for public skating and use by local amateur teams. The 80-by-200-foot (24 by 61 m) ice rink officially opened on October 18, and the first home game of the Outlaws' 60-game season on October 24 drew over 3,000 fans, an FHL record. The Dayton Demonz beat the Outlaws 5–2; temperatures were over 65 °F (18 °C) for much of the game. Williamsport Ice Arena, a local non-profit group headed by FHL commissioner Don Kirnan, operated

3654-497: Was built in the Vallamont neighborhood. Cochran Elementary School sits on the former site of the ballpark. The Williamsport Bills and later Williamsport Grays played the seasons at Williamsport High School's athletic field on West 3rd Street. It too is long since gone; this property is currently home of the Pennsylvania College of Technology . Bowman Field was completed in 1926 to host the city's entry as an original franchise in

3717-427: Was known as Memorial Field from 1926 until 1929. It was renamed Bowman Field on June 26, 1929, to honor J. Walton Bowman, the president of the Grays at the time. Bowman had a large role in the effort to fund and construct the stadium. He was also honored by the players of the team with a Swiss watch , and his granddaughter was given the honor of hoisting a pennant in center field bearing the name "Bowman Field". In 2000,

3780-439: Was named for the municipal park in which it is located. J. Walton Bowman headed an 11-member holding company that financed and managed the construction of the ballpark at a cost of $ 75,000 (equivalent to $ 1,034,000 in 2023 ). Ground was broken in the fall of 1925 and the stadium opened in time for the beginning of the 1926 New York–Pennsylvania League season. The original dimensions of Bowman Field were quite large compared to

3843-488: Was played in Williamsport in 1947. The Little League International Complex in South Williamsport hosts the annual tournament of the Little League Baseball World Series at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and adjacent Little League Volunteer Stadium , and is also the site of the Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum , which provides a history of Little League Baseball and Softball through interactive exhibits for children. Many Major League Baseball (MLB) players past and present in

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3906-412: Was released by the team the day after the incident." However, the citizens of Williamsport applauded Bresnahan for his ingenuity, eventually prompting the club to retire his number 59. At the retirement ceremony in 1998, Bresnahan was quoted as saying, " Lou Gehrig had to play in 2,130 consecutive games and hit .340 for his number to be retired, and all I had to do was bat .140 and throw a potato." For

3969-423: Was the first woman to play in a Little League baseball game, which occurred in 1950. However, when the season had ended, a Little League meeting was held, and it was decided that girls would be banned from Little League baseball. Therefore, from 1951 through 1973, Little League baseball was restricted to boys only . . In 1974, due to a lawsuit brought on behalf of Maria Pepe by the National Organization for Women ,

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