February 22, 2024 • 30 mins
The Bronx-based Baby Bombers, propelled to 3rd place in the Little League World Series by pitching phenom Danny Almonte, faced a crisis as rivals deployed private investigators to uncover the truth behind Danny's success. The shocking revelation that Danny's parents had falsified his age led to swift bans for his coach, the team, and Danny's father. Join ESPN sportscaster and journalist Jay Harris as he delves into the scandal that shook the foundations of Little League Baseball, exposing a betrayal that threatened the integrity of America's cherished pastime.
#dpshow
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hello, and welcome back to playing dirty sports Scandals. I'm
your host, Jay Harris. I've had over twenty years of
experience as a journalist and sportscaster, hosting a variety of
ESPN shows from Sports Center to Outside the Lines. I'm
also a serious juicer, taking the key ingredients of motivation, daring,
and voyeuristic interest and blending them up into succulent scandals
(00:29):
for all of you to enjoy. Hm mug. Okay, here's
the thing about juicing. Sometimes you mess up the ingredients
and it doesn't taste all that great. A little too
(00:51):
much lemon juice, getting over zealous with the turmeric root,
going little gaga with the ginger and dead. In our
last episode, I told you this story we're into really
tugs at my heartstrings. That it's a tough scandal to
swallow because of the undeniable innocence of the kid at
the center of the whole thing, Danny al Monte, the
(01:11):
first kid to pitch a perfect game in the Little
League World Series. Yeah, he turned out to be fourteen
years old instead of twelve years old, but he sure
didn't know he was breaking any rules. Living and training
under the manipulation of his father Felipe Almonte and coach
Rolando Poulino in South Bronx, and regardless of his age,
he worked hard, really hard, breaking through destitution in the
(01:35):
Dominican Republic and assimilation challenges in the United States to
achieve an athletic feat that eludes even most Major League pitchers.
We humans drink up scandals, swirling around baddies, the philanderers,
the murderers, heck, even the fraudsters like Greek gods guzzling ambrosia.
But when a kid is involved, a kid like Danny
(01:57):
who doesn't even know he's involved because he doesn't understand English,
well that's a tale that stings even the least discerning palettes, unless,
of course, there is some redemption for the innocent. So
of course that's what I'm going to serve up. It's
time to pour a fresh glass of juice, one with
all the right ingredients for Danny Almonte's redemption. Swill up,
(02:21):
and let's find out what happened to the people who
did play dirty, Felipe Almonte and Rolando Paulino. Let's start
with Felipe de Jezus Almonte, Danny's dad, who immigrated to
America six years before Danny moved in with him and
(02:42):
his coach, Rolando Paulino. What is with this guy using
his super talented son as a pawn. The scale of
his deception is hard to rationalize, even in light of
his family's impoverished beginnings. Maybe he leaned on the famous
Dominican proverb, if fate throws a knife at you, of
catching it by the blade or by the handle for justification.
(03:04):
The truth is that none of us can ever know
exactly what was going on in Felipe's head or the
exact tipping point that motivated him to do what he did.
He's quite a character. If you ask Felipe why he
lied about Danny's age, he swears he did it only
for his son to help him get ahead in life.
But it's hard to imagine that Felipe's actions were entirely selfless,
(03:27):
especially given Danny's perspective. Two decades after the Little League
World Series scandal. They always say that I'm the cheater guy,
Danny says in the ESPN thirty for thirty documentary about
his life. That's Danny the cheater, and they don't know
the whole story. I think that my dad and coach
Paulino took advantage of me and it made me feel bad.
(03:49):
Whatever he was thinking, Felipe dragged his young son's reputation
through the mud under the glare of relentless international media attention,
and while he and Danny's mother, Sonya Rowhaus Brettone were
long separated, he managed to get her on board when
it came to playing dirty two. When the Associated Press
visited her in her tiny cinder block house in the
Dominican Republic, they found Sonya, a proud twenty eight year old,
(04:13):
firmly behind her ex husband Felipe's story amidst the clutter
of Danny's old goal plate at baseball trophies. What did
she make of Victor Romero, the head of the National
Public Records Office in the Dominican Republic, declaring that their
nation's official position was that Danny had been born in
nineteen eighty seven. The AP reporter asked, I don't know
why those people are lying. Sonya replied firmly. They must
(04:36):
envy Danny. He's always wanted to play, ever since he
started batting a bottle cap with a broomstick. I gave
birth to him in my own house. I know where
and when he was born, regardless of what people say.
She admitted that she and Felipe hadn't officially registered Danny's
birth date with the Dominican authorities until the year two thousand,
(04:56):
but showed the visiting reporter a handwritten birth certificate in
her possession, a relic that claimed Danny's birth happening at
a town close to her home called Jamoah with the
assistance of a midwife in nineteen eighty nine, just as
her ex husband Felipe had stated. Sonya further insisted that
there were witnesses who signed that nineteen eighty nine birth certificate,
(05:18):
so there only. It didn't end there, not by a
long shot. Asop's famous words, united we stand, Divide it
we fall just didn't hold true for the Amante family
in the least, despite the fact that their stories were
perfectly aligned by the time. Felipe Amante made a defiant
stand on Good Morning America, reaching approximately fifteen million viewers
(05:41):
with his proclamation that he hadn't cheated anyone, insisting again
that Danny was twelve and blaming the Dominican government for
any paperwork mix up that had occurred. His fate was
sealed because you see, Victor Romero of the Dominican Republic's
National Public Records Office was absolutely not going to stand
(06:01):
for any malarkey. Felipe had made things personal by trying
to peck his families escalating scandalon in competence by Dominican officials.
Beyond feeling insulted, Dominican officials, aware that their reputation, as
well as the reputation of one of their country's biggest
exports baseball players, was hanging in the balance, had to
take decisive action. Victor Romero personally oversaw the investigation and
(06:26):
can you guess what his first steps were into unraveling
Felipe Almonte's public accusations of the Dominican Republic's national incompetence
while checking up on the alleged witnesses whose signatures adorned
the nineteen eighty nine version of Daniel Monte's birth certificate.
