Jackie Robinson West All-Stars’ Manager Darold Butler:
Jackie Robinson West All-Stars Little League (JRW) Manager, Darold Butler, a volunteer little league baseball coach, returned home to a hero’s welcome after guiding his team on a historic and magical run to become the first all African American Little League Baseball team to become U.S Champions.
Butler, who has managed the team for several seasons, and is the father of Jackie Robinson West All-Stars’ centerfielder, DJ, has taken weeks off of work to lead the JRW team to victory.
Upon returning from the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., to Chicago’s Midway International Airport, 5700 S. Cicero Ave., Butler told the Chicago Citizen Newspaper, “It’s great, it’s unreal; I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life. I’m speechless right now.”
Butler also stated that his expectations coming into the Little League Baseball season were to get to the Little League World Series and that “everything else was icing on the cake.”
When asked how he felt the team’s success impacted the city of Chicago, Butler replied, “This is huge; the kids deserve it, they played very well, they played their behinds off, they deserve everything that they’re going to get. They’re the best team in the United States of America, there’s nothing more you can say about that.”
During Chicago's city-wide celebration in honor of JRW at Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., on July 27, Butler acknowledged the entire JRW organization including players from last year’s team, and called his current players “the coolest little group of guys that I’ve ever been around in my life”.
Before leaving the podium, Butler soaked in the moment by thanking “the man upstairs” and joked that he wasn’t going to cry in front of the estimated crowd of 10,000 and said that Gov. Pat Quinn was one of his “buddies”.
“This is unbelievable; Chi-town, we love you, thank you for everything,” said Butler.
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