Of course, in a twist that added more fire to
(06:50):
this fuel packed juice of a scandal, these witnesses vehemently
denied even knowing Felipe and sonya Let alone signing their
son Danny's birth certificate. There are a number of contradictions
in the second birth certificate, Victor Romero said, referring to
the document Sonya had produced listing the nineteen eighty nine date,
(07:11):
neither the witnesses, the hospital, nor the local authorities could
confirm Danny Almonte was born in Jamoa. Ramon Morel Cerda,
the president of the Dominican Electoral Committee, further confirmed that
the witnesses denied knowing the family or having signed the
birth certificate. Talk about decisive, corroborated, and convincing evidence against
(07:34):
Felipe's story. Victor Romero held this up as proof and
officially declared Danny's age to be fourteen, per the Dominican
Republic's National Public Record Office. The fallout was swift and
severe for Felipe, who ESPN's Jim Capel dubbed the worst
stereotype of the Little League parent sprung to life. Felipe
(07:56):
Almonte was formally charged with falsifying a birth certificate to
make his son appear to be twelve when he actually
was fourteen and thus too old for participation in Little League.
And there was more. According to Victor Romero's investigation, even
if Danny had been eligible for participation in Little League.
There was no way that Danny could have played in
(08:17):
the required six Little League games to qualify for participation
in the World Series. This is because it turned out
that Danny immigrated to New York after June two thousand,
rather than earlier in the year two thousand. How did
Victor Romero figure this out? Because Danny Almonte finished seventh
grade on June fifteenth, two thousand, in the Dominican Republic.
(08:39):
According to Boulevard de Luna Gomez, vice president of the
Andres Bellows Primary School in Moca, we can't lie, Gomez
told the Associated Press, he was here and the records
show this. It is the truth, and if authorities ask
us to turn the documents in, we are ready to
do so. This meant that there simply there weren't enough
(09:00):
qualifying Little League games for Danny to have played in
between his immigration to the United States and the time
he took to the Pitcher's Mount and wowed the baseball
world in two thousand and one. This was damning evidence.
Joan dal Mao, the spokeswoman for the Rolando Paulino All
(09:21):
Stars team, tried to defend the Baby Bomber's Little League
World Series win doubling down on the lies by denying
that Danny had lived in the Dominican Republic until June
two thousand. I saw him in May here in the
Bronx playing in a regular season game. Del Mao said,
so there was no way he was in the Dominican
republican June, but Victor Romero and the Dominican Republic officials
(09:45):
refuted del Mao's claim in support of Felipe's account, confirming
that Danny Almonte had absolutely been in a Dominican school
until June. It helped Victor Romero's cause that the people
nearest and dearest to the Almonte family also started to
turn on Felipe and Sonya in an effort to keep
the stink of scandal as far from themselves as possible.
(10:08):
Jose Rojas, Danny Almonte's uncle, who initially supported Felipe saying
that Danny had been in the United States for nearly
two years, retracted his earlier statement, saying it was possible
he was in Mocha, Dominican Republic until June. As Victor
Romero's investigation claimed, what did all these findings shake out to?
(10:28):
Danny had been ineligible for the Little League World Series,
not just because of his age, but also because he
hadn't played in the six Little League games required for qualification.
Lies upon lies, Felipe de Jesus Almonte will be arrested
as soon as he sets foot in this country, said
Victor Romero at the conclusion of his investigation in the
(10:49):
Dominican Republic. The arrest warrant was a real problem for
Felipe Almonte because the scandal breaking had very publicly ousted
him as living Indianiace States illegally under an expired visa.
Not only was he now one of the most public
illegal immigrants in America, but he was also being taken
to task by New York State for truancy. Remember how
(11:13):
Felipe lied about registering Danny for public school seventy in
the Bronx. Yeah, well, it turns out that New York
takes the deprivation of education pretty darn seriously. Under New
York's compulsory education laws, it's the responsibility of parents to
make sure their children go to school, and an offender
on Felipe scale who had kept this child out of
(11:33):
school for over a year could face jail time. So
without a legal right to stay in the United States
and facing severe truancy charges in New York State, Felipe
had to flee back to the Dominican Republic. Even with
the Dominican officials intent on seeing him brought to justice.
(11:56):
Victor Romero made good on his threat. Dominican official handed
a warrant for Felipe's arrest to his second wife, Madisol
Maria Inoa Sanchez de la Monte, to ensure he didn't
slip through their hands. Upon returning to the country, Madisaul
pleaded with both Dominican and US officials, including President Bush,
to pardon her husband, insisting that he should be forgiven
(12:18):
for his mistakes. We had to commit this little fraud
to give this opportunity to this child, Madisol Maria Inoasanchez
told The New York Times, But the officials did not
have forgiveness on their minds. On his arrival in the
Dominican Republic, Felipe was charged with falsifying public documents, and
not just Danny's birth certificate either Twist Twist Twist People.
(12:43):
Felipe was also charged with having tried the exact same
scheme with Danny's older brother Juan. Apparently, Felipe had forged
Wan's birth certificate to make him appear two years younger
so that he too could play Little League baseball in
New York. Sure, Wan didn't garner the same headlines as
his younger brother, and so this deception had managed to
(13:05):
fly under the radar. But now it was out. The
fact that the Dominicans had proven Felipe to be a
double offender of the same scheme made it extremely unlikely
that Danny's false age had been any sort of mistake.
Felipe Almonte remained defiant even as the truth of his
cheating came to life, saying, if I'm arrested, I will
(13:26):
go tranquility. My heart will not beat one beat faster
because I know I was trying to create opportunities for
my son. But would a selfless father have muddied his
son's reputation for a moment in the spotlight, a moment
that almost certainly would have arrived anyway without rule breaking,
given the level of Danny's talent. Hmm, sour tasting juice
(13:48):
all around when it comes to Felipe's behavior. Felipe wound
up with warnings and fines rather than prison time in
the Dominican Republic, but he did get a lifetime ban
from Little Legan and a national and he had lost
the last thread of his son's trust. When La Times
reporter Jerry Crow visited with Danny Almonte in two thousand
and four, three years after his perfect game and the
(14:10):
ensuing storm, he wrote that Felipe Visa expired, returned to
the Dominican Republic shortly after the scandal broke, and Danny Almonte,
stung that he was left alone in an unfamiliar place
to face its aftermath, has only recently started speaking to
him again. That means that, for more than two years
(14:31):
after Felipe abandoned him for a second time, this time
on the other side of the Atlantic, with insufficient English understanding,
and in the midst of debilitating media scrutiny, Danny refused
to communicate with his father. Felipe Cordova, one of Danny
Almonte's closest friends and confidence in New York after the
Little League World Series debacle, says that Almonte is naturally
(14:54):
quiet and shy, but that he grew ever more inward
when the scandal broke. Once they left the country and
Danny finally understood what had happened. He cried, stung by
the international criticism born of his parents and coaches betrayal.
Everything was on him, Cordova says. He was here by himself.
(15:14):
All the weight fell on him. Everybody else was gone.
That's when he felt lonely. I can only imagine how
devastating and traumatic that must have been for Danny. Of course,
not everybody else was gone. When Felipe Almonte fled back
to the Dominican Republic, young Danny, with his career opportunities
put on ice and no means of going anywhere else, remained,
(15:38):
living with his coach, Rowando Paulino, Paulino's wife Carmen, and
their daughter in the South Bronx Projects. Their fourteenth floor
apartment with no elevator access, must have been stifling for
Danny as he grappled with his parents and his coach
turned guardians deceit. Even as Rolando Paulino housed their son Danny,
he publicly distanced himself from fully and Sonya Almonte. Film
(16:02):
star Elizabeth Taylor once said that you find out who
your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal.
So true, and for the Almantes it became crystal clear
that Orlando's history of friendship with Felipe, spanning over decades
from the Dominican Republic to New York, was worth less
than a penny. Under the glare of negative international press.
(16:24):
With a baseball diamond as his stage, Orlando Paulino declared
the father and mother of Danny. They lied to us.
I had a visa and a passport handed to me.
I was going by the documentation the father provided. Well,
(16:54):
Orlando Paulino's words just didn't taste right. Wouldn't you say,
like a big old spoon full of castor oil when
you're sick. Yeah, when things taste off, let's get real.
It's because they usually are. And no one was drinking
Paulino's version of events up and letting him off the hook.
The tab had come due for this guy. Little League
(17:15):
Baseball took tough, decisive action. Daniel Monte, the wonder kin
of the Bronx Baby Bombers, was retroactively declared ineligible the
championship wins that the team bearing Rowando Paulino's name had achieved.
The victories that had echoed through the cheers of the
Bronx Faithful, were mercilessly erased from the books. The Rowando
Paulino All Stars had to forfeit all their wins and
(17:37):
tournament play, a bitter pill to swallow for the kids
and certainly for their baseball obsessed coach, but the repercussions
didn't stop there. Under Little League rules, it is the
coach of the team who is the gatekeeper of player
eligibility and in the realm of fairness. Rowando Paulino was
therefore held responsible for the Daniel Monte age falsification scandal,
(18:00):
had alongside his once best friend Felipe Almonte. Lance van Aukin,
the Little League director of Media Relations, expressed his dismay
at Orlando Paulino's negligence, saying he couldn't recall a case
of age tampering in the history of the Little League
World Series, and Little League President Stephen D. Keener was
even more biting in his indictment of Orlando and Felipe,
(18:21):
saying anyone who would knowingly undermine the trust in Little
League is guilty of doing serious harm to children, and
that their exploitation of Danny had been contemptible and despicable.
Things went from bad to worse for Orlando Paulino, as
the Little League investigated the other claims coming to light
about his coaching. First, it was uncovered that Paulino had
(18:43):
a history of cheating, having been previously stripped of a
title with a Dominican team all the way back in
nineteen eighty eight because he had six overaged players six
y'all six. Then a New York Times investigation uncovered that
another player on the same team as Danny Catcher, named
Francisco Pana, shouldn't have been eligible to play in the
(19:03):
two thousand and one Little League World Series either. According
to the Times, Penya had been brought in directly from
the Dominican Republic just before the start of the series,
like a ringer, someone with special and specific skills was
brought into Phillis specific purpose without other people knowing, which
is a big no no. Certainly didn't give him enough
(19:23):
time to participate in six Little League games prior to
the championship just like Danny, and would have acted the
team's winning record in and of itself. Yet there was
no doubt about it. Coach Rolando Paulino had definitely played dirty. Fortunately,
(19:46):
Francisco Panna wasn't as marred by the scandalist Daniel monte Pena,
who had been dragged into the scandalous exposure, later on
seemed to float above it, going on to sign with
the New York Mets in two thousand and seven. When
asked about the whole old Little League World Series scandal
retrospectively by MLB dot Com, he said, my parents didn't
know how it worked. It was a messed up decision
(20:08):
our family got into. It was a crazy moment in
our lives. That crazy moment didn't haunt coach Orlando Paulino
as much as it maybe should have. While the two
thousand and one scandal got him a lifetime ban from
Little League International, to this day, he still coaches youth
baseball in the South Bronx, and he intends to until
(20:28):
his projected retirement after fifty years of coaching. In twenty
twenty seven. His league of twenty four teams still bearing
his name lega Paulino as approximately four hundred players and
receives support from the Yankees. How is this possible for
someone proven guilty to continue to operate in youth baseball,
you ask, Well, it might sound crazy that a dirty
(20:50):
player got to continue in the space, but let's break
it down. Youth baseball is not one organized, simplistic blog
moving as a perfect unit, like a dollop of slime
in the hands of a toddler. It is a complicated,
tangled web of independent leagues with very little oversight. I'm
(21:10):
talking blender not clicked into the base level chaos. This
lack of order in youth baseball is why coach Orlando
Paulino can be banned from Little League International and from
taking his teams to Williamsport for the World Series, yet
still get New York City permits to bring all star
teams to the Caribbean and all over the United States.
Of course, the ban by Little League International has hurt
(21:33):
Orlando Paulino. He claims he even contemplated suicide, whispering to
the n ESPN reporter Dan Lebertard in one interview, I
was so depressed, I thought about taking my life, but
I wouldn't give them the pleasure. After all, no one
knows better than Paulino does that the trail of youth
baseball glory ultimately has to travel through Williamsport, where TV
(21:54):
exposure has turned the nonprofit children's Little League World Series
tournament into a multi million dollar industry. For Paulino, who
works as a taxi cab driver to make ends meet,
to be excluded from a piece of that rich baseball
pie must be hard to bear. Paulino has set in
interviews that he has written letters to Williamsport requesting Little
League reinstatement, but never heard back. When The Daily News
(22:17):
looked into this claim, however, it turned out not to
be the case, just another Rolando Paulino lie. Little League
International has not received any recent requests from mister Paulino
asking to be reinstated as an eligible coach in the
Little League program. The statement from Williamsport read, we remain
committed to the decision made in two thousand and one
by the Little League International Tournament Committee that removed him
(22:40):
from serving as league president and bans him for life
from volunteering in our program. As the matter was closed
in two thousand and one, we have no further comment
on the situation. Alex Perez, the vice president of Inwood
Little League in North Manhattan, strongly agrees with Little League
Internationals to sity to neither reinstate nor forgive Rowando Polino. Perez,
(23:04):
who says as teams of largely Hispanic players are still
stigmatized as a result of what Rolando Paulino enabled at
the two thousand and one Little League World Series. Is
outraged at the thought of it. When you cheat for
so many years and so blatantly, what do you think
is going to happen? Says Perez, who has worked with
Inwood Little League since nineteen ninety seven. Nobody wants to
(23:25):
play him. You're going to force people to play him
in your tournaments, and everybody is going to say there's
an issue here. Rowando Paulino's history will forever leave him
upolarizing figure both outside and inside the youth baseball community.
While some people in the Bronx still view him as
a hero getting youth involved in baseball instead of gangs,
is cheating over shadows his good works, because, of course,
(23:48):
the Paulinos cheating open the door for blanket discriminatory practices.
Pitcher Daniel Monte's falsified birth certificate, the biggest scandal in
Little League history, perpetrated by Rolando Polino and Felipe El Monte,
remains a source of animosity and justification for stereotypes, while
depressing ramifications still felt by Hispanic youth teams traveling outside
(24:09):
New York. Anytime you take a team out of New York,
that's good. And you go into the suburbs and you know,
play a bunch of white kids right away, it's is
this kid legal? Coach Alex Perez says that sure takes
any sweetener right out of the juice for me when
it comes to Rolando Paublino's legacy. Of course, it's also
worth our taking a moment to consider if all the
(24:31):
blame can be laid at Rolando Paulino's feet for discrimination
in Little League baseball since the two thousand and one scandal.
I mean, why exactly was it that Danny was under
set scrutiny in the first place? For example, was it
just because he was big and pitched de mean fastball
or was something uglier at work? Red Sox Starr and
Dominican native Pedro Martinez has his own theory about what
(24:52):
happened at the Little League World Series in two thousand
and one. It's just because Danny kicked everybody's ass that
people complained from the Dominican Republic mountains, goes to New York,
gets the opportunity to play, and he gets all the
crap America has to offer just because he's good. Ouch.
That's a pretty damning theory for Little League if it
(25:13):
holds any truth, and sadly it just might. Several Little
League officials even admitted that Danny wasn't the absolute biggest
playing in Little League the year of the scandal. There were,
in fact, plenty of Anglo players who were bigger, but
nobody investigated their age or eligibility. Why not. I'm not
(25:34):
justifying Rowando Paulino's cheating at all. But when the embittered
coach Orlando Paulino said, our players don't have the blonde hair,
the blue eyes and the perfect English, this never happens
if we have those things, maybe, just maybe, it's the
most truthful thing he said. With the Bronx Baby Bomber's
records wiped clean, the Little League world was left grappling
(25:55):
with the fallout of the dannielle Monte scandal. A prodigies
trajectory was abruptly brought to a halt. Danny's father was
facing the Dominican official's wrath. Coach Rolando Paulino had inadvertently
opened the door even wider for discrimination against Hispanic kids
in youth baseball by breaking the rules, and the credibility
of the beloved little league was left in tatters. Now,
(26:24):
everyone grab your glass and drink up in preparation for
the big reveal. I know you're all waiting for what
happened to Daddy Almonte, the kid caught up in all
these adults dirty games, The kid who, in a twenty
fourteen ESPN documentary sadly acknowledged, even years after the scandal broke,
that the bad thing is my coach, Paulino and my dad.
(26:45):
They knew what they were going to get into. I
wish this never happened, but it happened to me, and
God knows what he does to me. Crushing words from
someone who really never knowingly did anything wrong but bore
so much of the brunt for others' bad behavior. Well,
(27:11):
here's some good news. At the beginning of this episode,
I promised that I'd helped clear your palette. Remember, having
been exonerated of any responsibility for cheating. Danny's friends and
supporters came out in droves. In fact, a Bronx dentist
went so far as to sponsor Danny's coaching under Fred Cambria,
a forty dollars an hour pitching coach who used to
work for the San Diego Padres. Danny continued to train
(27:34):
hard while finishing out high school, but ultimately the little
unit didn't wind up making it to the bigs. Danny
entered the two thousand and six MLB draft but wasn't drafted.
So what does a kid do who has trained so
hard and come through so much adversity only to miss
the cut? Crumpled under disappointment? Unlikely, just as he stepped
(27:57):
up to the mound in two thousand and one and
delivered a pitching perform It's exceptional for any age. Daniel
Monte kept going in pursuit of his dream to continue
his lifelong love affair with baseball, independent of anyone else's
string pulling or expectations. At heart, he was still that
kid who batted bottle caps with broomsticks for fun, and
(28:17):
he was still an ethical, clean player. I've got to
prove myself, danielle Monte said. Whatever happened in the past happened.
I've got to become a better man now. Danny pushed
on attending junior college and playing baseball in the Independent
Frontier League, which is a minor league, but hey, he
was still playing baseball and getting paid and having fun.
(28:40):
After junior college, Danny then got the chance to play
baseball at Western Oklahoma State College. He was able to
showcase his amazing fluid arm from the mound once again.
He also hit thirty two home runs in his two
seasons there. This made him one of the leading hitters
in the country. In addition to seeing success on the mound.
Danny al Monte never made it to the majors in baseball,
(29:03):
but he did go back to his high school alma mater,
James Monroe High in Brooklyn, and he did become an
assistant coach there, passing on his love for the game
to the next generation. As far as this sports loving
juice aficionado is concerned, that is a major league winning
legacy for Danny Almonte. Let's drink to that, my friend,
(29:25):
join me for the next juicy scandal by subscribing to
Playing Dirty Sports Scandals. Until then, I'll be staying hydrated
and minding my own business. Not Playing Dirty Sports Scandals
is a production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never Ever Productions
(29:47):
and Workhouse Media from executive producers Dan Patrick, Paul Anderson,
Nick Panela, Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary. Hosted by Jay Harris,
Written and produced by Jen Brown, Francie haigks My Egnctment
and Jennifer Claring.
Hello, and welcome back to playing dirty sports Scandals. I'm
your host, Jay Harris. I've had over twenty years of
experience as a journalist and sportscaster, hosting a variety of
ESPN shows from Sports Center to Outside the Lines. I'm
also a serious juicer, taking the key ingredients of motivation, daring,
and voyeuristic interest and blending them up into succulent scandals
(00:29):
for all of you to enjoy. Hm mug. Okay, here's
the thing about juicing. Sometimes you mess up the ingredients
and it doesn't taste all that great. A little too
(00:51):
much lemon juice, getting over zealous with the turmeric root,
going little gaga with the ginger and dead. In our
last episode, I told you this story we're into really
tugs at my heartstrings. That it's a tough scandal to
swallow because of the undeniable innocence of the kid at
the center of the whole thing, Danny al Monte, the
(01:11):
first kid to pitch a perfect game in the Little
League World Series. Yeah, he turned out to be fourteen
years old instead of twelve years old, but he sure
didn't know he was breaking any rules. Living and training
under the manipulation of his father Felipe Almonte and coach
Rolando Poulino in South Bronx, and regardless of his age,
he worked hard, really hard, breaking through destitution in the
(01:35):
Dominican Republic and assimilation challenges in the United States to
achieve an athletic feat that eludes even most Major League pitchers.
We humans drink up scandals, swirling around baddies, the philanderers,
the murderers, heck, even the fraudsters like Greek gods guzzling ambrosia.
But when a kid is involved, a kid like Danny
(01:57):
who doesn't even know he's involved because he doesn't understand English,
well that's a tale that stings even the least discerning palettes, unless,
of course, there is some redemption for the innocent. So
of course that's what I'm going to serve up. It's
time to pour a fresh glass of juice, one with
all the right ingredients for Danny Almonte's redemption. Swill up,
(02:21):
and let's find out what happened to the people who
did play dirty, Felipe Almonte and Rolando Paulino. Let's start
with Felipe de Jezus Almonte, Danny's dad, who immigrated to
America six years before Danny moved in with him and
(02:42):
his coach, Rolando Paulino. What is with this guy using
his super talented son as a pawn. The scale of
his deception is hard to rationalize, even in light of
his family's impoverished beginnings. Maybe he leaned on the famous
Dominican proverb, if fate throws a knife at you, of
catching it by the blade or by the handle for justification.
(03:04):
The truth is that none of us can ever know
exactly what was going on in Felipe's head or the
exact tipping point that motivated him to do what he did.
He's quite a character. If you ask Felipe why he
lied about Danny's age, he swears he did it only
for his son to help him get ahead in life.
But it's hard to imagine that Felipe's actions were entirely selfless,
(03:27):
especially given Danny's perspective. Two decades after the Little League
World Series scandal. They always say that I'm the cheater guy,
Danny says in the ESPN thirty for thirty documentary about
his life. That's Danny the cheater, and they don't know
the whole story. I think that my dad and coach
Paulino took advantage of me and it made me feel bad.
(03:49):
Whatever he was thinking, Felipe dragged his young son's reputation
through the mud under the glare of relentless international media attention,
and while he and Danny's mother, Sonya Rowhaus Brettone were
long separated, he managed to get her on board when
it came to playing dirty two. When the Associated Press
visited her in her tiny cinder block house in the
Dominican Republic, they found Sonya, a proud twenty eight year old,
(04:13):
firmly behind her ex husband Felipe's story amidst the clutter
of Danny's old goal plate at baseball trophies. What did
she make of Victor Romero, the head of the National
Public Records Office in the Dominican Republic, declaring that their
nation's official position was that Danny had been born in
nineteen eighty seven. The AP reporter asked, I don't know
why those people are lying. Sonya replied firmly. They must
(04:36):
envy Danny. He's always wanted to play, ever since he
started batting a bottle cap with a broomstick. I gave
birth to him in my own house. I know where
and when he was born, regardless of what people say.
She admitted that she and Felipe hadn't officially registered Danny's
birth date with the Dominican authorities until the year two thousand,
(04:56):
but showed the visiting reporter a handwritten birth certificate in
her possession, a relic that claimed Danny's birth happening at
a town close to her home called Jamoah with the
assistance of a midwife in nineteen eighty nine, just as
her ex husband Felipe had stated. Sonya further insisted that
there were witnesses who signed that nineteen eighty nine birth certificate,
(05:18):
so there only. It didn't end there, not by a
long shot. Asop's famous words, united we stand, Divide it
we fall just didn't hold true for the Amante family
in the least, despite the fact that their stories were
perfectly aligned by the time. Felipe Amante made a defiant
stand on Good Morning America, reaching approximately fifteen million viewers
(05:41):
with his proclamation that he hadn't cheated anyone, insisting again
that Danny was twelve and blaming the Dominican government for
any paperwork mix up that had occurred. His fate was
sealed because you see, Victor Romero of the Dominican Republic's
National Public Records Office was absolutely not going to stand
(06:01):
for any malarkey. Felipe had made things personal by trying
to peck his families escalating scandalon in competence by Dominican officials.
Beyond feeling insulted, Dominican officials, aware that their reputation, as
well as the reputation of one of their country's biggest
exports baseball players, was hanging in the balance, had to
take decisive action. Victor Romero personally oversaw the investigation and
(06:26):
can you guess what his first steps were into unraveling
Felipe Almonte's public accusations of the Dominican Republic's national incompetence
while checking up on the alleged witnesses whose signatures adorned
the nineteen eighty nine version of Daniel Monte's birth certificate.
Of course, in a twist that added more fire to
(06:50):
this fuel packed juice of a scandal, these witnesses vehemently
denied even knowing Felipe and sonya Let alone signing their
son Danny's birth certificate. There are a number of contradictions
in the second birth certificate, Victor Romero said, referring to
the document Sonya had produced listing the nineteen eighty nine date,
(07:11):
neither the witnesses, the hospital, nor the local authorities could
confirm Danny Almonte was born in Jamoa. Ramon Morel Cerda,
the president of the Dominican Electoral Committee, further confirmed that
the witnesses denied knowing the family or having signed the
birth certificate. Talk about decisive, corroborated, and convincing evidence against
(07:34):
Felipe's story. Victor Romero held this up as proof and
officially declared Danny's age to be fourteen, per the Dominican
Republic's National Public Record Office. The fallout was swift and
severe for Felipe, who ESPN's Jim Capel dubbed the worst
stereotype of the Little League parent sprung to life. Felipe
(07:56):
Almonte was formally charged with falsifying a birth certificate to
make his son appear to be twelve when he actually
was fourteen and thus too old for participation in Little League.
And there was more. According to Victor Romero's investigation, even
if Danny had been eligible for participation in Little League.
There was no way that Danny could have played in
(08:17):
the required six Little League games to qualify for participation
in the World Series. This is because it turned out
that Danny immigrated to New York after June two thousand,
rather than earlier in the year two thousand. How did
Victor Romero figure this out? Because Danny Almonte finished seventh
grade on June fifteenth, two thousand, in the Dominican Republic.
(08:39):
According to Boulevard de Luna Gomez, vice president of the
Andres Bellows Primary School in Moca, we can't lie, Gomez
told the Associated Press, he was here and the records
show this. It is the truth, and if authorities ask
us to turn the documents in, we are ready to
do so. This meant that there simply there weren't enough
(09:00):
qualifying Little League games for Danny to have played in
between his immigration to the United States and the time
he took to the Pitcher's Mount and wowed the baseball
world in two thousand and one. This was damning evidence.
Joan dal Mao, the spokeswoman for the Rolando Paulino All
(09:21):
Stars team, tried to defend the Baby Bomber's Little League
World Series win doubling down on the lies by denying
that Danny had lived in the Dominican Republic until June
two thousand. I saw him in May here in the
Bronx playing in a regular season game. Del Mao said,
so there was no way he was in the Dominican
republican June, but Victor Romero and the Dominican Republic officials
(09:45):
refuted del Mao's claim in support of Felipe's account, confirming
that Danny Almonte had absolutely been in a Dominican school
until June. It helped Victor Romero's cause that the people
nearest and dearest to the Almonte family also started to
turn on Felipe and Sonya in an effort to keep
the stink of scandal as far from themselves as possible.
(10:08):
Jose Rojas, Danny Almonte's uncle, who initially supported Felipe saying
that Danny had been in the United States for nearly
two years, retracted his earlier statement, saying it was possible
he was in Mocha, Dominican Republic until June. As Victor
Romero's investigation claimed, what did all these findings shake out to?
(10:28):
Danny had been ineligible for the Little League World Series,
not just because of his age, but also because he
hadn't played in the six Little League games required for qualification.
Lies upon lies, Felipe de Jesus Almonte will be arrested
as soon as he sets foot in this country, said
Victor Romero at the conclusion of his investigation in the
(10:49):
Dominican Republic. The arrest warrant was a real problem for
Felipe Almonte because the scandal breaking had very publicly ousted
him as living Indianiace States illegally under an expired visa.
Not only was he now one of the most public
illegal immigrants in America, but he was also being taken
to task by New York State for truancy. Remember how
(11:13):
Felipe lied about registering Danny for public school seventy in
the Bronx. Yeah, well, it turns out that New York
takes the deprivation of education pretty darn seriously. Under New
York's compulsory education laws, it's the responsibility of parents to
make sure their children go to school, and an offender
on Felipe scale who had kept this child out of
(11:33):
school for over a year could face jail time. So
without a legal right to stay in the United States
and facing severe truancy charges in New York State, Felipe
had to flee back to the Dominican Republic. Even with
the Dominican officials intent on seeing him brought to justice.
(11:56):
Victor Romero made good on his threat. Dominican official handed
a warrant for Felipe's arrest to his second wife, Madisol
Maria Inoa Sanchez de la Monte, to ensure he didn't
slip through their hands. Upon returning to the country, Madisaul
pleaded with both Dominican and US officials, including President Bush,
to pardon her husband, insisting that he should be forgiven
(12:18):
for his mistakes. We had to commit this little fraud
to give this opportunity to this child, Madisol Maria Inoasanchez
told The New York Times, But the officials did not
have forgiveness on their minds. On his arrival in the
Dominican Republic, Felipe was charged with falsifying public documents, and
not just Danny's birth certificate either Twist Twist Twist People.
(12:43):
Felipe was also charged with having tried the exact same
scheme with Danny's older brother Juan. Apparently, Felipe had forged
Wan's birth certificate to make him appear two years younger
so that he too could play Little League baseball in
New York. Sure, Wan didn't garner the same headlines as
his younger brother, and so this deception had managed to
(13:05):
fly under the radar. But now it was out. The
fact that the Dominicans had proven Felipe to be a
double offender of the same scheme made it extremely unlikely
that Danny's false age had been any sort of mistake.
Felipe Almonte remained defiant even as the truth of his
cheating came to life, saying, if I'm arrested, I will
(13:26):
go tranquility. My heart will not beat one beat faster
because I know I was trying to create opportunities for
my son. But would a selfless father have muddied his
son's reputation for a moment in the spotlight, a moment
that almost certainly would have arrived anyway without rule breaking,
given the level of Danny's talent. Hmm, sour tasting juice
(13:48):
all around when it comes to Felipe's behavior. Felipe wound
up with warnings and fines rather than prison time in
the Dominican Republic, but he did get a lifetime ban
from Little Legan and a national and he had lost
the last thread of his son's trust. When La Times
reporter Jerry Crow visited with Danny Almonte in two thousand
and four, three years after his perfect game and the
(14:10):
ensuing storm, he wrote that Felipe Visa expired, returned to
the Dominican Republic shortly after the scandal broke, and Danny Almonte,
stung that he was left alone in an unfamiliar place
to face its aftermath, has only recently started speaking to
him again. That means that, for more than two years
(14:31):
after Felipe abandoned him for a second time, this time
on the other side of the Atlantic, with insufficient English understanding,
and in the midst of debilitating media scrutiny, Danny refused
to communicate with his father. Felipe Cordova, one of Danny
Almonte's closest friends and confidence in New York after the
Little League World Series debacle, says that Almonte is naturally
(14:54):
quiet and shy, but that he grew ever more inward
when the scandal broke. Once they left the country and
Danny finally understood what had happened. He cried, stung by
the international criticism born of his parents and coaches betrayal.
Everything was on him, Cordova says. He was here by himself.
(15:14):
All the weight fell on him. Everybody else was gone.
That's when he felt lonely. I can only imagine how
devastating and traumatic that must have been for Danny. Of course,
not everybody else was gone. When Felipe Almonte fled back
to the Dominican Republic, young Danny, with his career opportunities
put on ice and no means of going anywhere else, remained,
(15:38):
living with his coach, Rowando Paulino, Paulino's wife Carmen, and
their daughter in the South Bronx Projects. Their fourteenth floor
apartment with no elevator access, must have been stifling for
Danny as he grappled with his parents and his coach
turned guardians deceit. Even as Rolando Paulino housed their son Danny,
he publicly distanced himself from fully and Sonya Almonte. Film
(16:02):
star Elizabeth Taylor once said that you find out who
your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal.
So true, and for the Almantes it became crystal clear
that Orlando's history of friendship with Felipe, spanning over decades
from the Dominican Republic to New York, was worth less
than a penny. Under the glare of negative international press.
(16:24):
With a baseball diamond as his stage, Orlando Paulino declared
the father and mother of Danny. They lied to us.
I had a visa and a passport handed to me.
I was going by the documentation the father provided. Well,
(16:54):
Orlando Paulino's words just didn't taste right. Wouldn't you say,
like a big old spoon full of castor oil when
you're sick. Yeah, when things taste off, let's get real.
It's because they usually are. And no one was drinking
Paulino's version of events up and letting him off the hook.
The tab had come due for this guy. Little League
(17:15):
Baseball took tough, decisive action. Daniel Monte, the wonder kin
of the Bronx Baby Bombers, was retroactively declared ineligible the
championship wins that the team bearing Rowando Paulino's name had achieved.
The victories that had echoed through the cheers of the
Bronx Faithful, were mercilessly erased from the books. The Rowando
Paulino All Stars had to forfeit all their wins and
(17:37):
tournament play, a bitter pill to swallow for the kids
and certainly for their baseball obsessed coach, but the repercussions
didn't stop there. Under Little League rules, it is the
coach of the team who is the gatekeeper of player
eligibility and in the realm of fairness. Rowando Paulino was
therefore held responsible for the Daniel Monte age falsification scandal,
(18:00):
had alongside his once best friend Felipe Almonte. Lance van Aukin,
the Little League director of Media Relations, expressed his dismay
at Orlando Paulino's negligence, saying he couldn't recall a case
of age tampering in the history of the Little League
World Series, and Little League President Stephen D. Keener was
even more biting in his indictment of Orlando and Felipe,
(18:21):
saying anyone who would knowingly undermine the trust in Little
League is guilty of doing serious harm to children, and
that their exploitation of Danny had been contemptible and despicable.
Things went from bad to worse for Orlando Paulino, as
the Little League investigated the other claims coming to light
about his coaching. First, it was uncovered that Paulino had
(18:43):
a history of cheating, having been previously stripped of a
title with a Dominican team all the way back in
nineteen eighty eight because he had six overaged players six
y'all six. Then a New York Times investigation uncovered that
another player on the same team as Danny Catcher, named
Francisco Pana, shouldn't have been eligible to play in the
(19:03):
two thousand and one Little League World Series either. According
to the Times, Penya had been brought in directly from
the Dominican Republic just before the start of the series,
like a ringer, someone with special and specific skills was
brought into Phillis specific purpose without other people knowing, which
is a big no no. Certainly didn't give him enough
(19:23):
time to participate in six Little League games prior to
the championship just like Danny, and would have acted the
team's winning record in and of itself. Yet there was
no doubt about it. Coach Rolando Paulino had definitely played dirty. Fortunately,
(19:46):
Francisco Panna wasn't as marred by the scandalist Daniel monte Pena,
who had been dragged into the scandalous exposure, later on
seemed to float above it, going on to sign with
the New York Mets in two thousand and seven. When
asked about the whole old Little League World Series scandal
retrospectively by MLB dot Com, he said, my parents didn't
know how it worked. It was a messed up decision
(20:08):
our family got into. It was a crazy moment in
our lives. That crazy moment didn't haunt coach Orlando Paulino
as much as it maybe should have. While the two
thousand and one scandal got him a lifetime ban from
Little League International, to this day, he still coaches youth
baseball in the South Bronx, and he intends to until
(20:28):
his projected retirement after fifty years of coaching. In twenty
twenty seven. His league of twenty four teams still bearing
his name lega Paulino as approximately four hundred players and
receives support from the Yankees. How is this possible for
someone proven guilty to continue to operate in youth baseball,
you ask, Well, it might sound crazy that a dirty
(20:50):
player got to continue in the space, but let's break
it down. Youth baseball is not one organized, simplistic blog
moving as a perfect unit, like a dollop of slime
in the hands of a toddler. It is a complicated,
tangled web of independent leagues with very little oversight. I'm
(21:10):
talking blender not clicked into the base level chaos. This
lack of order in youth baseball is why coach Orlando
Paulino can be banned from Little League International and from
taking his teams to Williamsport for the World Series, yet
still get New York City permits to bring all star
teams to the Caribbean and all over the United States.
Of course, the ban by Little League International has hurt
(21:33):
Orlando Paulino. He claims he even contemplated suicide, whispering to
the n ESPN reporter Dan Lebertard in one interview, I
was so depressed, I thought about taking my life, but
I wouldn't give them the pleasure. After all, no one
knows better than Paulino does that the trail of youth
baseball glory ultimately has to travel through Williamsport, where TV
(21:54):
exposure has turned the nonprofit children's Little League World Series
tournament into a multi million dollar industry. For Paulino, who
works as a taxi cab driver to make ends meet,
to be excluded from a piece of that rich baseball
pie must be hard to bear. Paulino has set in
interviews that he has written letters to Williamsport requesting Little
League reinstatement, but never heard back. When The Daily News
(22:17):
looked into this claim, however, it turned out not to
be the case, just another Rolando Paulino lie. Little League
International has not received any recent requests from mister Paulino
asking to be reinstated as an eligible coach in the
Little League program. The statement from Williamsport read, we remain
committed to the decision made in two thousand and one
by the Little League International Tournament Committee that removed him
(22:40):
from serving as league president and bans him for life
from volunteering in our program. As the matter was closed
in two thousand and one, we have no further comment
on the situation. Alex Perez, the vice president of Inwood
Little League in North Manhattan, strongly agrees with Little League
Internationals to sity to neither reinstate nor forgive Rowando Polino. Perez,
(23:04):
who says as teams of largely Hispanic players are still
stigmatized as a result of what Rolando Paulino enabled at
the two thousand and one Little League World Series. Is
outraged at the thought of it. When you cheat for
so many years and so blatantly, what do you think
is going to happen? Says Perez, who has worked with
Inwood Little League since nineteen ninety seven. Nobody wants to
(23:25):
play him. You're going to force people to play him
in your tournaments, and everybody is going to say there's
an issue here. Rowando Paulino's history will forever leave him
upolarizing figure both outside and inside the youth baseball community.
While some people in the Bronx still view him as
a hero getting youth involved in baseball instead of gangs,
is cheating over shadows his good works, because, of course,
(23:48):
the Paulinos cheating open the door for blanket discriminatory practices.
Pitcher Daniel Monte's falsified birth certificate, the biggest scandal in
Little League history, perpetrated by Rolando Polino and Felipe El Monte,
remains a source of animosity and justification for stereotypes, while
depressing ramifications still felt by Hispanic youth teams traveling outside
(24:09):
New York. Anytime you take a team out of New York,
that's good. And you go into the suburbs and you know,
play a bunch of white kids right away, it's is
this kid legal? Coach Alex Perez says that sure takes
any sweetener right out of the juice for me when
it comes to Rolando Paublino's legacy. Of course, it's also
worth our taking a moment to consider if all the
(24:31):
blame can be laid at Rolando Paulino's feet for discrimination
in Little League baseball since the two thousand and one scandal.
I mean, why exactly was it that Danny was under
set scrutiny in the first place? For example, was it
just because he was big and pitched de mean fastball
or was something uglier at work? Red Sox Starr and
Dominican native Pedro Martinez has his own theory about what
(24:52):
happened at the Little League World Series in two thousand
and one. It's just because Danny kicked everybody's ass that
people complained from the Dominican Republic mountains, goes to New York,
gets the opportunity to play, and he gets all the
crap America has to offer just because he's good. Ouch.
That's a pretty damning theory for Little League if it
(25:13):
holds any truth, and sadly it just might. Several Little
League officials even admitted that Danny wasn't the absolute biggest
playing in Little League the year of the scandal. There were,
in fact, plenty of Anglo players who were bigger, but
nobody investigated their age or eligibility. Why not. I'm not
(25:34):
justifying Rowando Paulino's cheating at all. But when the embittered
coach Orlando Paulino said, our players don't have the blonde hair,
the blue eyes and the perfect English, this never happens
if we have those things, maybe, just maybe, it's the
most truthful thing he said. With the Bronx Baby Bomber's
records wiped clean, the Little League world was left grappling
(25:55):
with the fallout of the dannielle Monte scandal. A prodigies
trajectory was abruptly brought to a halt. Danny's father was
facing the Dominican official's wrath. Coach Rolando Paulino had inadvertently
opened the door even wider for discrimination against Hispanic kids
in youth baseball by breaking the rules, and the credibility
of the beloved little league was left in tatters. Now,
(26:24):
everyone grab your glass and drink up in preparation for
the big reveal. I know you're all waiting for what
happened to Daddy Almonte, the kid caught up in all
these adults dirty games, The kid who, in a twenty
fourteen ESPN documentary sadly acknowledged, even years after the scandal broke,
that the bad thing is my coach, Paulino and my dad.
(26:45):
They knew what they were going to get into. I
wish this never happened, but it happened to me, and
God knows what he does to me. Crushing words from
someone who really never knowingly did anything wrong but bore
so much of the brunt for others' bad behavior. Well,
(27:11):
here's some good news. At the beginning of this episode,
I promised that I'd helped clear your palette. Remember, having
been exonerated of any responsibility for cheating. Danny's friends and
supporters came out in droves. In fact, a Bronx dentist
went so far as to sponsor Danny's coaching under Fred Cambria,
a forty dollars an hour pitching coach who used to
work for the San Diego Padres. Danny continued to train
(27:34):
hard while finishing out high school, but ultimately the little
unit didn't wind up making it to the bigs. Danny
entered the two thousand and six MLB draft but wasn't drafted.
So what does a kid do who has trained so
hard and come through so much adversity only to miss
the cut? Crumpled under disappointment? Unlikely, just as he stepped
(27:57):
up to the mound in two thousand and one and
delivered a pitching perform It's exceptional for any age. Daniel
Monte kept going in pursuit of his dream to continue
his lifelong love affair with baseball, independent of anyone else's
string pulling or expectations. At heart, he was still that
kid who batted bottle caps with broomsticks for fun, and
(28:17):
he was still an ethical, clean player. I've got to
prove myself, danielle Monte said. Whatever happened in the past happened.
I've got to become a better man now. Danny pushed
on attending junior college and playing baseball in the Independent
Frontier League, which is a minor league, but hey, he
was still playing baseball and getting paid and having fun.
(28:40):
After junior college, Danny then got the chance to play
baseball at Western Oklahoma State College. He was able to
showcase his amazing fluid arm from the mound once again.
He also hit thirty two home runs in his two
seasons there. This made him one of the leading hitters
in the country. In addition to seeing success on the mound.
Danny al Monte never made it to the majors in baseball,
(29:03):
but he did go back to his high school alma mater,
James Monroe High in Brooklyn, and he did become an
assistant coach there, passing on his love for the game
to the next generation. As far as this sports loving
juice aficionado is concerned, that is a major league winning
legacy for Danny Almonte. Let's drink to that, my friend,
(29:25):
join me for the next juicy scandal by subscribing to
Playing Dirty Sports Scandals. Until then, I'll be staying hydrated
and minding my own business. Not Playing Dirty Sports Scandals
is a production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never Ever Productions
(29:47):
and Workhouse Media from executive producers Dan Patrick, Paul Anderson,
Nick Panela, Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary. Hosted by Jay Harris,
Written and produced by Jen Brown, Francie haigks My Egnctment
and Jennifer Claring.
Popular Podcasts
1. The Podium
The Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast. Join us for insider coverage during the intense competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have you know and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.
2. In The Village
In The Village will take you into the most exclusive areas of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to explore the daily life of athletes, complete with all the funny, mundane and unexpected things you learn off the field of play. Join Elizabeth Beisel as she sits down with Olympians each day in Paris.
3. iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2024 Olympics.